ipl-logo

Is John Winthrop Jr Role In Prospero's America

901 Words4 Pages

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"

Show More
Related

  • Providence And Newport: An Analysis

    637 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • What Were The Charges Brought Against Anne Hutchinson?

    254 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • How Did John Winthrop Establish His Government

    135 Words  | 1 Pages

    After that he joined the Massachusetts Bay Company that were planning to put a colony in New England. He pledged to sell his English estate to pay for his family to go to Massachusetts if needed. Eventually He and his family sailed west to Massachusetts on the Arabella in 1630, where there he was elected governor. John Winthrop died on April 5th, 1649 at the age of 61 in Boston

    Read More

  • Puritan Thought By Authors Perry Miller And Edmund Morgan

    1291 Words  | 6 Pages

    During this expansion into the bay area, ship after ship of colonists were arriving on the shores of the New World. Communities began sprouting up around Boston and soon these communities rallied around their individual ministers and new thoughts and ideas began to manifest. Inevitably, the communities began to bicker over religious tenants and rifts were beginning to form. From experience, Winthrop identified the problem in its early stages according to Morgan, “It would not only separate New England from the rest of the world but also split it into a host of little communities, each repudiating the others as insufficiently holy” (Morgan, pg. 91). Excessive righteousness and zealotry had the ability to tear the young colony apart.

    Read More

  • John Winthrop's Justification Of The Puritans

    238 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • What Is The Difference Between New England And The Chesapeake Colonies

    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.

    Read More

  • John Winthrop Beliefs

    644 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Religion In The Colonial Era

    1230 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • John Winthrop's Story Of Peace

    918 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Winthrop once stated, “We must have love to our brother…”. However, one can evidently see the massive change that occurred since Winthrop’s early colonization. To this day forward America continues to destroy, or warp the humble ideas that Winthrop created. Instead America chooses to accommodate the wants and needs of America and its people instead of love and

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Winthrop And Thomas Morton

    1576 Words  | 7 Pages

    The ocean can be heard from the side of the dock, the blue water lapping on the side of the boat. I look out on the horizon, amazed by the simplicity yet inspiring beauty of the ocean that runs for miles and miles. Behind me is the land that will become my new home. The dark wood of the boat against the water makes me remember the long journey that we have traveled. I turn around and face the land that will become a new start for us all; the place where we can be free and set out to do what we came here for.

    Read More

  • Salem Witch Trials Dbq Essay

    745 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In John Winthrop Speech

    393 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast William Bradford And John Winthrop

    1050 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • John Winthrop's Tenets Of Social Democracy

    960 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is clearly obvious that Winthrop is criticizing the evil of pure capitalism of unadulterated power, the same injustice that he adjudicated as a lawyer in England. His previous life as a landowner who made a fortune on the backs of those who worked his land, along with being a member of the house of parliament , and a lawyer would have given him insight into the greed and corruption of man. This look at the black souls of man would have admittedly led him to prevent such action as all socialist by redistributing income. Unlike socialist Winthrop has the power of God on his side and the commandment to give freely to the

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Mayflower Compact And Arbella Covenant

    1029 Words  | 5 Pages

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

    Read More

More about Is John Winthrop Jr Role In Prospero's America

Open Document