...The English colonies formed during the mid 17th century varied vastly from one another. From values, practices, or societal structure each had their own core character. However, religion can be seen as a common theme in their formation and viewed as the root of their individuality and personal beliefs. Religion played an extremely strong role in the establishment of the English colonies as it fueled motives for their formation in America and contributed heavily to how the colonies were structured and governed. Many colonies formed in colonial America, were established as refuge from religious persecution. In New England, Massachusetts Bay colony was created as a place for Puritans to escape religious persecution, as they were unable to worship publicly and forced to pay taxes to the Church of England. They established Massachusetts Bay based on Governor John Winthrop’s essay “A Model Christian Society” which discussed how the colony should be viewed as “a city upon a hill.” The community of Massachusetts would be seen as the quintessential Christian society that stressed godliness and unity over individualism....
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...freedom from the corrupt Church of England, some 100 people departed on a journey from England to find a place where they could practice their beliefs of Calvinism and Lutheranism free from persecution2. They later formed denominations of Christianity called Separatism and Puritanism3. Although, these pilgrims established 13 original colonies in North America, the settlements of Virginia and Massachusetts show some striking similarities and differences. On one hand, religion as the major motivation, and on the other hand a financial venture sponsored by the queen. Massachusetts was given its name from a man named John Smith, an English explorer and was named after the native Massachusetts tribe that resided in the area. Other native tribes in the area were the Nauset, a fishing tribe located on Cape Cod; the Wampanoag in the southeast; the Massachusetts in the northeast; the Nipmuc, centrally; and the Pocumtuc, westward. Without their knowledge, Permanent English settlement would soon drastically impact the lives of the native peoples2. In 1630, Massachusetts Bay Colony was developed and occupied about 1,000 citizens. John Winthrop, the chief figure of the New England Puritans, gave a sermon called “A Model of Christian Charity,” suggesting ideas that the people should find a sense of community with God and one and other, and divinely build a city on a hill as their next course of action. Many people saw Winthrop as a father figure in New England as well as a social reformist...
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...Explanation Behind the Madness Although witchcraft is commonly associated with the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, there were also other trials throughout the century across colonial New England. It is important to look at some of these other trials also in order to see their cultural and historical impacts. The impacts are often overlooked because all of the attention tends to be put towards the Salem trials. One trial in particular, the 1669 trial of Katherine Harrison, is interesting to look at because of its particular circumstances. Although the essays by two respected historians, Jane Kamensky and Carol Karlsen, never address the trial specifically both seem to offer explanations for Katherine Harrison’s particular witchcraft circumstances. In order to fully compare the accuracy of their explanations to her situation a few things need to be addressed. First off there shall be a brief history of witchcraft in New England, then a clear description of the case against Katherine. Following that there shall be a summary of the historians’ individual viewpoints from their essays. Then finally, and most importantly, is the evidence of why Karlsen and Kamensky have explanatory power in the Harrison case. Witchcraft trials started around 1648 in New England and were fueled by the strong faith of the Puritans. The Puritans, a devout religious group, believed that Satan was an angel who had turned against god, and that witches had been possessed by Satan. In turn, accusations typically...
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...1. When Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492, he found a. cultures so primitive that Spain thought the area could not be developed. b. hundreds of cultures with nearly 400 different languages. c. one large, common native culture with basically one language. d. only barren landscape without humans. 2. Spain and Portugal were among the first European nations that e. abandoned the feudal system and adopted democracy. f. accepted the authority of a single hereditary monarch for the entire country. g. adopted an established religion that everyone must honor. h. converted their monetary system to the euro. 3. When Christopher Columbus sailed westward seeking Asia, his goal was to i. carry the Gospel to unsaved peoples throughout the world. j. find new lands for Spain to conquer and exploit. k. locate an all-water route to Lilliputia. l. reestablish trade routes interrupted by the bubonic plague. 4. Traders sought new trading opportunities primarily to have access to m. better medicines to help Europeans conquer the Black Death. n. expanded power and influence in case of the need for additional crusades. o. luxuries such as sugar and spices demanded by the elite. p. staple foods to sustain Europe’s large peasant population. 5. At the time of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage, most Europeans q. acknowledged...
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...The Societal Differences Between the Chesapeake and New England Colonies After the voyages of Columbus in 1492, the western world began to establish colonies in North and South America primarily for economic, political, and religious gain. This transitioned to three major powers dominating North America, the Spanish, the French, and the English. This threshold on power was solidified by the English after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Due the English’s new found power and confidence, many more English colonies started to develop such as the New England and Chesapeake colonies. The two regional colonies, were vastly different economically, socially, and politically even though they had the same county of origin. Their sharp contrasts...
