1) The speech made by John Winthrop exemplified the belief that the Puritans had every right to observe religious liberty, so long as they demonstrated what they believed was “Christian manner.” He highlighted two forms of liberty: “Natural” liberty, where one acts “without restraint”; and “Moral” liberty, where the law of both God and the local rulers would be obeyed. Anne Hutchinson was put on trial because her beliefs strayed from those of the Puritan authorities, leading her to be considered “dangerous to authority.” Winthrop’s speech illustrated the criterion necessary to live the proper Puritan life and the importance of adhering to the power established by authorities. Regarding the status of women in early colonial New England society, Winthrop told Hutchinson throughout the duration of her trial that the manner in which she conducted meetings of her own, and tried to persuade others to follow her beliefs that differed from the Puritans, was not fitting of her female gender. The trial of Anne Hutchinson was quite telling of the way women were thought of during the early colonial era: they were reduced to nothing more than an object of her husband. Hutchinson explained that though women had the right to marry her chosen husband, she must then obey his state of authority thereafter. Though Hutchinson held her own in the defense of her “straying” from the traditional ways of the Puritans, the aforementioned conventional beliefs that a woman’s say is not worth that of a male prove to prevail when Winthrop rules Hutchinson should be banished. This mentality highlights the overall idea that freedom and tolerance in the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies was subjective and at the discretion of the higher authorities. Freedom was only truly observed by those who shared the same beliefs as the Puritans as a whole, and tolerance was not observed when an individual strayed from those beliefs and opinions in the slightest–especially when women displayed opinions that differed from those of her husband or the church. It was of utmost importance that Puritans abide by the rules and beliefs set forth, because any variation would symbolize something “not tolerable nor comely in the sight of God” and would therefore result in a subsequent accusation stating that they have “troubled the peace of the commonwealth and the churches.”
Word Count: 382
2) William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, conceptualized a colony that provided a safe haven for those who were exiled based on their religious beliefs. In Pennsylvania, they would be able to exhibit “spiritual freedom” and avoid living in an area where the government had the ability to “enforce any particular form of religious worship.” Penn was open to allowing anyone who experienced religious persecution to live in his colony, citing “no person or persons, inhabiting in this Province or Territories, who shall confess and acknowledge One almighty God.” This idea that individuals did not have to conform to the conventional belief that there was one God and his word alone is what shall be adhered to. However, Penn also declared that those who held any sort of office had to be Christian, though the “Assembly” would be chosen by members of the colony. In his territory, William Penn assured that whoever lived there would be able to express their own religious beliefs and not be deemed a threat to society. This idealistic way of life included the Indians; as outlined, Penn stated that all of the members of the colony would have the same freedom as “the free-born subjects of England.” Nathaniel Bacon exhibited his animosity towards Indians upon his demand for the eradication of Indians, along with lowered taxes and termination of noble ruling; he even went as far as to say that not only did he want to “ruin” all Indians, he also wanted all trade and business with them to be ceased. Bacon believed that the land set aside for the Indians could be used to express what he believed to be one of the most important freedoms: the ownership of land. In his proclamation, he stated that the rebels can prove that the Indians were “enemies to the king and country, robbers and thieves and invaders of his Majesty’s right and our interest and estates, but yet have by persons in authority been defended and protected.” The rebels believed that the defending of the Indians was unjust to the “most loyal subjects” and therefore went against the initial foundational creed of the colony. The respective ideals and views of William Penn and Nathaniel Bacon could not be any more dissimilar. Where Penn wanted a place of peace for all people regardless of their religious beliefs and ethnicity, Bacon despised the Indians for getting in the way of the development and expansion of the white colonists and their settlement.
Word Count: 413
3) When an individual learned a specific skill or trade, they had the opportunity to voluntarily work as an indentured servant. Terms of the servitude included working for and living with the master for seven years, gaining schooling and apparel upon the completion. During servitude, the apprentice must obey all instruction from his master, refrain from marriage, and not waste or share any goods that do not belong to said apprentice. The apprentice was also not allowed to take a leave of absence without approval from the master, and generally “behave himself as a faithful apprentice toward his master all during his said term.” In return, the apprentice was to receive an education, along with “meat, drink, apparel, lodging, and washing” that was deemed appropriate. At the end of the servitude, the apprentice would be provided a suit, shirts, and scarves. However, in some cases of indentured servitude, the conditions were dire; in a letter to her father, Elizabeth Sprigs recounts her experience as an apprentice stating she was “tied up and whipped to that degree that you now serve an animal.” She explained that she was not offered anything other than “Indian corn and salt” to eat, and that she was almost nude–with no stockings or shoes. After doing everything her master told her through the day, her only reward was a blanket to wrap herself in and retreat to the floor to rest. The life of this female indentured servant was horrifying in comparison to that of a free woman in the Carolinas. In the Carolinas, a free woman would marry at a young age and become mothers soonafter. Many women have a variety of skills, including operating a canoe, planting, sewing fabric, contributing to the management of dairy, and, of course, housekeeping. With education as a leverage, a free woman of the Carolinas could “write good hands, and prove good accountants, which is most coveted.” In all, while some indentured servitudes proved to be opportunistic, some indentured servants experienced deplorable conditions and lived horrendous lives in comparison to those of a free woman in the Carolinas.