The Wordy Shipmates

American Dreams Lit. Analysis The American dream exists within the minds of individuals, who live in communities. We can interpret the ideas of that dream based on the communities themselves. In The Wordy Shipmates, we follow John Winthrop, Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson and learn their idea of, and path to the American Dream. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl we get to know Harriet’s struggles and how she ultimately achieves her American Dream. In both books, we find out that

group, across the Atlantic to settle in Massachusetts Bay Colony. By the 1630s the colony had established a theocracy that supported its conservative culture. Sarah Vowell discusses the functionality of the Puritan community in her editorial, The Wordy Shipmates. She uses several excerpts from the play The Examination of Mrs.Anne Hutchinson at the court of  Newton, November 1637 written by Anne Hutchinson, to form her opinion. Anne Hutchinson was a leader in her community who occasionally gave sermons

ongoing debate for which religion is superior. Today, a person’s rights allow them to practice their religion freely; however, in the past, not everyone had the right to choose his or her religion. Sarah Vowell effectively describes this in The Wordy Shipmates, in which a group referred to as the Puritans sought to be freed from the influence of the Church of England. Vowell somewhat agrees with what they were attempting to accomplish; however, she does not necessarily agree with the ways they accomplished

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell shows that the Puritans were more than a colony of uptight Englishmen. Her thesis is about how the Puritans were a writing based group of people. The Wordy Shipmates starts off with Vowell stating, “The only thing more dangerous than an idea is a belief. And by dangerous I don’t mean thought-provoking. I mean: might get people killed” (pg 1). Vowell supports this statement throughout her book by explaining how religion plays an important role in every part of the

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell focuses on the puritan colonies in the new world. Mainly Plymouth in 1620 and Salem in1692. The book focuses on the words of John Cotton and John Winthrop’s sermons. The book provides an insight into the forming of these first few colonies, such as the events both in Europe and the new world that led to there formation. Vowell does a great job at keeping this historical analysis as interesting as possible referring past events to present day ones giving a younger

The Pilgrims trailblazed the way, the Puritans took initiative. In American colonial history, the Pilgrims have been hailed as the first successful group of European settlers to colonize the United States, however, few are aware of the pioneers who established Massachusetts and created a refuge against the religious persecution of King Charles I of England. After Charles permanently dissolved Parliament in 1629, the Puritans saw the king’s imposition of the Personal Rule: a time period where Charles

American culture can be summed up into one word, discrimination. From the time Europeans first came to the Americas, prejudice has been a part of the life in the Americas. In 1492 Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas, and found it to be easily conquered and the people taken advantage of. Slavery was a part of colonial America, written into the Constitution of the United States, remained legal until 1865, and the state of Mississippi did not officially abolish slavery until 2013. Civil

Early English settlers who sailed on the Arbella set a precedent that would affect the actions and history of the United States in the future. According to The Wordy Shipmates author Sarah Vowell, those colonists began the way the United States would be unique and not conform to what other countries do and this is shown in the actions the United States has taken throughout its history. Instead of conforming, most of the goals of the United States have been to allow other nations to conform to the

living in a tolerant society, unlike Great Britain at the time (Why Did the Puritans Really Leave England For The New World?). However, the Puritans are often misunderstood, as Sarah Vowell explicitly writes in one of her most recent books, The Wordy Shipmates. The Puritans may come across as harsh and overbearing, but a detailed analysis of their literature leads to the conclusion that they are simply hard-working individuals who possess a great passion for their