John Winthrop And Sewall Analysis

The dichotomy between a Puritan and a Rationalist seems to be very apparent. Despite the differences, the very existence of these two writers showcases the need for dissent to influence, and to always question the status-quo. Anne Bradstreet and Benjamin Franklin give a glimpse of the time period during the creation of their works. Many factors affect their writing: gender and the reason for writing, references to non-Biblical scriptures, and the presence of God.

People immigrated to America for many reasons, most people shared in the same ideas of going to the New World to start new lives away from England. Roger Williams and John Winthrop both joined in the Puritan dissent to New England, but while they were living in Boston, Massachusetts they did not agree on several matters. These two men had contrasting views when it came to Christianity, separating from the Church of England and religious liberty.

Throughout the story, “The Puritan Dilemma,” The author, Edmund Morgan focuses directly towards his view on the Puritan Dilemma and how it affected John Winthrop in both his personal life along with his professional life. Morgan also talks about how the government is treated by the puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. According to Morgan, the Puritan Dilemma meant finding balance between personal life along with spiritual. Morgan explains how John copes with this and how his views on Puritanism affected his life entirely. Morgan believes that the Puritan Dilemma should be praised. He shows this praise through the main figurine of the story, John Winthrop. Puritanism is viewed with strict religious laws where life should only be lived through the bible.

During the 1630’s, there was a group known as, the Puritans. The Puritans immigrated from England to America, for the sole purpose of religious freedom and their belief that the church of England needed reform. Puritan author’s, Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards, conveyed their messages and beliefs in their writing . For these two authors, they were working around the same foundation, Puritanism, for the intended messages. Admittedly, there is a disconnection in belief between the two. Edward’s writings take Puritanism to the extreme whilst Bradstreet’s works show a more traditional view in the religion while staying true to it.

A major influence in the formation of their society was a Puritan named John Winthrop. A member of the first group of Puritans to sail to the Americas, Winthrop’s goal was to be something of a beacon of purity for the rest of colonial America. He believed that if they worked in unity, they

John Winthrop speaks of how people should devote themselves to God and disregard all that interferes with that endeavor in A Model of Christian Charity. This was most likely written for the people in the Massachusetts Bay Colony because that area was settled primarily by Puritans. He suggests that the only way in which this is possible is to join into a brotherhood of sorts. This shows his Puritanism and that of others because Puritans were very determined people in becoming closer to God. Puritans did not even allow art, dancing, or music to be in churches. This is so that no distractions can be in place between the worshipper and God.

John Winthrop’s “Model of Christian Charity” was delivered to the colonists bound for Massachusetts Bay Colony to unite them and help them become a model community for England. Through his use of metaphors and biblical allusions, Winthrop is able to thoroughly convey the importance of remaining unified to his very religious Puritan audience. Previous attempts of colonization in America, such as Roanoke, the lost colony, had created a negative view of colonization. Previous colonists were also only focused on profit and did not build a stable community, which led to their downfalls. Therefore, Winthrop tells his audience that they must work together “as one man”. This metaphor compares the group of colonists to a single person who has one mind

In Edmund S. Morgan’s, The Puritan Dilemma, it was evident that John Winthrop focused his entire life around glorifying God, in turn creating a government that did the same. This ideology translated into the way he shaped and structured Puritan society. Winthrop first focused on the formation of a community of unity and harmony, then built a government that fostered it. All of the governmental structures in place were supporting one main focus of the Puritan society being “a city on a hill.” Citation Further, Puritan society was to act as an example for the surrounding colonies of godly living. Harmony was backed by their ideals of

Through Puritan writers, literature is influenced by religious ideologies and philosophies. Puritans writers, beginning in about 1560, put most of their focus into making their work God centered. They believed in the “Elect” and that Jesus died only for these few people. Writers usually wrote in 1st

Most of the settlers who came to America were not in search of wealth, but of freedom of religion. After many religious wars including the Protestant Reformation, settlers eventually decided to create a written document that would aim for general good in the colony as a whole. This document was called the Mayflower Compact, which led the colony to a prosperous future. Back in England, King Charles I gave a certain group of Puritans permission to create a joint stock company. One man named John Winthrop, along with many other Puritans, believed that the morals in England were out of sorts.

Sewall had four objections or proofs as to why slavery is not acceptable. In his first objection he refers to Exedous 9:20-27 which tells of a curse by Moses that was placed upon Canaan and Ham’s sons. Noah exclaimed “a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren!” Sewell tries to disprove the belief that if African Americans were truly descendants of Canaan then their slavery was God ordained. He states that “it is possible that by crust reading, this Text may have been mistaken” (Sewall, The Selling of Joseph, 222). Sewell hints that African Americans may actually not be direct desendants of Canaan so therefore the curse of slavery was not a commandment from the Lord.

Through the time of the Puritans arrival at the New World to the founding of the United States of America, inspirational political figures such as John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin inspired their supporters to work hard in order to establish a safe haven for the Puritan people, as Winthrop taught, as well as teach the American people the importance of logic and reason on their lives, which Benjamin Franklin conveyed, both leading to a shift in the perception of the American Identity. In John Winthrop’s revered speech, “A Model of Christian Charity”, he passionately established the means to which him and his fellow Puritans will accomplish their objective of establishing a religious and political asylum from the prosecution of the British Establishment, and enact an uncompromisable

John Winthrop’s journal replicates the importance of the Puritan’s devout religion, faith in God, and perfectionist mentality. In 1632, John Winthrop tells a story of a mouse and a snake in which the mouse prevails and kills the snake. Interestingly, the pastor of Boston, Mr. Wilson, interprets this story as “the snake was the devil, the mouse was a poor contemptible people which God had brought hither, which should overcome Satan here and dispossess of his kingdom”. Coincidently, this story is very similar to the story of David and Goliath. The reason the Catholics believe that David won the battle is because God was on David’s side. Very similar to the Catholics, the Puritan followers during the Puritan Age were able to spiritually interpret

John Winthrop wrote A Model of Christian Charity in 1630 aboard the Arabella. Winthrop was a firm believer in the Puritan faith and is known to have spoken this sermon on board the ship to help inspire passengers to go forth and create a “new society” focused on God “in a perilous environment” (Beardsley 1). Winthrop and his fellow Puritans were determined to establish a new society in America that was focused on doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (9). In A Model of Christian Charity, Winthrop uses theological and biblical references to define justice as loving and respecting all those around you, despite any differences, and as living out actions God wants his people to do; this exemplifies Winthrop’s Puritan religious beliefs which focus on creating a close-knit society.

Early American literature may be said to begin with the Colonial period. John Smith and John Winthrop are two examples of the types of writing at this period: the former kept a romantic journal of his adventures in the New World; the latter kept a journal (or history) of life in New England, where religious matters were of utmost importance. The Puritans had come seeking a life free from religious persecution (which, they ironically brought with them however, as their descendent Nathaniel Hawthorne would show in The Scarlet Letter).