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...and transformation of social structure. Specifically, throughout the settlement process, Indians experienced immense religious influence by the English and conflicted over both land and religious liberties. Also, as individuals emigrated from England to the Americas, challenging liberties concerning economic and societal structure began to surface. Furthermore, by delving deeper into the tensions that accompany freedom, insights involving the reasoning behind English impact arise. When analyzing the English settlement patterns in the Americas, Native Americans were challenged religiously and by the liberty of their land. For...
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...Puritans and Native Americans Examine some of the Puritan beliefs revealed by the works we have covered that led to tensions, conflicts, and concerns among the colonists and/or the Native Americans. Colonization in America by the Puritans occurred in 1620. Unlike the pilgrims who had arrived in America earlier and settled in Jamestown, the Puritans came to reform the church. All Puritans had strong religious beliefs and wanted America to be a place for liberation. According to the article God in America, 2010 “Puritans did not break with the Church of England, but instead sought to reform it.” Also from the text, “The reign of James I (1603–1625), however, brought about the Separatist movement that sent the Pilgrims first to the Netherlands and then to Plymouth” (Puritanism, 58). The Puritans would settle and form the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Today this part of America is referred to as the New England States. Life at the beginning was hard for the Puritans and many tensions/conflicts would arise with the local Native Americans. Many of these conflicts would be documented through literary works, such as, William Bradford, Mary Rowlandson, and St. John De Crevecoeur. Literary history has allowed society to gain an understanding of the conflicts between the Puritans and Native Americans. William Bradford was well known for his impact on the Plymouth colonies. In traveling to America he was a very religious man. “William Bradford was one of the greatest of colonial Americans...
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...Before the colonies like Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, “the only push factor from the North was the lack of religious tolerance” (Martin 45). Hansen and Taylor, on the other hand, believe that the North would have become more populated even if the permissive colonies weren’t established (Hansen “Atlantic Migration” 47; Hansen “Immigrant” 15; Taylor 180). In their opinion, most people weren’t emigrating Europe for religious reasons but instead economic or social reasons. Therefore, the stable economy, similar climate, and minimal population of undesirables were the pull factors that attracted immigrants to New England instead of the Chesapeake colonies (Hansen “Immigrant” 16; Taylor...
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...Zinn’s A People’s History… pp. 1 – 18 discuss the events surrounding Columbus’ voyage: the need for a new route to Asian, his movements in the Caribbean and amongst its natives in his search for gold, and the eradication of tens and hundreds of thousands of natives. He writes about Columbus’ delivery of vast amounts of slaves to the Spanish monarchy, with slaves being sent to Europe or forced to labor in New World mines and plantations. Zinn further recount the historical writings of Bartolomé de las Casas, who commented on native culture, as well as chronicling and questioning the necessity of the harsh, brutal conditions that the conquering Spanish subjected the natives to. Zinn then claims that the easy casualness with which contemporary historians ignore or disregard historical atrocities as necessary for the advancement of humanity does a disservice...
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...course home page) **You will be tested on all of this material on the respective quizzes Native Americans (Read this for quiz 1) “ The First Americans” (Not a link…go to the assigned website) European Society (Read this for quiz 1) Colonial Era/Exploration and Discovery The Significance of 1492 European Commercial and Financial Expansion Slavery and Spanish Colonization The Meaning of America The Black Legend Colonial Era/17th Century (Read below for quiz 1) European Colonization North of Mexico Spanish Colonization English Settlement Colonial Era/17 century (Read below for quiz 2) English Colonization Begins Life in Early Virginia Slavery Takes Root in Colonial Virginia Founding New England The Puritans The Puritan Idea of the Covenant Regional Contrasts Dimensions of Change in Colonial New England The Salem Witch Scare Slavery in the Colonial North Struggles for Power in Colonial America Diversity in Colonial America The Middle Colonies: New York Fear of Slave Revolts The Middle Colonies: William Penn’s Holy Commonwealth The Southernmost Colonies: The Carolinas and Georgia Colonial Administration (Read below for quiz 2) No readings th Road to Revolution (Read for quiz 3) Colonial America/18th Century The The The The The The Emergence of New Ideas about Personal Liberties and Constitutional Rights Great Awakening Seven Years’ War Rise of Antislavery Sentiment Fate of Native Americans Road to Revolution American Revolution (Read for quiz 3) Entire Chapter on American Revolution...
