John Winthrop

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the tenets of John Winthrop's Puritanism and his abiding faith in service to God and lays the foundations for explaining his actions as a religious and political leader in Massachusetts. The paper then examines how Winthrop shaped Puritanism in this new colony. It looks at his supposed intolerance for female dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and his condescending attitude towards Native Americans within the context of his time and his faith. It evaluates how Winthrop's supposed intolerance should be examined in terms of his faith, his mission to create a "city on a hill," and the threat of growing factionalism within his own religious community. In the conclusion, this paper argues that by acting on the tenets of his faith and by doggedly pursuing his religious mission, Winthrop served to be a unifying factor, not only for the Puritan community but for the fledgling colony as well.

Outline:
Winthrop's Puritanism
Building the Foundations
A Unifying Figure

From the Paper:

"On an institutional level, the actions of the Puritans in England were another challenge to both political and ecclesiastical authorities. After all, Winthrop and his colleagues were moving away from papal authority at a time when there was no clear demarcation between religious and lay government. All these factors combined to convince Winthrop that migrating to the New World was the only choice, a place where he could further eschew worldly desires and build a haven for the godly. For Winthrop, the task at hand was the creation of a city on a hill, a "model of Christian Charity," where followers can honor both the laws of nature as laid down by God. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bremer, Francis J. 2003. John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Morgan, Edmund S. 1958. The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
• Winthrop, John. 1630, "A Model for Christian Charity." Hanover Historical Text Project. Available online at http://history.hanover.edu/texts/winthmod.html
• Winthrop, Robert C. 1869. Life and letters of John Winthrop : governor of the Massachusetts-Bay Company at their emigration to New England, 1630. Boston. Available as an electronic resource via the American Law Biography Database

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• Analytical Essay # 53977 : "The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop"

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