Hope Leslie, or, Early Times in the Massachusetts is the third novel by Massachusetts author Catharine Maria Sedgwick. The novel was first published in two volumes in 1827 and has been considered a foundational text in the creation of an American national literature. It is a historical romance that takes place around the year 1643, at which time the English settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was active and still expanding. Puritan leader John Winthrop and influential Puritan heretic Samuel Gorton both appear in the text, as well as Mononotto, a Pequot Native American included in historian Samuel Drake's The Book of Indians.
Among the historical issues addressed by the novel are arranged marriage, witch trials, relations between Native Americans and white settlers, and the religious tensions in 17th century England that caused many Puritan "pilgrims" to settle in America. Sedgwick herself converted from Calvinism to Unitarianism as a young woman and published a pamphlet against religious intolerance, which influenced the depiction of religious tensions and intolerance in the novel. Furthermore, in addition to the real historical figures included in the novel, Sedgwick also makes reference to real historical events, such as the Pequot War of 1636 to 1638.
The novel is well-known for its feminist overtones: women not only play an active and prominent role in the story, but also exercise their own agency in surprising ways, as Esther does towards the end when she elects to remain unmarried and travel to England. Following its publication, "The North American Review praised Hope Leslie as an example of 'the female influence in literature', specifically its ability to influence positively, but warned against women authors who 'have forgotten their sex'."
Hope Leslie also contains many strong suggestions of Sedgwick's political views. Raised in an influential political family, Sedgwick was both an avid patriot and an advocate for equal treatment for Native Americans and others. Her father, who later became Speaker of the House of Representatives, helped argue the case of Elizabeth Freeman, the first enslaved African American to win a freedom suit in the state of Massachusetts. After they won the suit, Freeman started working for the Sedgwick family and helped raise Catharine. In her autobiography, Sedgwick reveals her admiration of Freeman and the impact Freeman had on her perspectives. Her relationship with Freeman and her father's dedication to defending people of color influenced her depiction of Native Americans in Hope Leslie. The novel is also cited as an example of Sedgwick's support for "Republican motherhood", or the idea that parents should raise their children to instill the values of republicanism in order to pass those values on to the next generation.
