Early American Values

"I believe there are few events in my life which have not happened to many; it is true the incidents of it are numerous, and, did I consider myself an European, I might say my sufferings were great; but when I compare my lot with that of most of my countrymen, I regard myself as a particular favorite of heaven, and acknowledge the mercies of Providence in every occurrence of my life." Olaudah Equiano lived the life as a slave like many black people of the 18th century. He was born free but soon was forced into slavery which took him all around the world. From his accounts he has written down, he shows his life as a slave. Equiano had been bought and sold throughout the Americas and Europe; he showed the

Equiano was able to utilize his life experiences and expose the true story behind a slaves journey (from the capturing to the day the slave is placed with an owner), which allowed him to be an influential opponent against the enslavement of Africans. Equiano stated that, “[t]ourtures, murder, and every other imaginable barbarity and iniquity are practiced

Puritans believed in hard work and pleasing God. Therefore in this essay I will be comparing and contrasting three Puritan writings that were written by Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, and Jonathan Edwards. Their writings express perspectives of Puritan beliefs, however the differences in the writings show the variations between the purpose of their writings, the language, and the tone. In this essay I will first look at Bradstreet’s poem, second I’ll review Taylor’s poem, third I will analyze Edward’s sermon, and finally I will state the similarities between the three.

In 1678, Anne Bradstreet wrote “To the Memory of My Dear and Ever Honored Father Thomas Dudley Esq. Who Deceased, July 31, 1653 and of His Age 77”, following her father’s death. Throughout the poem, Anne gives her readers a brief summary of her father and the relationship they shared. It it very apparent that Bradstreet loved her father dearly and thought very highly of him. However, this was not the only father she shared a relationship with. Anne also had a lifetime relationship with her heavenly Father as well. Bradstreet was a devout woman of the Puritan religion. Puritanism was not only Anne’s religion, but it also served as the foundation on which she would live upon. Anne Bradstreet reconciles with the death of her father, though her Puritanical views of materialism, righteousness, and predestination.

Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and former slave, endured a painful life as an enslaved person and in his memoir, he addressed that the worst treatment often came from Christian masters. Douglass also explained that his critics always referred to what he called the “Christianity of the South”. He did this because he did not want to generalize as he respected true Christians but he strongly condemned those who used to call themselves Christians and were mean to enslaved people. In the memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglas says, “Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject

Frederick Douglass undertook abhorrent treatment from his slave masters, both Christian and non-Christian. Being religious did not matter; both kinds of owners were cruel and treated their slaves worse than they treated their animals. Douglass describes that having an owner that labeled himself a Christian, was worse than a non-Christianowner. He describes the horrors of captivity as he puts on display the monstrosity of slavery, including the way non-Christian slave owners and Christian slave owners not only mistreated slaves, but also used the Bible to justify their wrong doing.

The American values meant and still mean a lot to people. Values were to be obeyed and often the rule of house. Values such as religion, respect, freedom, family, education, and equality were just a few things that people valued

Before Equiano’s narrative, slaves were a faceless mass with no individuality or humanity to speak of. His slave narrative put an individual, educated, Christian face to the ongoing brutality.

In Equiano’s narrative, Equiano uses long, dense sentences, with strong word choices. In some cases, this makes the narrative harder to read, but it also gives it a rich feel, and forces the reader to pay closer attention to what they are reading. This allows for Equiano to get his full point across, and insures an understanding from his reader. An example of this style of writing from Equiano is “I remember, in the vessel in which I was brought over, in the men’s apartment, there were several brothers, who, in the sale, were sold in different lots; and it was very moving on this occasion, to see and hear their cries of parting. O, ye nominal Christians! Might not an African ask you – learned you this from your god?” (Equiano, 17) this quotation not only uses long sentences, but has very emotion and thought provoking word choices, namely in the portion saying “O, ye nominal Christians!” not only does Equiano use a writing style in this similar to hymns in the bible, but he calls the Christians nominal, meaning only of name. he also points out his race, which expresses the idea that although he is considered lesser, he has a better understanding of the irony of the situation, and even a better understanding of the words in the bible. In this portion of the text, Equiano is criticizing the treatment of the slaves by those who supposedly follow the holy book, which teaches of treating others as you would wish yourself

The five key values that were studied and learned about in class were civic engagement, freedom, equality, patriotism and democracy. I do not believe that one of these values is more American than the other though three of these mean more to me personally than others. Patriotism, freedom, and equality. Together they make the United States of America unique from any other country. Yes, some countries have freedom, but no other country in the world is like ours because we hold these values nearest and dearest to us; at least most of us do. These five values are the values that we strive for in perfecting to make us so great. Some are more rounded than others but they are all what makes the United States so unique.

Anne Bradstreet was not the ideal Puritan writer. She wrote about her fear of not being

The Early American Writers discussed the three core value of Piety or Devotion/Religious, Courage means life or Death, and Industry mean hardworking. They came with a Deep respect for God and that kind of guide them through their lives and they were courageous because they came to start a new chapter of their life by that they also had to face a lot of difficulties and they have to be really hard working to get through the life they want. The value of Piety become really important during the period of Religious Revival, the purpose of this is to remind people to keep the faith and religious important and the value of Industry become less important over time because people feel like they are not being pushed to work anymore.

In the poem, "Upon the Burning of our House," Anne Bradstreet writes with a Puritan perspective. Bradstreet poem is Puritan in nature because she goes through many obstacles in her life but she believes it is God's will. For example, when the house burns down Bradstreet keeps her faith and believe that it was all God's plan and he will give her something greater. Bradstreet writes, "Yet by his gift is made thine own/ There's wealth enough I need no more" (Bradstreet 50-51).

Anne Bradstreet was both a Puritan women and a poet. She grew up in a wealthy home in England with a good education.

In the Puritan world there are many rules and regulations to control the way the people live. Basically the Puritan people were supposed to work, sleep and pray leaving no time for pleasurable activities. They believed in predestination which is the belief that when you are born God has already decided if you are going to heaven or hell and there is nothing you can do in order to change that. The Puritans also believed that God did not just watch over his people but, intervene in their lives. Therefore the Puritans spent there lives in search of a sign from God letting them know that they were going to be saved. There were also many downsides to this philosophy that caused the people to live life full of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. For example if a person was to question or go against Puritan beliefs the result where beyond harsh. The person would likely be kicked out of the reserve and ostracized; leaving them to fend for themselves. Extraordinarily there were still Puritans who tried to spread question about their belief, but it was crucial that they were extremely careful with their approach. Anne Bradstreet was one of these remarkable people. Her writing was brave because she wrote in a time that women were supposed to be illiterate. It was also risky because of the style of her writing questioned Puritan ways. Bradstreet writes on the line of being a good or bad Puritan. In her pieces she will say things that are out of line with Puritan ideals, then quickly go back