Enduring Values Of The Early Americans example essay topic

Americans have many values that are near to their hearts. Many of these values came from early Americans who passed them along through writings and stories. America was inhabited mainly but two groups; the Puritans and the Native Americans. The two groups possessed some of the same values but regarded them differently. I have explored the enduring values of the early Americans through reading stories from Elements of Literature. I learned some of the most common values were religion, education, hard work, government, and nature.

"To Puritans, the universe of God's creation was sublime and magnificent", (biography Edward Taylor p. 72). Religion was a personal inner experience for the Puritans. They did not believe government should come between them and God, (Gary Q. Arpin). "Many Puritans suffered prosecution in England.

Some were put in jail and whipped, their noses slit and their ears looped off", (Gary Q. Arpin). They were willing to risk prosecution though, because they valued God and religion so highly. The Puritans believed that your fate was determined even before you were born, this is called predestination. They also believed their religion was the one and only true religion. The men coming over on the Mayflower believed God saved them from the hardships and death, and got them safe across the ocean. William Bradford said, "Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good: And his mercies endure forever".

The Lord's mercies have endured for at least two hundred and twenty-five years now making religion such a great part of our lives. Education was esteemed very highly in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, especially by the Puritans. The Native Americans did not value education as much. Thomas Paine (1737-1809), was a poorly educated boy. He worked hard to educate himself and did so through jobs such as a corset maker, grocer, tobacconist, schoolteacher, and a tax collector (biography Thomas Paine p. 106). Through his various jobs and through educating himself he became the most persuasive writer of the American Revolution.

The Puritans also educated themselves through reading the Bible. "Reading the bible was a necessity for all Puritans as was the ability to understand theological debates. Associated with theological debates is the Harvard College, which was originally intended to train Puritan Ministers for the rapidly expanding Colony", (Gary Q. Arpin). Many of our popular colleges today were founded by the early Americans.

Another eminently educated man was Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson attended the College of William and Mary and became the third president of the United States of America. He was a lawyer and also a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In the times of the Puritans it was important for them to be educated, but very difficult unless they were wealthy. The citizens that were wealthy created a wonderful life for themselves.

Many people today in the twenty-first century believe life is very difficult. Life was so much more difficult for the Puritans and Native Americans in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. They had to work hard to keep themselves and their families alive. The Puritans made the vigorous journey to New England and found new work. One woman that worked very hard was Anne Bradstreet, she moved to New England at the age of eighteen. Anne raised four boys and four girls.

While raising her children she still found time to write poems. Her poetry was secretly published and became very famous. In that time period women did not usually write poetry, or their poetry was not as well recognized as poetry written by males. "But the arrogance was that a woman would aspire to a place among the august company of established male poets", (biography Anne Bradstreet p. 68). Another early American well known for his hard work is Ben Franklin. Ben's family was poor like many other Puritan families.

In the biography of Ben Franklin it was quoted that, .".. he rose from poverty to eminence even though he had to leave school early in order to work". At age forty-one Franklin had made enough money to retire from business, but he did not retire. He worked for forty-three more years in America, London, negotiated peace in France, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention, (biography Ben Franklin p. 84). Throughout Ben Franklin's arduous lifetime he accomplished many things, he was described as everything but a poet.

Many early American men and women had to work extremely hard just to survive. Government was a very important enduring value to the early Americans. They shaped how our country would live and be governed today. It started on the Mayflower, coming to America they composed and signed the Mayflower Compact.

This document showed how they would be governed in their new world. The Puritans created a constitutional democracy. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were two key people that helped form our early government. They studied various forms of government, which included the Iroquois Constitution. The Iroquois Constitution helped develop the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.

Government was so important to the early Americans they wanted to form one that could not be destroyed. It is said that, .".. the Iroquois political and literary legacy is entwined forever with ideals that continue to shape American life", (Legacy of Peace and Unity: The Iroquois Constitution p. 120). If the early Americans had not valued government so highly our country would not be what it is today. The Native Americans had great respect for nature.

Their land and the creatures of the land were very important to them. They expressed their love for nature through literature. "The Native American universe is not dominated by human beings. Animals and humans are often interchangeable in myths and folk tales. Myths may even feature animals as the instruments of creation", (Joseph Bruch ac p. 21). The Native Americans incorporated nature greatly into their ceremonies that were repeated year after year.

They thought that nature could heal them if they were sick. The old chief in The Sky Tree believed he could be saved by the fruit of the sky tree. Their great appreciation for nature preserved America for our generation and many more generations to come. Early Americans' enduring values of religion, education, hard work, government, and nature were very dear to them. These values and their way of life have helped shape the American way of life in the twenty-first century. We value many of the same things as the Puritans and Native Americans revered.

The early Americans created a great country for people to live in, it is the job of the future generations to preserve it.