Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies Essay Example for Free

Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies Essay The Reformation was the driving force behind English Catholic dissenters, many of which would eventually form the base of groups heading for new lands to find religious freedom. These people would come to be called Puritans and their goal was to purify the Church of England. They wanted to do away with the â€Å"offensive† features such as Church hierarchy and traditional rituals of Catholic worship in order to promote a relationship between the individual and his relationship with God. Through English rulers King Henry the VIII to Elisabeth I to King James, the Puritans never really found a strong foothold for their practices. When King James’ son, Charles I came into power, a ruler that was strongly anti-Puritan and enforced conformity to the Church of England, Puritans began making plans to escape the persecution in England for the new world where they hoped to build new colonies to practice their faiths. Two of these groups, one to land at Plymouth and another to arrive at Massachusetts Bay, were prime examples of Puritans seeking to find a new life outside of England (or more specifically, the Church of England. Not surprisingly, religious beliefs are one area where both colonies share a few similarities, but exhibit greater differences. Both groups left England because of their dissatisfaction in the Church; however Plymouth’s inhabitants held a more extreme mindset than the Massachusetts Bay colonists. After a stint in Holland, where they first tried to live in accordance with their beliefs, they went on to America and came to be known as Separatists, due to their belief that the Church of England was hopelessly corrupt and they wanted no part of it. The Separatists sought to withdraw entirely from the Church, where they could start new, better protect their children’s relationships with God, and preserve their community the way they saw fit. Bradford, governor of Plymouth, and author of â€Å"History of Plymouth Plantation† writes about the religious turmoil and division of beliefs he experienced: â€Å"The one side labored to have the right worship of God discipline of Christ established in the Church, according to simplicity of gospel, without the mixture of mens inventions†. Bradford continues on for many pages, describing the persecution reformers experienced and how strongly he felt that the men involved with protecting the ways of the Church of England were being influenced by the devil. Massachusetts Bay colonists, on the other hand, still believed the Church of England had hope for reformation and they set out to provide an example in the new world to show what that reformation could look like. In this â€Å"ideal† community, colonists would form separate congregations (groups who worship together) and devote themselves to Puritan doctrines. Guided by ministers and members of the elect, they would live in harmony and glorify God. John Winthrop, the Governor of Massachusetts bay, speaks of this desire througout his written account; â€Å"†¦They (a fishing ship) brought us news of the Scots entering into England, and the calling of a parliament, and the hope of a thorough reformation, etc, whereupon some among us began to think of returning back to England† (Winthrop 19) His statement, although seemingly offhand, shows a continued interest in reforming the Church of England and his colony being the living proof of how that change can happen. Both Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth showed similarities and differences in more secular ways, also. Plymouth was a profoundly smaller community, starting with only 102 individuals made up of working class families. They were not wealthy, and hardly had the funding for an expedition to America, so they made an arrangement with the Virginia Company. They made a joint stock company, where English investors would provide the capital and the colonists would provide the labor for the next 7 years. Similarly, Massachusetts Bay also was involved with joint stock company – the Massachusetts Bay Company, where they too were granted a charter to settle in the new world and the company chose John Winthrop as governor. Massachusetts Bay Company was located in the colony, unlike Plymouth, where the Virginia Company was located in England. Massachusetts Bay colonists were larger in number when they settled, approximately 1200 immigrants came within months of each other, and they were generally wealthier and more educated than the Plymouth colonists. As we would expect, both colonies encountered Indians as they were trying to survive in their new surroundings, and these encounters were uneasy. Plymouth colony was in terrible shape, in the first winter they lost half their company and were weakened, sick, and starving. The colonists were able to forge a treaty with the Indians, after a few small skirmishes, and were eventually assisted by the native population. Squanto, an English speaking Wampanoag indian, served as a guide on how to survive and sustain by planting corn and fishing. Bradford writes â€Å"†¦they (as many were able) began to plant ther corne, in which servise Squanto stood them in great stead, showing them both y manner how to set it, and after how to dress and tend it. † (Bradford 100). The colonists existed in relative peace with the Indians, likely also because they were such a small community and posed little threat. Massachusetts Bay, on the other hand, was a much larger group and had difficulty keeping the peace with local Indians. At first, they didn’t encounter many, due in part to an epidemic that had nearly wiped out the local Indian population. Eventually, however, as Massachusetts Bay began to grow and become more established, they needed to expand their territory. This expansion caused more tension between Indians and the Puritans, eventually leading to warfare. William Bradford described the destruction by fire of the Pequots major village, in which at least 300 Indians were burned to death: Those that escaped from the fire were slain with the sword; some hewed to pieces, others run threw with their rapiers. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fier, and the streams of blood quenching the same. Both colonies shared similar characteristics and experienced similar distresses. They each dealt with various ailments, hunger, death, tensions with Indian relations and landownership, but with all their shared experiences they were still very different groups. Plymouth, smaller and less educated, funded by the Virginia Company located in England, tried to separate themselves from the Church of England altogether. They survived with the help of Indians, but never really thrived and eventually were absorbed by the much larger Massachusetts Bay colony. Massachusetts Bay was created and inhabited by individuals with overall greater wealth and knowledge, supported by the locally based Massachusetts Bay Company. They set out to be an example of how England, religiously, should behave. As they expanded, they fought with the local Indian population, eventually driving them out of the lands the growing English population needed to settle.

