Puritan rectitude and quaker benevolence/ English
1. Please check attachment for reading materials
Puritan Rectitude and Quaker Benevolence
This Unit’s topic highlights the writings of two of Colonial America’s preachers, each one representative of a particular theology, and each worldview having an immense impact on American culture today, as well as then.
Jonathan Edwards, considered as America’s greatest theologian, sparked the religious movement termed “The Great Awakening”; the sermon included below is one of the most well-known pieces of writing of its time.
John Woolman was a Quaker who traveled extensively throughout the northeast, and was an early proponent of abolitionism. Woolman’s writings and ministry were instrumental in causing the Society of Friends (or Quakers) to reject slavery as a religious principal; the Quakers would become very active in the Underground Railroad in the next century.
Chart comparing the two schools of thought:
http://www.hughie.com/Misc/puritanquaker.htm
Attached Files:
READ the attached notes on Puritan sermons before listening to the sermon itself.
READ the introduction to Jonathan Edwards (331-33).
Then, listen to this short (under 2 minutes) intro on YouTube for some quick context for the sermon.
Finally, with the text in hand (open to page 346), listen to this audio of the entire sermon (50 minutes). It’s not an easy read, and having it read out loud as you read along will really help you to get through it. Also, since while the text is written, the sermon was delivered orally, and listening to it gives you a better sense of how it would have come across to the audience Edwards was addressing.
John Woolman (1720-1772) was a local boy; a memorial house in Mount Holly, NJ, built on the site of his orchard, can be visited. READ chapters 1-3 of his Journal in your text pp. 488-99.
http://woolmancentral.com/index.html
You can find a full version of Woolman’s Journal online, in an easily navigable format:
http://www.strecorsoc.org/jwoolman/title.html
Compare the specific imagery* (that is, examples from the texts) of Edward’s sermon with that found in Woolman’s Journal, with the goal of demonstrating differences between Puritan religious beliefs and those of the Quakers. (Feel free to refer to the comparative chart linked above.)
* Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.
2. Considering the four types of liberty I would say that the most important one would be natural freedom for two main reasons. The first is that it is the one which most closely resembles an umbrella since its emphasis on the individual allows it to accommodate other forms of freedom while the other forms are more inclusive to their own ideologies. Secondly, as an extension of that, natural freedom is also the one most closely associated with the American Revolution which required some degree of cooperation between the various groups of colonists.
Personally I’m also more closely aligned with natural freedom. While I’m not a libertarian, I do believe that liberty in its truest sense means the freedom to act without interference as long as you do not interfere with someone else. Classical liberalism or the belief that “I may disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it” also comes to mind. Unfortunately, it seems as though today “liberty” means “freedom to not be offended” and classical liberalism has been replaced with a belief that “I disagree with what you say and I will fight to your death in order to prevent you from saying it”. Relating this to Fisher’s categories, modern times appear to reflect hegemonic liberty the most but with some complications such as exactly who is in control. Three hundred years ago there was an aristocracy who clearly established their superiority, but with the exception of the international level today the hierarchy is muddled.
150 wordsresponse
