Answer To The Teacher Jacob Pack, By Red Coat

      Colonial North America was a multifaceted melting pot of diversities. The amalgamation of different ethnicities, races, cultures and religious organizations created a circumstance in which the identities of the English, Native Americans, Africans and Germans were far from static. The interactions between these four groups helped to build the history of North America, and as such it is pertinent to understand the evolution of their identities. While old world traditions and increased interaction with cultural outsiders predominantly shaped the identities of English colonizers, religious appropriation and reinterpretation

No two accounts of any event are ever exactly the same, as different people have unique experiences that impact their views. Historical accounts and history books are the same way, as an examination of A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn, and Give Me Liberty, by Eric Foner demonstrates. Both accounts of early American history cover the important colonies, such as Jamestown and the influential Puritans and the immigration of different peoples to America. They differ however, not only on the depth they choose to go into these events, but also on interactions between the natives and the colonists. A People’s History, by Howard Zinn, tells history in a biased way that excludes information that Eric Foner, of Give Me Liberty, does not. Zinn’s bias is in favor of the Indians, while Foner lacks a bias, telling history from all views. This difference can be noted in the telling of the Pueblo

Although the present day American is a totally a different person, at the close of the Revolutionary War the same individual was a European immigrant impacted by the nature of the American continent. In St. Jean de Crevecoeur’s perspective, an American is a race that results from a mixture of Swedes, Dutch, French, Irish, Scotch, and Englishmen (48). This race consists of unique type of people who are not governed by laws as strict as they experienced in Europe. They are a breed of people who had no home and no country in Europe. This paper discusses what the American was thought to be, in view of St. Jean de Crevecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer.

The author John Smith, a pilgrim who arrived to the Americas, wrote a description of the new land in his book “ A Description of New England ”. In this book Smith shows a wonderful world of vast food and pleasure. Also, William Bradford another pilgrim who arrived to Plymouth on the coast of Massachusetts, wrote a book called “ Of Plymouth Plantation ” in which he describes what really happened, how the pilgrims actually lived. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast both authors and their books. John Smith wrote about the wonderful place the New World was, on the other hand, William Bradford wrote about the realities and difficulties of the New World.

When the first colonists landed in the territories of the new world, they encountered a people and a culture that no European before them had ever seen. As the first of the settlers attempted to survive in a truly foreign part of the world, their written accounts would soon become popular with those curious of this “new” world, and those who already lived and survived in this seemingly inhospitable environment, Native American Indian. Through these personal accounts, the Native Indian soon became cemented in the American narrative, playing an important role in much of the literature of the era. As one would expect though, the representation of the Native Americans and their relationship with European Americans varies in the written works of the people of the time, with the defining difference in these works being the motives behind the writing. These differences and similarities can be seen in two similar works from two rather different authors, John Smith, and Mary Rowlandson.

Based on most ethnic principles and values in early settlers, they were alike, but in a unique way they were different. In both primary and secondary sources, each author has the same type of writing style. In “The Coming of Age in the Dawnland”, Charles C. Mann is referring to analyzation by introducing the readers to Tisquantum the “friendly Indian”and the experiences of traveling to Dawnland and interacting with the Native Americans. Another primary source, “Of Plymouth Plantation”, written by William Bradford, was an American Literature based story to inform the reader about the travels and beliefs of the Puritans and the Pilgrims. Last source is the, “Suppressed Speech Of Wamsutta (Frank B.) James, Wampanoag”. This speech is also to inform the reader about what the Wampanoags went through and what kind of lifestyle they were living from one of their own men's perspective.Each of these villages, families, and individuals all had to go through the same struggles, hardships, and brutal conditions. So, let’s get into what beliefs, ways, and religions each one of these groups had to go through.

