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Is John Winthrop Jr Role In Prospero's America

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John Winthrop Jr was an extremely influential figure in New England during the 1600’s, not only in Connecticut, but also in all of the New England colonies. Walter Woodward’s book, Prospero's America, illustrates just how diverse Winthrop Jr's interests and impacts were. Winthrop Jr is popularly known as the man who is greatly accountable for protecting Connecticut's existence and obtaining royal charter to govern Connecticut. Woodward tells his readers Winthrop Jr's other roles which ranged widely and also how these roles were interrelated. Woodward shows us a person with boundless talent with even larger dreams and desires (Godbeer). John Winthrop Jr had a vision that encompassed the possibility of establishing a settlement in the New World …show more content…

Reformers such as Johann Moraien and Samuel Hartlib "viewed God as an active agent in the alchemical quest" and believed that "God intended alchemical knowledge to be the province of pious practitioners who would be dedicated to using the fruits of their quest for godly ends" (12). In Prospero’s America Woodward aimed to prove two common assumptions wrong: first, that Winthrop Jr's interest in “Christian Alchemy” was on a small part of his life; and second, that Winthrop Jr tried to keep his studies and interest in alchemy a secret (215). Woodward argued not only did Winthrop Jr's participation in the occult sciences influenced his public and political endeavors …show more content…

Prior to Winthrop Jr being elected Connecticut had the most witch executions in the New England colonies, but the number plummeted after he took office. New England historians who specialize in witchcraft who believe this drop in executions was caused by scientific rationalism from the colonies, but Woodward claimed on page 211 that the drop was due to Winthrop Jr’s grasp on "the role of occult forces in the operations of nature … that Connecticut's sudden and sustained reluctance to prosecute witches must be attributed"

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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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When he was in college he studied law, so did much of the men in his class of society. Winthrop maintained the office in the government from 1627 to 1629. In the beginning he had no interests in overseas journeying and exploring the colonies. He lost the government job when his income on his land was reduced by Charles the first’s threatening anti-Puritan policy.

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Colonial expansion of european nations into the western hemisphere or “New World”, was truly a time of social innovation. As New England saw an extensive amount of change in the 17th and 18th centuries, many developing factors were shaping the future of what we now know as Rhode Island. Specifically, the socio-political as well as economic factors which shaped the towns of Providence and Newport were powerful enough to influence the surrounding towns and eventually the entire state as we see it today. Providence and Newport had both grown in their own respective series of circumstance as well as influence each other greatly from the late 17th century until the end of the American Revolution. 
 Providence and Newport had both began to form in

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On the other hand, John Winthrop’s

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The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 may have been instigated by religious, social, geographic and even biological factors. During these trials, 134 people were condemned as witches and 19 were hanged. These statistics also include 5 more deaths that occurred prior to their execution date. It is interesting to look into the causes of this stain on American History, when as shown in document B, eight citizens were hanged in only one day.

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John Winthrop acknowledged the land of the Native Americans to be possessed by the English Puritans. Through his beliefs, he justifies that the land was meant to be used by the puritans because of his interpretation of “God’s word”, which proceeded them to capture the land from the Native Americans. Winthrop’s consideration of God’s word was to use the land for natural and civil rights to benefit their neighbors with the good of their Christian intent. He believed that the natives had no existing system or bringing forth anything good for the land, which gave him a clear thought that he can make the land better. Furthermore, he also uses an example of biblical references to justify his reasoning for taking the land of the Natives because there

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John Winthrop was a religious Puritan elder who led a substantial group of people from England to America in 1629. He was also the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony for twelve years after settling into New England. Winthrop and his group of followers, the Puritans, who accompanied him aboard the Arabella all believed that they would establish a pure church in the new world that would exhibit a model for other churches. In England, the Puritan population had been increasing over time up until this time.

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1099 Words | 5 Pages

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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259 Words | 2 Pages

Cotton Mather had minimal involvement in the actual proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials, however, he did prove to be a very influential figure from the very beginning. In 1684, he published the essay Illustrious Provinces, in attempt to prove the reality of the spiritual world. In 1689, he published Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions, in which he describes the story of John Goodwin’s children and their speculated “possession”. It is often believed that Mather’s works fueled the flames for the hysteria leading to the Salem Witch Trials.

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John Winthrop wrote the Arbella Covenant while in journey to Massachusetts. William Bradford is

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“GOD ALMIGHTY in His most holy and wise providence, hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in submission.” was John Winthrop preamble to his sermon on the Arebella. Winthrop’s address to the Puritan who made up the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the purposes of pulling together individuals to worker together to form one community. Winthrop establishes a hierarchal economic and social class based on the providence of God in his preamble to A Model of Christian Charity. Furthermore, Winthrop gives three reasons for the social hierarchy.

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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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If these four men did not create policies, documents, or laws, we would not be able to practice free religion. “Rodger Williams, Rhode Island’s founder, had come to New England in 1631, serving as a respected minister of Salem” (Davidson 69). Williams was an English Reformed Theologian, but

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The subject of this sermon is the ideology of success in the colonies. Winthrop used various emotions to create imagery of the ideal society. He presented the subject through the ideals of God: unity, community, and self-pleasure under 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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