Politics and Religion in the Herbert’s Dune Novels Essay -- Dune

Politics and Religion in the Herbert’s Dune Novels There are a variety of political and religious concepts throughout the Dune novels that varies so much through the novels which makes it a complex and cogitative science fiction series. The Dune novels are popular with many fans and partly this is due because of its political and religious structures. This essay will be focussing primarily on the first four Dune novels written by Frank Herbert. In the first novel, the Qizarate is composed of missionaries and is a religious body that carries Muad'dib's religion across the universe (Herbert Dune Messiah 8). Muad'dib is a character in three of the Dune novels and originally was named Paul Atreides who was heir to the Atreides throne of power. After living on a planet called Arrakis also known as Dune, the Fremen renamed him Muad'dib after they accepted him into their society. The Fremen are native people that had lived on Arrakis for a long time but were never political or religious leaders of the planet as they were mostly detached from off world influence. The Qizarate maintains control of the planets it occupies with Muad'dib's religion. The population of the universe see Muad'dib as their god whether they like it or not and they can not deny his power religiously. Korba, the person in charge of the Qizarate in Dune Messiah, works with Muad'dib about Muad'dib's religion and is a panegyrist who delivers eulogies and pr aise for his god (Herbert Dune Messiah 8, 57). Korba seems to be fanatically involved with this religion. Korba goes far enough to attempt to create a martyr of Muad'dib, all for the sake of his religion (Herbert Dune Messiah 9). The Bene Gesserit wanted to control the religion of the univers... ...l structure struggles with internal and external forces. The Dune series is popular because it requires the reader to think, and there is more to that than just a story. Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Children of Dune. New York : Ace Books, 1987. Herbert, Frank. Dune Messiah. New York : Berkley, 1969. Herbert, Frank. God Emperor of Dune. New York : Putnam, 1981. McLean, Susan. "A Question of Balance: Death and Immortality in Frank Herbert's Dune Series". Death and the Serpent: Immortality in Science Fiction and Fantasy. (1985): 145-152. O'Reilly, Timothy. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., Inc. 1981. Palumbo, Donald. "The monomyth as fractal pattern in Frank Herbert's Dune novels". Science Fiction Studies 25.3 (Nov. 1998): 433-58. Touponce, William F. Frank Herbert. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988.

Persuasive Writing Assignment Essay

Rebellion is when one refuses to accept authority. The transition of childhood into adulthood is most often represented by actions of rebellious nature. The average teen is always looking for away to escape conformity. Two pieces of work that express a common theme of rebellion and conformity are, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and the movie Conspiracy Theory starting Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. Both pieces express this common theme of rebellious and conformity in a society that simply won’t allow it. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye the main character, Holden Caulfield, goes through many hardships in trying to search for his place in society. Holden rebels throughout the whole book against rules, schools, and people that he encountered. An example of Holden’s external conflict with conformity was on his date with Sally. At the end of their date, Holden shares a dream of running away with her to escape the normalcy in everyday society, â€Å"I have about a hundred and eighty bucks in the bank. I can take it out when it opens in the morning, and then I could go down and get this guy’s car. No kidding. We’ll stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out,† (Page 132). How the movie Conspiracy Theory is related to The Catcher in the Rye, is that the movie’s main character Jerry Fletcher is a New York City Taxi driver who is always telling people that a list events trigged in the world are done by Government conspiracies but he never seems to get anywhere with his theories. However one of the conspiracies comes true and the CIA is trying to shut Jerry up before he does anymore damage. Now the reason why these two are connected is because, in both cases each character are trying to achieve being different and don’t want to be tied down by what other people tell them to do. In Jerry’s case he is trying to tell the truth about these theories to the general public and try to raise awareness about it before it’s too late. In Holden’s case, he feels that he needs to escape this sort of normalcy that exists in his society. The example of running away and living in the country has everything to do with conformity. The external conflict that both characters face have to do with making sure they don’t fall into the trap that society has set out of them and to try and achieve the impossible in a impossible world. Both Jerry and Holden always fee that they are being alienated in society and both are trying to find a purpose in life.