Lastly, Red Jacket logically counteracts the American’s claims that his people are lost with their own religion. He goes about proving this with logos which appeals to a person’s logic and reasoning. The argument he uses is that his people are content with their religion as are the British. He believes that the two things should live independently. The British came to their land with lies and poison and the least they could do is leave them with the religious practices. He also believes the logic that the Americans are using for proselytizing is invalid. They claim their religion is the right one because it has been passed from father to son in a book. However, the Seneca’s religion was also passed from father to son & if their book is the right religious text, why was it not given to the Seneca’s as well. The Great Spirit, according to Red jacket” has served his people well and

The poems, journals, and sermons by William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards displayed these characteristics: the love of something, the courage to do something, the belief in something, and the ability to stand strong and stable in their beliefs. In “Of Plymouth Plantation” the people traveling to find the people on the ship had the love and desire to seek God in everything they did. They believed in God so much they were putting not only their health but lives in jeopardy by traveling so far. “Thus his curses light on his own head, and it was an astonishment to all his fellows for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him.” Even though they under came harsh conditions they were determined to find a safe

Religion plays a major role in the day to day lives of the early settlers in America. So much so, that early colonial writers use it as a form of literary persuasion. John Smith and William Bradford were two such writers.

But Davis, unlike the Williams and Winthrop, discusses the English’s view of color and religion. Davis, in the midst of discussing the two actually reveals the basis of bias and ideologies of superiority among the English and inferiority labels they placed on

Mary Rowlandson believed the Native Americans were savage, blood-thirsty creatures that were either going to kill or be killed. In her story, she supports her claim by using vivid imagery of a major event that took place during her lifetime. A very interesting quote from Rowlandson’s literature is “It is a solemn sight to see so many Christians lying in their blood, some here, and some there, like a company of sheep torn by wolves, all of them stripped naked by a company of hell-hounds, roaring, singing, ranting, and insulting, as if they would have torn our very hearts out” (Rowlandson). This quote uses an incredible amount of imagery and allows the reader to see just how Rowlandson feels about the natives.

William Bradford’s writing Of Plymouth Plantation Is a written record of the journey from his old home in Europe to the settlement in the new world. The separatist traveled from England to Amsterdam and finally to the new world and later the life of the colony. Reading Of Plymouth Plantation presents us with an understanding of the basis of American culture and history. His writings are used to help us understand the reasons for the settlement of America as well as the hard ships the pilgrims had to face in order to escape the religious prosecution. His Writing also acts as an example to follow for several of our present day religions such as the many Mormons moving too their main church in Ohio. Mormons like the pilgrims move in search of religious freedom and to escape prosecution in a place with people who share similar beliefs with them. This Work also

Personal connections that are or are not developed with the Indians is a topic that both Morton and Bradford discuss. The Pilgrims’ initial encounter with the Indians is tense and there is an air of skepticism about what type of people they are, good or bad. Since they need to live together in a peaceful way, the Pilgrims create a treaty between themselves and the Indians so that there would be no misunderstanding about the expectations and trust each group needs to have with one another (Bradford 88). Morton views this in a different way; instead of believing that this is a mutual agreement between both communities, he feels that the treaty is forcing the Indians to act the way the Pilgrims want them to act (104). There is room for

Red Jacket’s speech that is found on pages 259-262 serves as criticism towards the Christian practice of educating Native Americans as well functioning as a plea for them to leave the Natives be. As examined by Red Jacket, Christians of the New World were adamant about educating natives, with the hopes of “civilizing” them, by teaching them the Christian ways of life. However, the results of these endeavors often did more harm than good, as seen when Red jacket states, “They [the educated natives] become discouraged and dissipated—Despised by the Indians, neglected by the whites, and without value to either,” showing that once natives were educated by Christians, they did not have a place within either group. Furthermore, Red Jacket points

I too also wrote on Rowlandson, SmithAnd Mather. The three person encounter difference experience with the Indians, but yet they all survived to tell the stories of their time with the Indian. James you summarize St. John deCreveoceurs ,What is an American, in awesome way. Yes in today American one must have ideas and work together to achieve more.