beginnings notes

Beginnings

Prehistory to 1800s

The First Migration

• Ice Age Travelers– Bering land bridge (now submerged)

from Siberia– By 1490’s millions of Native Americans

lived here (Europeans were not the first)– Some still live here

The Europeans Arrive

• Explorers– Columbus– Coronado– “New World” – focus of dreams and

desires – idealized wealth and resources– Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca landed in

Florida (1528) and wandered to Texas – wrote narratives of his journey

Encomienda

• Columbus introduced the encomienda system:– Colonists could require Indians to mine

gold, grow food, build home for them without remuneration.

– Caused decades of suffering, malnutrition, death.

– Cabeza de Vaca – imprisoned (under false charges) for humane treatment of Indians

Puritan Legacy

• Central to development of literary tradition

• Shaped American character through moral, ethical, religious convictions

• 1620 – Initial landing• 1640 – 20,000 Puritans lived in New

England• Business venture & spiritual venture -

intertwined

Puritans celebrate Thanksgiving

http://pro.corbis.com

Puritanism

Who Were the Puritans?

• Protestant groups – wanted to “purify” Church of England

• Simpler forms of worship, church organization as in New Testament

• Religion – personal experience• No intermediary• 1620 – William Bradford led group

from Amsterdam to New World – new society patterned after Bible

So What?

• Connection to capitalism: Puritan work ethic, thriftiness, self-sufficiency contributed to the success of capitalism in the New World.

• America is a capitalistic nation (for the most part) today.

Puritan Beliefs

• Theology: mankind is damned because of Adam and Eve, but some are saved through Jesus.

• “Elect” – those chosen to be saved• “Unregenerate” – those who are

damned• Outward behavior – indication of

God’s grace & salvation

Puritan Beliefs, Cont.

• Led to self-reliance, industriousness, temperance, simplicity – Ideal for starting our in the New World

• Education: New England Primer – couplets to teach the alphabet used moral lessons:

Time cuts down allBoth great and small.

Puritan Politics

• Covenant (contract) btwn God & humanity

• People should enter freely into agreements re: government

• Mayflower Compact: how they would be governed upon arrival

So What?

• Mayflower Compact paved the way for the American constitutional democracy.

The Mayflower Compact

Puritan Government

• “Elect” should exert influence on government.

• Led to Salem Witch Trials

Bible in America

• Story of creation, fall, wanderings, recue of human race

• Life = pilgrimage, journey to salvation• Emphasized education -> to read the

Bible• Harvard College – founded 1636 to train

Puritan ministers• Diaries and histories – main form of

literature – record the work of God

Harvard Today

The Enlightenment

The Age of Reason

• The Enlightenment – Rationalists• Rationalism – the belief that humans

can arrive at truth by using reason, rather than rely on religion or a past authority or on intuition.

• Sir Isaac Newton – gravity & motion• God = clockmaker – God created the

earth then left it to run on its own

Rationalism Cont.

• God’s gift – ability to reason and think logically

• Ability to discover truth• Able to regulate and improve own life

STOP & Compare

Puritans Rationalists

STOP & Compare

PuritansHumanity is evil.Hard work, good life shows salvation.God is active in society.

RationalistsHumanity is basically good.

Use reason & logic to improve self.

Clockmaker God – made it & left.

Smallpox!!!

• Cotton Mather – Puritan Preacher– Sin is cause of sickness– Borrowed inoculation from Turkish

doctor– Inoculated hundreds and of those only 6

died.– Of others who contracted the disease ¼

had died– Inoculation

So What?

• Highlight 2 points:– Contradictions often existed side-by-side

(Mathew was strict Puritan but also a practical scientist)

–Mather’s experiment – Practical approach to social change and scientific research was necessary for America.

• American thought should lead to action & urge to improve public welfare no matter what authorities say

Diests

• Deism: universe is orderly and good. – Stressed humanity’s goodness– God wants people to be happy– Do good to others – make them happy– People can be perfected through reason

So What?

• Deisms made the impulse to do good for others one of the nation’s highest goals.

• Today social welfare is still a top priority. It’s also the topic of a lot of debate.

STOP & Compare!

Puritans Rationalists Deists

STOP & Compare!

Puritans Rationalists DeistsGod reveals self to select people

Human naturally evil

Must work to be good

God available through Bible

God makes it possible for all people at all times to discover natural laws thorough God-given reason

People are basically good

God created and then left us to do it on our own

universe is orderly and good.

Humanity’s goodness

God wants people to be happy – so do good and make others happy

God is available all the time

Inciting a Revolution!

• How did the rationalist idea that people are basically good help incite a revolution?– If the will of the people is basically

rational and good, then the gov’t should take its authority from them and not the will of a single monarch

– Implied that a government that failed to respect the popular will could be legitimately overthrown.

Self-Made American

• Literature rooted in reality• Pamphlets – literature should be

practical and political• After Revolutionary War – organizing

and governing is most important

Benjamin Franklin

• Autobiography– Used autobiographical form– Took out religious

justification– Clear, witty– Provided model for a story

to be told repeatedly by others (The Great Gatsby, Bill Gates’ The Road Ahead, etc.)

Think About It