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Jonathan smith “a description of new england”
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Jonathan smith “a description of new england”
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Comparing John Smith’s A Description of New England and William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation When the first American settlement on Roanoke Island was established in 1585 it’s primary force, Sir Walter Raleigh, had no idea that this “New World” would evolve into one of the most powerful voices in the modern world. But before it developed it would have to shaped by it’s founders from the Western world. Two of the largest voices in America’s early development are John Smith, who with a group of English merchants, hoped to get rich in this new land, and William Bradford, a puritan farmer who was one of the most influential men involved with the Mayflower compact. In their two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape but fail to reach many other similar conclusions on what America was like at this time. In John Smith’s A Description of New England he portrays early American life as a place for great opportunities to start over, live easily, and to turn small fortunes into a great wealth. Smith earned credibility for making these statements by leading many expeditions in America such as Jamestown. An example of Smith attempting to persuade the reader into believing that America was a place for rebirth he stated “What please could be more than recreate themselves before their own doors.” Smith obviously believes that the potential settlers would find it easy to drastically adjust their lifestyle in this new world. Another common theme in Smith’s piece is that he states America is an easy place to live. “... is it no pretty sport to pull up two pence, six pence, and twelve pence as fast as you can haul and veer a line?” Smith stated when describing how easy it would be to take in money by being an angler in this ... ... middle of paper ... ...criptions of the new world that is caused by Smith hoping to convince settlers to move to the “New World” and Bradford describes it as a savage place that only the strong will survive. William Bradford and John Smith’s two pieces both convey America as a place to escape the European world but completely fail to contain congruency on what early America was like in this time period. Sources Bradford, William, Of Plymouth Plantation:1620-1647, ed. by Samuel E. Morison (1952); A Description of New England: or The Observations, and Discoveries, of Captain John Smith (Admiral of that Country), in the North of America, in the year of our Lord, 1614; London, 1616. Reprinted in: Dow, George Francis (1921). Two Centuries of Travel in Essex County Massachusetts: A Collection of Narratives and Observations Made by Travelers 1605-1799. The Perkins Press, Topsfield.
In Woody Holton's Forced Founders, that most revered segment of the revolutionary generation, the elitist gentry class of Virginia, comes across very much as a group of self-serving reactionaries, rather then the idealized revolutionaries of the great patriotic myth of popular history. He sets about disassembling a central portion of the myth created by earlier generations of Consensus historians, by asserting that rather then gallantly leading the charge for independence, Virginia's elitist gentry resorted to independence as their last and only means of saving their elite ruling status, their economic futures, and even their very lives many feared. While this is very much an example of revisionist history, Holton has not so much rewritten history, as he has provided the back story of the complexity and diversity of the Virginia colony on the eve of the American Revolution. For while the book's title may insinuate otherwise, lowly groups like slaves and Indians discussed here are afforded only the status of “founders” by pressing those traditionally thought of in this role to take the plunge for independence. Still the papers and correspondence of the iconic figureheads of the revolutionary generation like Washington, Jefferson, and Madison make up the bulk of primary sources.
The extend of most American’s knowledge of early America is of Columbus’ discovery of America for Europe in 1492 and the landing of the Mayflower in Plymouth in 1620. This was true of A Voyage Long and Strange author, Tony Horwitz. Horwitz felt as if there were pieces missing in his picture of early America and set out on a journey that spanned from Canada to the Dominican Republic. The novel starts out with a prologue of Horwitz talking about his own reasons for wanting to learn more of early America and then is broken into three sections Discovery, Conquest, and Settlement. Each section discusses another period in early American history starting with first contact in Vinland and ending with the landing in Plymouth.
As the regions began to expand and develop, their motivations for settlement helped to mold their societies. New England was a place where men sought refuge from religious persecution and was established as a haven for religious refugees. Despite this reason for settling, the New Englanders still attempted to spread their own beliefs of religion. As illustrated by John Winthrop in his Model of a Christian Charity, he preached to his fellow colonists that “we shall be a city upon a hill” (Doc A) exemplifying the Puritans’ aspirations of a Holy Utopia. He and countless other New Englanders practiced the belief that they must all work together. They were determined to “mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work.” The Articles of Agreement plainly laid out the basis for the New England region. These articles made New England a cosmopolitan mix of rich and poor families, all being in possession of land and resolute in doing God’s work (Doc D). However, while the New Englanders settled to create a Holy Utopia, the people of the Chesapeake were concerned not only with their religious freedom, but also ...
During the 1700's, people in the American colonies lived in very distinctive societies. While some colonists led hard lives, others were healthy and prosperous. The two groups who showed these differences were the colonists of the New England and Chesapeake Bay areas. The differentiating characteristics among the Chesapeake and New England colonies developed due to economy, religion, and motives for colonial expansion. The colonists of the New England area possessed a very happy and healthy life. This high way of living was due in part to better farming, a healthier environment, and a high rate of production because of more factories. The colonists of the Chesapeake Bay region, on the other hand, led harder lives compared to that of the colonists of New England. The Chesapeake Bay had an unhealthy environment, bad eating diets, and intolerable labor.
In a lively account filled that is with personal accounts and the voices of people that were in the past left out of the historical armament, Ronald Takaki proffers us a new perspective of America’s envisioned past. Mr. Takaki confronts and disputes the Anglo-centric historical point of view. This dispute and confrontation is started in the within the seventeenth-century arrival of the colonists from England as witnessed by the Powhatan Indians of Virginia and the Wamapanoag Indians from the Massachusetts area. From there, Mr. Takaki turns our attention to several different cultures and how they had been affected by North America. The English colonists had brought the African people with force to the Atlantic coasts of America. The Irish women that sought to facilitate their need to work in factory settings and maids for our towns. The Chinese who migrated with ideas of a golden mountain and the Japanese who came and labored in the cane fields of Hawaii and on the farms of California. The Jewish people that fled from shtetls of Russia and created new urban communities here. The Latinos who crossed the border had come in search of the mythic and fabulous life El Norte.
