The Puritan Spirit

The Puritans lost half of all settlers in the first winter that they spent in Boston. Life looked dreary and desolate for the Puritans,but the Puritans always took it in stride. After John Winthrop's son drowned, he took it in stride. "We have met with many sad and discomfortable things... and the lord's hand hath been heavy upon my self." (92) After that passage Vowell goes on to say how the Puritans took everything in stride, something she finds amazing. " Someone whose child had died could still believe in God, much less describe him as merciful" (92) After reading about this event I realized how dedicated to their religion they actually are. I have read about very religious people that have become atheists because a child has died, but John Winthrop takes it in stride. This is a Microcosm of the Puritan spirit, when half the population of Boston died, No one was disheartened; they believed it was all a part of God's plan. One action that greatly demonstrates the Puritan spirit is their willingness to stand up to their King. When faced with an appointed Governor from England coming to Boston with a Military escort, Winthrop says " We ought not to accept him." (117) Saying this ensures suicide, " he knows that English monarchs are not shy about dispatching their battleships when provoked." (117) Winthrop knew that if the Governor took control that would mean the end of Boston. I admire the Puritans for putting their lives on the line for what they believed. They did not do that just during that one instance; coming out to America in the first place, they put their lives on the line. They did it because they were God's "chosen" people and it was their responsibility to turn the church into a respectable institution.

The Puritans and American exceptionalism

The Puritans were God's select few exceptional people. "God begins to ship away his Noahs... New England shall be a refuge for his Noahs." (29) The Puritans "saw the storm clouds on the horizon" and then " took action to prevent the oncoming onslaught." The "storm clouds on the horizon" being the persecution of Calvinists. The " action to prevent the oncoming onslaught" being crossing the Atlantic to start anew. The Puritans plan was to create a "city upon a hill, an example for the rest of the world." Once that line was spoken in "A Model of Christian Charity," that set an attitude in America that became known as American exceptionalism. A part of that example is helping people who don't really need our help. The Puritans seal was an Indian holding an arrow and a bow and saying, " come over and help us." This has become the American model of foreign policy: Helping people who don't need help. Whether that be sending our troops to "help" the Vietnamese fight communism, or the Iraqis wanting us to "liberate" them from their tyrannical dictator, or "President William McKinley will pray to God and God will tell him to help the Filipinos by Christianizing them." (25) that piece of Puritanical ideology has been a staple of America for some time. Another thing from the Puritans we hold on to is that we are God's chosen people. There is not a speech by a political leader that doesn't say "God Bless America" or some form of we are the best in the world. The one part of that ideology that has not lived in the American mindset was the realization that if we mess up we will feel God's wrath. We have messed up plenty of times, Abu griab, (71) Iraq, Afghanistan , I could go on for days but the fact still remains true, we still believe we are the best. We cannot be a "city upon a hill" if we keep having these major mess ups. American exceptionalism has been a part of the American ideology since the Puritans settled Boston.

Sarah Vowell's Writing

Sarah Vowell is a historian and a comedian. Even before reading this book I saw her when she was the history corespondent on The Daily Show and a voice actor in The Incredibles. her writing style is one of sarcasm and irony, with makes her style great. I find passages like the one on page 26 where she tells about how the founding fathers thought that our foreign policy should be isolationist as opposed to what it is currently. It comes full circle when she says that Ron Paul brought up that you are un amerian according to the founding fathers if you supported the Iraq war. the irony showed up when you find thatthe other canidates hold the founding fathers and their belifs in such high regaurd when they were in support of the Iraq war. Another passage that I liked was when we tell ourselves that god says we are the best, that was passed down from the Puritans, but what we have forgotten is that when we mess up (Abu Garaib) we will feel gods wrath. After we feel his wrath we will no longer be his favorite and we will not be a city upon a hill or a shining example to the world. Sarah Vowell is one of the few authors that I find to be extremely eloquent and haliarious at the same time, she is a joy to read.