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American Rationalism Research Paper

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Amber Tinsmon Professor Rubenstien HACU 238 April 7, 2015 American Exceptionalism: something clever In the summer of 1984, Ronald Reagan accepted his second presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. Reagan's speech took the audience back before his first presidency, and depicted the image of a once great country in the middle of a crisis. “Let's take them [America] on a little stroll down memory lane,” remarked Reagan, “let's remind them of how a 4.8-percent inflation rate in 1976 became back-to-back years of double-digit inflation...the highest interest rates since the Civil War...[nationwide] industrial decline...Teenage drug use, out-of-wedlock births, and crime increased dramatically [under the leadership …show more content…

We are entered into covenant with Him for this work. We have taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles...We have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it” (Winthrop). With these words, John Winthrop succinctly laid out the covenant he and his congregation was making with God: God had given the Puritans this New Land, had given them His blessing, and in return expected them to carry out His mission. The Puritans viewed the New World “...simultaneously as a nourishing mother and an undefiled virgin...providing material plenty, perennial good health, and moral purity against a backdrop of Edenic Lusciousness” (Bercovitch, 137). If Winthrop's congregation failed their mission, then “the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, and be revenged of such a people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant“(Winthrop). This holy mission uniquely assigned to the Puritans in the New World represents the foundations of American Exceptionalism, that America is a special nation, unique in purpose, superior in morality and action, and blessed by God Himself: America is part of God's plan, and America has vital roles to play and missions to …show more content…

Each of us has to put our principles and consciences on the line...there's no moral middle ground. Indifference is not an option...I implore each of you to be unyielding and inflexible in your opposition to drugs“(Reagan and Reagan, Campaign...). The Reagan's go on to talk about the history of American's giving their life for freedom, specifically bringing mentioning the soldiers who gave their lives in the Battle of Normandy, and the nation's obligation to not only God, but to these soldiers to keep America safe and drug free. As Americans, the audience not only had an obligation to a society free from the menace of drugs, but a right, “You are Americans. You're the product of the freest society mankind has ever known. No one, ever, has the right to destroy your dreams and shatter your life“(Reagan and Reagan, Campaign...). Ironically, the policies enacted during the Reagan's War on Drugs have led to incredible increases incarceration rates for minor drug offenses, which have arguably destroyed the dreams and shattered the lives of many. I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GO FROM HERE. I THINK I STILL NEED TO FINE-TUNE MY ARGUEMENT. I WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK, AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THIS IN THE MEANTIME ~

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Why did Winthrop think that the Puritans were a special people? And why did he believe they had to be especially careful in their new endeavor? Puritan wanted to reform their church and opposed to the corruption of the Church of England so they moved to the New World. John Winthrop wanted to show England that their way was wrong; therefore he wanted to prove it to them by presenting that the Puritans have a successful colony.

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The Massachusetts Bay colonists were Puritans seeking religious freedom and purity. After being persecuted for their beliefs in England, they moved to Holland. Before long, parents felt their children were being influenced by the more liberal beliefs of Holland. The next option was to move to the New World where they could raise their children in a private community surrounded by like-minded families. As Puritan lawyer John Winthrop envisioned the new colony he said, “Wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us.”

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Religion was an essential part of everyday life and it provided individuals with a purpose in life. John Winthrop’s goal was to expand the Protestant community (Puritans) and his main focus was to have a better relationship with God. Winthrop especially desired for all the settlers of New England

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Other economic factors that would become better were the price of oil declined, federal spending decreased by 1989, the value of the stock market would triple, and the standard of living increased and poverty levels declined. All of these are major accomplishments which any president would be happy to just get one of the economic indicators better. All of these would factor into the growth of the economy by about a third in 1989 of its original size in 1980, about the size west Germany’s economy. The average growth of the economy during the 1980’s was about 6-7% per year according to Forbes. Mario Cuomo, a staunch criticizer of Reagan’s would say that, “In many ways we [America] are a shining city on a hill” (Cuomo n.pag).

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Many of the travelers to the New World had their goals in mind, some expecting to own a piece of land, while others seeking religious freedom. There were quite a number of ideas and goals proclaimed by John Winthrop in his sermon as he embarked with many others to the New World in hopes to create a society based around their religious beliefs. Some of those ideas were comparable to the laws of Pennsylvania where William Penn and the legislature wrote and put in place laws that gave religious freedom to all, but were with Christian ideals. The new Pennsylvanian laws and John Winthrop’s sermon had many things in common, one being the creation of a close knit colony or utopian society which would focus on puritan ideals.