Divine, Robert A. America past and Present. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Longman, 2013. 245. Print.
Smith’s and Bradford’s individual descriptions are simply two categories; fiction and nonfiction. Smith’s intention for his audience is that the new land is everything you can wish for without a single fight. Smith starts by describing the content and pleasure that risking your life for getting your own piece of land brings to people. He is luring his audience in by telling that it is a wonderful world of vast food and gratification. Smith wants his audience to be more of the joyful individuals who look for the good in everyt...
The oath that I have taken is the same oath that was taken by George Washington and by every President under the Constitution. But I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans.” Gerald R. Ford stated this in 1974, during his first presidential address after the resignation of the 37th President Richard Nixon. President Ford was the 38th president and the only president to assume the Presidency the way he did. President Ford was born July 14, 1913, in Omaha Nebraska. Fords’ parents were divorced just sixteen days after he was born. The divorce was brought on shortly after Gerald’s birth because his biological father had a history of abusing his wife. Gerald’s father threatened to kill his wife, his newborn son, and the nursemaid with a butcher knife. Both Fords father and mother would remarry. Fords stepfather treated Ford like his own son raising him in church and teaching him to be a respectable young man. Gerald Fords biological name was Leslie Lynch King, Jr. sharing the same name as his biological father. Fords name would be changed February 1, 1916 when his mother remarried. She married Gerald R. Ford, a painter and varnish salesmen living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ford Sr. never legally adopted the Gerald and his name was never legally changed until 1935. Gerald Ford attended Grand Rapids High where he was a star athlete, becoming the captain of the football team in 1930. He was a high achieving Eagle Scout, reaching the highest rank possible. In addition to reaching this goal, Ford is the only United States president to have achieved this rank of Eagle Scout. Ford played football for the University of Michigan where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1934 in a game against...
In today's global economy, energy is one of the most crucial and sought after commodities. Who supplies it and how much they supply determines how much influence they have over other countries as well as the global economy. This is why hydraulic fracturing is currently such an important and controversial topic in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking" or hydrofracturing, is the process of using pressurized liquids to fracture rocks and release hydrocarbons such as shale gas, which burns more efficiently than coal. This booming process of energy production provides a much needed economic boost, creating jobs and providing gas energy for Americans. The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt with. The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazards for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions. However, the negative side effects such as contaminated water and air, make hydraulic fracturing a process that may not be worth the benefits.
Colonial expansion by the British Empire in the seventeenth century led to the formation of thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America (Nowell, 2013). One of these original thirteen colonies was the Massachusetts Bay, of which Boston was the capital (The City of Boston, 2009). Under the Puritan influence, Boston emerged as an important colonial city. It was largest town in British North America till the mid eighteenth century. Its strategic location as a port made it an important economic center for New England region (Kales, 2007). In this essay, I intend to explore Boston’s colonial foundations and reveal their role in shaping the global city of Boston. I also intend to compare Boston with other colonial cities to indicate the entirety of the term ‘colonial city’.
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, is a widespread practice in the United States. Fracking is a method used to extract oil and natural gas. Scientists and citizens report detrimental side effects of hydraulic drilling. New York and Vermont have banned fracking statewide. Maryland has set a two year moratorium on fracking, so that more research can be done to show the impacts of fracking on the environment. Nationwide, many other cities and counties have banned fracking as well. All states should look into finding alternative sources of energy, instead of using devastating practices like fracking to extract non-renewable resources.
Henry’s personable nature is formed to enhance his ability to connect to his men. He uses this side of himself when he pretends to be a commoner before the battle of Agincourt. From his earlier vagabond years, Henry understands the psyche of the common man, and he uses this experience to make himself accessible as a person. Henry understands morale is low, and that his troops need to feel support so they do not give up. To do this, Henry disguises himself and speaks as a friend to his men to understand their opinions of the battle ahead. This persona differs so greatly from what most men see of Henry that his men can not even recognize their own king. Henry even drops the name “Harry le Roy,” with le roi being French for the king. The goal of this encounter is to retrieve unbiased intelligence about how his men feel without the intimidation that is associated with talking to the king. With this persona, Henry gets such candid results that he is insulted by a man named Williams. By disguising himself and changing his persona, Henry manipulates his own personality. He uses experiences from his previous lifestyle, builds on them, and then uses...
Henry V, like most characters created by Shakespeare, is very complex, and cannot by defined in black and white or as good or bad. However, he is the sum of his actions, and his actions and decisions during the campaign during the campaign in France lead him to be classified as a war criminal. A politician who works for his own good and through that, the good of his country, Henry’s decisions are often cold and calculated, designed to manipulate those around him.
There are many factors to take into account when looking at Ford’s presidency. One of the biggest is how he came into office. After Spiro Agnew, the Vice President to Richard Nixon, resigned because of bribery and tax evasions, Gerald Ford was selected to be the new vice president to Nixon. Richard Nixon was involved in the Watergate Scandal which led to him resigning as well and placing Ford in the position of the Presid...
Crevecoeur draws attention to the prosperity that awaits on American soil by stating that these “unwanted plants” can truly “take root and flourish” in this unspoiled homeland. He institutes a train of thought that tempts readers to escape from the holdings of their meager nations and flock to a land of immense beauty and freedom. John Hector’s receptive broaching of such a relevant topic encourages modern-day readers to look at America through the same inspired eyes that so many hopeless migrants have viewed it through