History: Thomas Jefferson and Chapter Essay

LeAnn Struckman paper’s thesis is that the Puritan community, the weather, political events, and illnesses that were happening to the Salem region led to the Salem witch trial. This is supported by looking at the Puritan community and establishing the context behind the event. The paper starts by looking at the importance of the Massachusetts Bay Charter. This gave them the right to establish a colony in the New England area and the protections that came with it. The Puritans believed and desired to create an ideal society in the New World that England would want to emulate. The paper claims that the Puritans believed that the church and state should not be separate, which made their Puritan religious doctrines flow over into their government. This influences the role of the church and its membership. The Puritans believed in a strict system to gain membership of the church. Church membership carried over into the governance of the state and certain political rights like voting. The following generations were not as involved with the church and membership soon declined as they were unable to meet the strict standards. This decline created tension within the church, which created the need for reforming the standards of membership. However, with the change in membership there still was tension between the Puritans.

John Winthrop's dream was for the Massachusetts colony to be respected by the world for how its people give to others in need and for the relationships people in the community had with each other. The Pilgrims and Puritans came to america to practice their own religion. When the Pilgrims arrived in America; they were supposed to be in Virginia. A storm set them off course and they ended up in Cape Cod. The Pilgrims decided to call the area Plymouth, and because there was no government there; they created a new government known as the Mayflower Compact. When the Puritans came 10 years later with John Winthrop. He wanted to make a government that was based around God and one that would be a good example for other colonies to follow in the future.

Within the New World, individuals such as William Bradford, a separatist religious leader as well as governor of Plymouth (131), and Thomas Morton, a lawyer and social reformer, were both very significant men within our history books. The story of Merry Mount/Ma-re Mount is shown from two different perspectives which offers the readers an awareness and understanding of the way religion and government influenced the lives of those who dwelled in Plymouth Massachusetts, and Ma-re Mount. Thomas Morton and William Bradford are somewhat like Tom and Jerry for the reason that they dislike one another and have different accounts of Ma-re Mount/Merry Mount and that they tend to dispute with one another often when it comes to religion. Bradford’s writing tells the story of Merry Mount in a narrative and formal way whereas Morton’s writing is unlike any writing during his time, it’s humorous and also told from a non-Puritans perspective. Although Bradford claims Morton to be an anarchic drunk there are many reasons to say that he was in fact a comedic hero.

In the New World Bradford and Morton were both important men of our history. The stories of both great men give us an insight into the way religion and influence affected Puritan life.

1) What reasons did Thomas Paine give in his pamphlet Common Sense for why the American Colonies should declare full and complete independence from Great Britain in 1776?

1. According to Ellis’s preface, explain what is so phenomenal about the founding of the United States?

In the trial of Anne Hutchinson, we meet a well intentioned yet lost people described and labelled as the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Company. These self governing Puritans, once a people who sought God to set them on their way, settled only to be found as a people who simply lost their way. This journey to lost began when first motivated by a desire for religious reform and separation from the liturgy, ceremonies and practices of the Church of England. Once they banned together, they set on their way and traveled in groups to the New World. With the Word of God as their ultimate authority and the desire for a personal relationship with God, these people landed in Boston in 1630 united to self govern the newly founded Massachussets Bay Colony. Unfortunatly, this self rule resulted in a government of intolerance, fear and a liturgy not much different from what was once found in the Church of England. A system designed to set apart outward morality, or sanctification, to strengthen the authority of the Church only worked to neglect the place of true piety purposed to strengthen the spiritual lives of the people it served.

2. In what ways did Boucher contribute to colonial society and education while he was in

The article begins by stating that the puritans came to America to set a model for the Anglican Church. In order to accomplish this, the puritans had to have many laws that were supposed to be met with harsh punishment. Among these laws were many

There are many similarities and differences between the three mainland regions in British North America in the time span of 1720 and 1750. These regions are New England, the Middle colonies, and the South. The biggest thing all the regions had in common were that their population increased drastically due to the result of natural increase, European migration, and the American slave trade. All these regions were different in a political manner, they had different systems that pushed for a more representative government as yeomen and poorer farmers started to rebel against government policies that exploited them, or were unfair. After being acknowledged of these differences and similarities, conclusions have been made about the character of American society in the mid-eighteenth century. One of these conclusions are that overall the character of American society was increasingly similar and unified but also becoming more complex and diverse, at the same time.

From 1630 to the 1660s, The Puritans established and shaped the New England colonies, ultimately making the outline for what those societies would be like today. The Puritan ideology held great influence over the New England colonies as it prioritized religious values in order to create a political order with a unified government. These values also assisted in the formation of a social identity based on patriarchal ideals and a stress on the importance of a diligent work ethic to prevent materialism. Throughout New England, the Puritan concept of unity greatly influenced the political development of the colonies.

1. According to Ellis’s preface, explain what is so phenomenal about the founding of the United States?

Brinkley begins framing Hatches’ work with the rise or elevation of the ideals of individual liberty and reason. The American Revolution had weakened the traditional religious practices and challenged many of the “older” ecclesiastical traditions of their European/English predecessors. There were two major trends which were identified; first, the rise of the Enlightenment period and the concept of the “divine watchmaker” or deist beliefs. Secondly, there was a rejection of the establishment (Federalism as well as the hierarchical of the American Protestant churches). The emergence of a humanist doctrine alarmed many and was now attracting educated Americans such as Jefferson and Franklin.

2) notes how the british colonists coming to America were seeking religious freedom, that is, for their own sake (See Foner, Ch. 3 lecture). There were things such as the salem witch trials, or other acts of persecution, until after the victory of the Americans in the revolutionary war. Many immigrants came to the united states to fulfill the labor demands of American industries (Ch. 9). But did Frederich Hans find these desires fulfilled in America? Did he realize the American Dream? What were their preconceived notions of America? Did he find the sort of independence he was looking for, within another

Phillis Wheatley, author of many poems during the 1700’s and Hector Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer, both see British America as a praiseworthy destination, one far superior to the lands across the Atlantic Ocean. Both author’s view on the uniqueness of British America stems from religion. Wheatley’s text signifies that religion is the supreme importance in British American society allowing it to be a place of purity, goodness and salvation; on the other hand, Crevecoeur's text manifests an attitude of religious indifference, which allows British America to become a society of independence and prosperity.