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...Mariama Bessane Professor Perine James American History 1151- Essay #1 Jan 7th,2016 Status of Women in Colonial Society Women were always considered inferior to men since day one. That belief had been existing until the eighteen century. During that period, English Colonists brought to America their ideologies with them. Women did not have the same rights as men did during that time. Women were tied in a leash, kept in the dark, and controlled by society. Life wasn’t easy for them. They were not allowed to express their opinions, and if they did, they would be called wicked or evil and be negatively judged by society. During the colonial era, women played an important, if restricted role in work and religious life. During the eighteen century, women were portrayed as weak, unintelligent, and inferior to men. As one minister stated “the woman is weak creature not endowed with like strength and constancy of mind.” (America 70) Women were seen as the “feebler vessels,” not as strong physically or spiritually as men and less emotionally stable. Women of the colonial era were expected to be devoted, passive, powerless, meek, graceful, sympathetic, and above all pure. As a matter of fact, the term “Cult of Womanhood” was an ancient ideology in the eighteen century defining women as pillars of virtue, who represent the value of pity, submissiveness, and domesticity. The role of the women was to be obedient, submissive, devoted to their husbands, and taking care of the children...
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...Pilgrim Biographies Commemorations Pilgrim Memorials Around the World The Society How to Join Society Information SMDPA News Newsletter JR PA Mayflower Newsletter For Teachers & Students Links Contact Membership Info Apply Now Eligibility & How To Join Proving Your Lineage Passenger List About the SMDPA Donate Contact Us Discover History Articles Comparing Plymouth and Jamestown Comparing Plymouth and Jamestown Written by Robert Jennings Heinsohn 1. Introduction Pilgrim families arrived in Holland in the spring of 1608 and in Plymouth in December 1620. In May 1607, 105 men arrived in Jamestown to establish the first permanent English settlement in North America. While the individuals in both settlements were English, the they were different in many important ways. To fully appreciate our Pilgrim heritage, it is important to understand the differences between Plymouth and Jamestown. This essay identifies major differences and explains how these differences affected the settlements during the first few decades of their arrival. 2. Royal Charters and Patents Sir Humphrey Gilbert c. 1539-1583 Early Efforts to Colonize North America Queen Elizabeth granted a patent (Royal Charter) to Sir Humphrey Gilbert (half brother of Sir Walter Ralegh) who led an expedition to Newfoundland in 1583 and claimed it for England. For the next thirty years he tried, but without success, to begin settlements. Eventually he was lost at sea in a storm. A Royal...
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...one thinks about them. We Americans are a bundle of paradoxes. We are mixed in our origins, and yet we are one people. Nearly all of us support our republican system, but we argue passionately among ourselves about its meaning. We live in an open society which is organized on the principles of voluntary action, but the determinants of that system are exceptionally constraining. Our society is dynamic, changing profoundly in every period of American history; but it is also remarkably stable. The search for the origins of this system is the central problem in American history. It is the subject of this book.”( Fisher. p. 4) The answer is to be found in the “folkways” which four specific groups of Englishmen brought with them to the New World. These folkways provide an empirical measure of the differences in their societies which have blended to form the “American way.” “The interplay of” the folkways of the four English speaking immigrant groups, especially their “ ‘freedom ways’ has created an expansive pluralism which is” peculiarly American. “That is the central thesis of this book: the legacy of four British folkways in early America remain the most powerful determinant of a voluntary society in the united States today.”(Fisher. p. 7) Fisher presents 24 distinct folkways or social beliefs and patterns of behavior for each of the four groups of English speaking immigrants to North America. We shall briefly examine six of those folkways: Religious...
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...protection of rights and property, and individual responsibility and natural rights greatly influenced the new nation's government. These ideas began to affect American culture, such as women's roles, family roles, education, and religion. One of the primary changes resulted from social structures. Family members usually had specific roles during the colonial era. Fathers were revered and were considered the heads of their household and the custom of primogeniture was present, which meant that a family's firstborn son inherited the family's wealth. Furthermore, women had subordinate roles in society during the colonial era....
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...allying with and waging war against European settlers. Be sure to reference different regions. From the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century, Britain was at many wars with France, Netherlands, and Spain. These nations dragged the Native Americans into their power struggles as the wars reached the New World. Native Americans faced challenges to trade, peace, and relations with each other and with European settlers in both allying with and waging war against European settlers. However, a few turned these challenges to their advantage. In allying with one European country and not the other, Native Americans faced hostility and conflicts with the other. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Britain was fighting both France and Spain. It allied with the Creek Indians in the Carolinas to attack Spanish settlements in the New World, specifically Spanish Florida. This alliance with Britain resulted in Spanish aggression towards the Creeks. However, even the alliance with Britain could not stop hostility between the English settlers and the Creeks; the Creeks rebelled against the English settlers after the latter ordered the natives to pay trade debts. Farther up north in the New England region, Mohawk Indians allied with the...
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