Colonial literature was inspired and fueled by Puritanism. It was religious and spiritual in nature and style, and in line with the major political upheavals of its day and age. The most notable nonfiction works include John Winthrop's The History of New England and William Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, both of which can be regarded as memoirs that explore and depict troubles and daily occurrences that colonizers faced in their early effort to establish their new home. There were also sermons that urged the colonizers to lead pious and devoted lives, following the paths of God - the most notable of these sermons is John Winthrop's A Model of Christian Charity. In it, Winthrop addresses the specific temptations that the Puritans were facing in the New World.

Poets were also drawing inspiration from religious and daily matters that occupied lives of these people in their small communities. But there were a few authentic voices, female and Afro-American: as a woman writer, Anne Bradstreet was mainly preoccupied with familial topics. while Phillis Wheatley is considered the first female representative of African-American poetry.

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