Midterm Practice

John Winthrop’s sermon on the boat to New England shows how highly Puritan society held themselves. The statement that they ‘shall be as a city upon a hill’ means they believe they will be the center of everyone’s attention. I do not agree that the King paid much attention to these new colonists, because he was simply happy to have rid them from England, so that they could all continue their corruption in peace. Though I don’t see the King having a close eye on the Puritans, I do believe that other citizens of England, as well other countries, were very watchful. If this colony went well, they could pursue lives in the area in a parallel fashion. Puritans believed that they were chosen by God to purify the Church of England; they were to live by the laws of the bible, and not let the king interfere with God’s plan. This is the case for many churches that are formed in contemporary society. To this day, people choose to improve upon their church or religion, or branch off into what they feel is right. The case of the Puritans, however, was due to the corruption of England’s government, both the monarchy, and the hierarchy of the church itself.

Though they believe that their holy cause will lead them to the utmost success, this is not the cause, because economics become a huge problem, as well as surviving with limited help from England, who they broke away from. Puritan society focuses mainly on the religious purification of the Church of England. Monarchy in England led to the government dipping their greedy fingers into the church, for numerous sorts of personal gain. Not only this but the sects of the church themselves were using their powers within the church for their own personal growth. The Puritans chose to break of from this selfish alliance, so they spoke against it. After becoming fed up with their political and religious outcries, the King sent them away to form a colony, New England. All of this thought leads them to forget about what their true goal should be: the success of the colony itself. Without proper economic goals, they cannot survive, and they spend far too much time focusing on religion. This leads to numerous conflicts, such as the Salem Witch Trials, as well as the overall displays of public humiliation.

Puritan success is not nearly as evident as success in other colonies with different viewpoints. Colonies such as Virginia, whose main concerns are economic issues, have a much more positive stance in the colonial times. Tobacco and cotton, however blasphemous it is, seem to get you further than simple faith in the Lord. This is shown when Winthrop states that followers will say "the Lord make it like that of New England." Winthrop assumes that all others will simply trust in God to lead them to success. This idea does not sit well with me, because there is much more to this life than a belief of a higher entity. Economics is such a defining aspect of life, even in the times that Puritan society came about. If John Winthrop had merely opened his eyes, and broadened his views, he would see this. Clearly, the thought that God would lead them to achieve all that he wished to achieve was unwise.

John Winthrop completely overlooks the true nature of starting up a colony. They must survive off of their wits, and that trust in God does not always lead to direct victory on this earth. He did, however, do his job by psyching up all of his followers. They truly trusted his opinions, and followed him one hundred percent, in the beginning. Even though they tried to stray from corruption of their church, it did find a way into their society. Public humiliation was a large part of everyday life within the New England colony. This led to distrust of one another, and an implosion of the structure of their lives. They sought to become a better, holier alliance than the Church of England was, but ultimately failed. Triumph in God did not lead to success within the colony. With this all in mind, I think that John Winthrop let his role go to his head; they needed far more than just God’s approval, and the approval of others. If they had focused on what they were doing themselves, rather than what others would think of them, they could have succeeded on a far greater scale.