Summary Of The Puritan Dilemma By Edmund Morgan

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Ryon Cottle
Campbell
U.S. History to 1887
3 Apr. 2015

The Puritan Dilemma by Edmund S. Morgan
In this biography we follow the life of John Winthrop. John was raised in Groton Manor in Suffolk. He caught the fever of Puritanism at a young age and we see the internal struggle that followed. Winthrop dedicated his life to seeking God. Then it explains his education and the practices of law that he experienced. We then begin to see the Puritan view on the political situation. This was mainly because King Charles I married a Catholic woman, and this scared the Puritans. Of course they wanted someone of the same religion to lead their country. King Charles I caused a lot of problems because he kept dismissing the Parliament whenever they disagreed …show more content…

He fell to Separatism and that consequently changed his views on many things including infant baptism and communion. Anne Hutchinson, who “excelled him not only in nimbleness of wit but in the ability to extend a theological proposition into all of its ramifications” (Morgan 126) That being said she caused problems by pushing her husband and John Cotton to make a movement against Armianism. She also began holding her own weekly meetings preaching what was considered heresy. Hutchinson was separatist at heart. We are shown the debates over the structure of the Government and who has more authority. In total, it proves that the Puritans were a largely democratic people who were very jealous of their liberties. The actions of the Puritans in England had direct repercussions in New England. They stopped the Great Migration, which had an effect on the economic status. It also brought on the question of if the colony should survive or not. Some political leaders worked against Winthrop in trying to gain more judicial and legislative power. During this Economic crisis, Winthrop realized that they needed to reach out to other places in hopes of trading and services. Winthrop also chose to help the losing side, French, in the French and Indian war. Robert Child, a doctor, posed as opposition to Winthrop, as he sought to take Massachusetts for himself. He even went as far as going to Parliament to draw them to the attention that it “was going her own way” but Child didn’t get his way. Winthrop died March 26th

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