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When president Reagan entered the oval office in 1981, his first priority was to stimulate economic growth for generations to come. Reagan’s plan consisted of four economic pillars, they are as follows: to reduce the growth of government spending, to reduce the marginal tax rates on income from both labor and capital, reduce regulation, and to reduce inflation by controlling the money supply (Niskanen, 2002). Reagan’s policies created an economic boom during 1983, however, it is argued that Reagan’s policies increased the national debt for years to come and widened the gap between the rich and the poor (ushistory.org, 2016). Reagan helped America escape the stagflation it faced through most of the 1970’s through four major policy changes (Niskanen,

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The urban poor, children, single mothers, disabled, were left to fend for themselves, after so many welfare programs were cut, and because Ronald Reagan believed in

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The New Englanders took religion seriously, making unitary laws according to Puritan standards. John Winthrop, later chosen as the first Massachusetts Bay Colony governor, was seeking religious freedom. Wishing to inspire the colonists to dwell in brotherly unity, he summoned them together to remind them “that if we [colonists] shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.” On the other hand, those in the Chesapeake region came for the wealth that America promised. They were there to become prosperous or die trying.

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For whatever length of time that the president's goals were unadulterated, his irregularities would resolve themselves in what might as well be called a Hollywood upbeat completion. For Wilentz, Reagan's most pervasive conundrum was the interwoven of sentimentality and idealism the creator astutely calls "back to what's to come. " On the one hand, Reagan guaranteed to reestablish a less complex time in American history, before the destructive stuns of the 1960s and 1970s. Yet, he coupled his fondness for the past with the dialect without bounds, discussing new takeoffs and the splendid day break of "morning in America."

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The Puritan’s goal of coming to the New World was not to create a new life, but to create the ideal model of living for the “corrupt” inhabitants of England. This was coined “The Errand”, the Puritans desire to establish a City Upon a Hill that others could look up to and imitate in order to receive God’s grace. The Puritans failed at building their City Upon a Hill (creating a perfect religious, economic, and political community), however the long-term effects of their efforts have influenced American moral politics throughout its history. The Puritans forever had the attitude of a community that had successfully established a City Upon a Hill. The Puritan lifestyle was heavily influenced not only by religion, but also inside of that, morality.

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The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the

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Winthrop was a first-generation colonist and a Puritan. He’s surely reciting his sermon to surge the moral of the Puritans. He knows that the New World is full of trees, Native Americans, and other severe treats. Winthrop wants to avert the impending fears of the New World creating this sermon. This document was certainly published to represent depict the

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The arrival of the first Europeans in the Americas is dramatically captured through the many writers who attempted to communicate what they saw, experienced and felt. What is more, the very purposes of their treacherous travel and colonization are clearly seen in their writings; whether it is poetry, history or sermons. Of the many literary pieces available today, William Bradford and John Winthrop’s writings, even though vary because the first is a historical account and the second is a sermon, stand out as presenting a clear trust in God, the rules that would govern them and the reason they have arrived in the Americas. First of all, William Bradford provides an in-depth look into the first moment when the Puritans arrived in the Americas. In fact, he chronicles the hardships they face on their way to Plymouth, yet he includes God’s provision every step of the way.

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The legalization of drugs has been at the center of interminable debate. Drugs have widely been perceived as a dominant threat to the moral fabric of society. Drug use has been attributed as the source responsible for a myriad of key issues. For instance, it is believed that drugs have exacerbated the already weak status of mental health in the United States in which some individuals suffering from mental illness administer illicit substances such as heroin or cocaine in an attempt to self-medicate. Moreover, drugs are blamed for turning auspicious members of the community into worthless degenerates.

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Reagan sets America on a higher level than any other country when he says, “Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on earth.” He then goes on to add, “We will again be the exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom.” These hopeful words such as freedom and dignity set America apart from the rest of the world. Ronald Reagan is tactfully creating a sense of nationalism and unification in his audience, giving them a sense of pride. People want to preserve and remake America in this way, because believing that we have more freedom and more opportunities than others, makes us

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