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Early American Literature refers to the body of written work produced in what is now the United States during the colonial and early national periods, from the early 1600s to the mid-1800s. It includes a wide range of genres such as sermons, diaries, letters, pamphlets, poetry, essays, and novels that reflect the diverse experiences and perspectives of the early settlers, Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and other groups who inhabited the region. Themes often explored in early American literature include exploration, colonization, religious faith, the struggle for independence, and the formation of a national identity. Prominent authors from this period include Anne Bradstreet, Cotton Mather, Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley, and Washington Irving.