The history of American literature began with the influx of immigrants from different backgrounds and cultures. Since then, American literature has been greatly influenced by European culture for a long time. It was not until America became independent that Americans realized that they strongly needed national literature, and American literature began to develop. The Civil War was a watershed in history, after which American literature entered its heyday. Romanticism and intuitionism, represented by Emerson, which emphasized individuality and intuition, came into being. This is an exciting period in the history of American literature. Like flowers in spring, many different kinds of works suddenly appeared at the same time. They endowed American literature with depth and strength and accelerated the formation of high romanticism. However, due to the influence of the civil war, American society is in a turbulent situation. There are more works about local life, criticizing reality and exposing the dark side of society. After World War I, Americans were at a loss after the war, and modern American literature began.

My thesis is written in the chronological order of these periods, so as to have a clear outline of its development.

Key words: national literature, Rome * * *, transcendentalism * *, local color, realism * * *, modern literature.