Essay on The Life of Frederick Douglass - 2310 Words

The Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass brilliantly intelligent and defiant once led a minor insurrection against his masters and escapes his venture alive. Douglass’s career as a militant, uncompromising leader of the American Negro. A fugitive slave who was taught to read by his slave mistress, and who as an ex-slave, became the most famous and articulate rebuke to the monstrous institution of slavery ever to speak or to write in America. In autumn of 1828, Frederick Douglass began his new life as a freeman in the old whaling city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Ambition, sensitivity, and a high degree of self-consciousness created in the young slave Douglass an unquenchable thirst for freedom and he became what†¦show more content†¦Those slaveholders have ordained, and by law established, that the children of slave woman shall in all cases follow the condition their mothers. One great statesman of the south predicted the downfall of slavery by inevitable laws of population. This prophecy is ever fulfilled or not, it is nevertheless plain that or a very looking different class of people are springing up at the south, and are now held in slavery, from those originally brought to this country from Africa, and if their increase will do no other good, it will do away the face of the argument that God cursed ham, and therefore American slavery is right. If the lineal descendants of ham are alone to be scripturally enslaved, it is certain that slavery at the south must soon become unscriptural; for thousands are ushered into the world, annually, who, like myself over their existence to white fathers and those fathers mot frequently their own masters. Going to live as Baltimore laid the foundation and opened the gateway, to all my subsequent prosperity. The entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me with its foul embrace. Mrs. Auld very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C. After I had learned this she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters. Point of progress Mr. Auld forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further it wasShow MoreRelatedTrickery in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass1880 Words   |  8 Pagesand thus they do not survive. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Douglass harnesses the ability to conform to the world of trickery and conveys his journey to freedom. Through his appeal to pathos, use of dramatic asides, and application of anecdotes, Douglass expresses the necessity of slaves to play the game of trickery to survive in the world of tricksters. Effectively establishing an appeal to pathos, Douglass emphasize his raw emotions to the reader, allowingRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1257 Words   |  6 PagesBook Review By Mary Elizabeth Ralls Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An autobiography written by Frederick Douglass Millennium publication, 1945edition 75 pages Frederick Douglass whose real name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey approximately birthdate is in1818, the month or day is not known, he died in 1895. He is one of the most famous advocates and the greatest leaders of anti-slavery in the past 200 or so years.Read MoreFrederick Douglass And His Life1494 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass believed that all people were born equal, but he also believed that humans were not just automatically born free. He deduced that man has the innate instinctive ability to mold themselves into whoever they wanted to become. So, naturally self-improvement and education were two crucial aspects of Frederick’s life. To Douglass the most horrific thing about slavery was the fact that slaves were totally and completely precluded from and form of education, which prevented them fromRead MoreThe Life And Accomplishments Of Frederick Douglass1201 Words   |  5 Pagesfail to mention the life and accomplishments of Frederick Douglass. T he actions taken by Frederick Douglas and others that pave the way were perceived as huge achievements then and now. Negros, as they were called in the 17th and 18th century where considered nothing more than slaves. Being a slave did not grant human rights to anything at any time or any place. But Frederick Douglass had different plans other than only being a slave. Overcoming slavery would become a life long journey with theRead MoreThe Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1293 Words   |  6 Pages Bishnu Mahat Term paper Frederick Douglass In the 1800 s, subjection was a significant issue in the United States. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass reveals much about American history in the midst of the period of servitude and outlines conflicts for the cancelation of subjection. As a chronicled report, it goes on data about the slave family, work, the master slave relationship, and the treatment and living states of slaves. As an abolitionist tract, it fights against recognizableRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1498 Words   |  6 Pagessoutherners believed that one of the most essential means of life was slavery. In the novel, Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass challenges and debunks the idea of slavery being a necessary part of the white lifestyle; many pro-slavery arguments consisted of religion justifying slavery, slaves being â€Å"easily manipulated†/ignorant, and slavery keeping the southern economy from disappearing (The Proslavery Argument). Fred erick uses personal experiences and other tactics to expose theRead MoreNarrative Of Life Of Frederick Douglass1271 Words   |  6 Pagesof many famous quotes by Frederick Douglass that illustrates that no dream or hope can be achieved without any action. In his autobiography Narrative of Life of Frederick Douglass, he outlines his life as a slave and his journey towards freedom through his desire for education. In Narrative of Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the story expresses repression that slaves experienced through Douglass’s related experiences as a slave. The obstacles that Douglass conquers to achieve his educationRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick 1306 Words   |  6 Pagesthe practice slavery as neither good nor bad, but just part of Southern life going on for hundreds of years. Frederick Douglass, a slave who had escaped to the North, after years of abuse through slavery, knew that in order to stop sl avery, he had to persuade all the people in the North to vehemently oppose it as much as he did himself. Through the â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†, which he published in 1845, Douglass focuses on the process of dehumanization he and thousands of others wentRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Writing in the favor of black people has always remained controversial from the very beginning. Critics regard such writing as â€Å"a highly conventionalized genre† indicating that â€Å"its status as literature was long disputed but the literary merits of its most famous example such as Frederick Douglass s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†¦are widely recognized today.† (Ryan:537) Despite of such severe resistance, writers like Douglass have penned downRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass987 Words   |  4 PagesLife of Frederick In the â€Å"narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass an American slave written by himself† Frederick reveled to audience the time he was living as a slave and the moments of brutal treats for example psychological, emotional and physical abuses. He was suffering terrible moments during his 20 years as a slave in the twentieth century. In addition, he describes in his own words the strategies he used to escape from the slave holders and to be free. This story the â€Å"Narrative of the