What Role Did John Winthrop Play In The Early Settlement Of North America

John Winthrop was a key figure in the early settlement of North America. John Winthrop was a devoted Puritan who wanted to break away from the strict religious ruling of England. Winthrop successfully settled in the Massachusetts Bay colony, where the residents upheld their strong religious beliefs and commitment to serving others in their daily lives. Winthrop sought to help those in need, adding a light of hope for the small Puritan community of England. John Winthrop was born on January 22, 1588, to Adam Winthrop Jr. and Anne Brown Winthrop in Edwardstone, England (Bremer 7). Thanks to his grandfather, Adam Sr., John was born into the upper middle class of England. John’s grandfather worked to the top at the Clothworkers Guild in London,
In 1602, Winthrop decided to attend Trinity College at the age of 14 to study law but dropped out three years later (Bremer 11). Despite not completing his college education, Winthrop was able to make a name for himself in the world of law (Bremer 8). As Winthrop’s career progressed, he met his first wife, Mary Forth, and had six children with her (Bremer 11). Over time, Winthrop would have sixteen children. He went through many losses with his first wife, including the death of his two babies, which led to the demise of John and Mary’s marriage. Winthrop grew up in a time of turmoil with religion. He had grown up listening to many sermons and came to rely on the values of the Puritans, but the Church of England practiced Catholicism and persecuted other religious groups. This religious persecution caused Winthrop to migrate to “The New World” and practice spiritual freedom (Bremer 7). In 1630, Winthrop embarked on a journey to “The New World” with approximately 1,000 other Puritans aboard the Arabella. On this migration, Winthrop made the famous speech of a “city upon a hill.” During this speech, he described a city that allowed Puritans to openly practice their beliefs without the risk of persecution under the rules of King Charles I (Rowley
Winthrop's style of government also led to the practice of serving the community, rather than oneself (Delahaye 116). John’s belief in communal responsibility often blurs the lines between communal and individual responsibilities. This can be seen through Winthrop’s famous sermon “A Model of Christian Charity.” In this sermon, Winthrop stated, “We must love one another with a pure heart.” (Gale 360). His statement added to the feeling of love and responsibility the community had for each other, but added to the reliance on others. The problem with advocating communal responsibility arose when Winthrop compared the colony to “a city on a hill.” Later on, this faced much backlash since the Massachusetts Bay colony would start ostracizing those different from them in the mid-1600s. Although Winthrop had many successes in Massachusetts, some challenges arose over time. The colony had to face many external challenges such as coexisting with the Native American population, harsh weather conditions, and poor infrastructure. Winthrop was also very commanding and short-tempered towards those whose beliefs did not align with his