ENGL 201
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N : J W (J . 22, 1588 – M 26, 1649LECTURE OTES OHN INTHROP AN ARCH
(
.Reputation: "American Nehemiah," as Cotton Mather called him
·From
rich family
Carefully read the introductory material on John Winthrop in your textbook. Note his
contributions to the colony he founded, reputation and influence, and his major works. A gist of
.his biography and works is provided below
.Enrolled at Cambridge; conversion :1602
Married Mary Forth :1605
Death of Mary Forth :1615
2nd wife: Thomasine Clopton :1616
Death of Thomasine :1617
3rd wife: Margaret Tyndal :1618
Attorney in London :1627
Gov. of Colony :439–1646 ;44–1642 ;40–1637 ;33–1629
Delivered "Christian Charitie" on Arbella, ship bound for America. The sermon talks :1630
about
·How
God commissioned them to create a Christian community, “a city [set] upon a hill"
·The
COVENANT that Winthrop and the Puritans entered into with God.
·Reasons
for Migration: missionary work; escape; overcrowding; corruption of education and
religion in England and need for an exemplary Christian Community, a “City Set
Upon a Hill,” to shine as an example of Christian Charitie or Love for the whole
world to see.
Wrote "The Journal of John Winthrop," which is a record of :16304ؘ8
· Day-to-
day activities.
· Successe
s: dissidents expelled; wilderness and Indians subdued; royal threats thwarted
· Cautiona
ry tale
· Conflicts
with
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a) Roger
Williams: (on Church membership and authority of magistrates)
b) Anne
Hutchinson, called "American Jesabel," ( on what is called Antinomian
controversy)
·Puritan
Worldview and penal system.
Death of Margaret :1647
4th wife: Martha Rainsboro; father again for 16th time :1647
Death :1649
Concluding Thoughts and Questions
Winthrop married four times, often immediately after the death of his wife. Why did he do that?
?Was it for private or public reasons
Compare and contrast John Smith's writing with that of William Bradford and Winthrop. Focus
:primarily on the following
Similarities
·All saw the New World as place of escape, of economic and religious opportunities
·All were pro hard work and enterprise
·All disapproved laziness and a life of ease and luxury
Contrasts
·Smith’s report was more secular, whereas Bradford’s and Winthrop’s reports were more
religious
·Smith presented a paradisiacal image of the New World, whereas Bradford and Winthrop
perceived it otherwise.
·Smith perceived the New World as land of opportunity, whereas Bradford and Winthrop
perceived it as land of spiritual testing
·Smith engaged in circular migration, meaning he traveled from and returned to England,
whereas Bradford and Winthrop relocated to the new World to settle, to start a new life,
never to return to England.
·For Smith, the settlement was mainly for economic reasons, whereas for Bradford and
Winthrop, it was for religious reasons.
How would you compare Smith and Bradford as historians? Who is more believable? Why do
you think Smith's works were Colonial best sellers, not Bradford's nor Winthrop's works? Your
:responses may focus on the following
:Smith
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·His subject matter was more secular and attractive. His audience liked the paradisiacal
idea and famous Indian stories, such as Pocahontas
·His work was more propaganda and written for immediate publication
Bradford and Winthrop
·Readers, most of whom were secular and belonged to the Church of England, did not find
the subject matter of a marginalized group and their Puritan beliefs attractive.
·Their works were not intended for immediate publication. Bradford for example
intended his works to be continued by his heirs after his death. It was a private
publication. He passed it to his heir. In 1728 it was deposited in old South church. It
disappeared, was later discovered in 1855, and published in 1856. In spite of the fact that
Bradford's "History" was not intended for publication, his prose style has been highly
praised by critics. What high points of literary excellence can you find?
How would you describe the Puritan penal system? In your view, was it too harsh? How did it
operate by prohibition, by rejection of anything contrary to Puritan ideas and/or the principle of
community enunciated by Winthrop? Only godly men, approved by the church, could speak on
approved topics. Dissenters or anybody who did not agree with Puritanism was tried and
punished, e.g. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. Was prohibition necessary? Was it okay to
?prosecute dissenters? Why/why not
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