Puritans Reading Assignment-1

Puritans Reading Assignment:
We will read the following passages together in class and then you will be responsible for answering the
related questions below.
Document A: 'City upon a Hill' (Modified)
The only way to provide for our posterity is to do justly, to love

mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. We must be knit
together in this work as one man; we must take care of each
other with brotherly affection.
We shall be united in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our

God and delight to dwell among us, so that we shall see much
more of his wisdom, power, goodness and truth.
We shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are

upon us; so that if we shall [behave badly] and cause God to
withdraw his help from us, we shall [invite] the mouths of
enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and cause their
prayers to be turned into curses upon us.
Therefore let us choose life, that we, and our [children], may live;
by obeying his voice, for he is our life, and our prosperity.
Source: John Winthrop (1588—1649), lawyer and leader of the 1630

migration of English Puritans to Massachusetts Bay Colony, delivered
this famous sermon aboard the Arbella to settlers traveling to New
England.
Document B: 'The Divine Right to Occupy the Land'
(Modified)
The Bible says: "l will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I
will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and
move no more."
The settling of a people in this or that country is the Lord's

decision.
Now, God makes room for a people in three ways: First, He

drives out the heathens before them by waging war on the
inhabitants.
Second, He gives a foreign people favor in the eyes of any

native people to come and sit down with them.
Third, He makes a country empty of inhabitants where the people
will live. Where there is an empty place, the sons of Adam and
Noah are free to come and live there, and they neither need to buy
it nor ask permission.
Source: Puritan leader John Cotton gave the following sermon to
members of his congregation who were immigrating to America in 1630.
Cotton became a respected and influential clergyman in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Puritans Guiding Questions Document
A:
1 . Sourcing: Who was John Winthrop speaking to in this sermon? What do you think is
the purpose of this sermon? He was speaking to the people traveling to New
England. I think the purpose was to point out to them that they should remain
peaceful no matter if other are or are not.
2. Contextualization: Imagine what his audience might have been thinking and feeling
as they listened to him on the ship. Describe it below. His audience may have felt
inspired to create a good example for other colonies.
3. Close reading: What is the main idea of this speech? What do you think Winthrop
means when he says, "We shall be as a City Upon a Hill?" The main idea of the
sermon , " City Upon a Hill" was to state that the colony was a “City Upon a Hill”
which symbolizes the purpose of the colony, that it will be made as an example to all
other future colonies.
Document B:
1 . Sourcing: Who was John Cotton speaking to in this sermon? Why is he speaking
about settling in a new land? Cotton was talking to the people immigrating to
America. And why God had given them the land. 1630
2. Contextualization: In this sermon, who are the 'inhabitants' in the new land? Who
are the 'foreign people?' In this sermon the inhabitants of the new land are the
original inhabitants of that land. The foreign people are the ones that are currently
there
3. Close reading: What does Cotton say that God will do for the foreign people when
they arrive in the new land? He gives a foreign people favor in the eyes of any native
people to come and sit down with them.
Corroboration: Using evidence from Document A and Document B, answer the question
below:
Were the Puritans selfish or selfless?
I feel like the puritans were selfish because they are only considering about them self living in land and
they think they are the only people who have a right to govern the land.

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Puritans Reading Assignment:

Document A: 'City upon a Hill' (Modified)

The only way to provide for our posterity is to do justly, to love

We shall be united in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our

We shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are

Source: John Winthrop (1588—1649), lawyer and leader of the 1630

The settling of a people in this or that country is the Lord's

Now, God makes room for a people in three ways: First, He

Second, He gives a foreign people favor in the eyes of any

Were the Puritans selfish or selfless?

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