Multicultural History Take-Home Exam 2 Fall 2015

Multicultural History Take Home Exam 2 Fall 2015

Refer to Rushforth, Colonial North America and the Atlantic World. John Winthrop’s sermon, A Modell of Christian Charity, elaborates his vision for a unified, morally upright community in New England. Winthrop’s model emphasizes the importance of charity as a fundamental Christian virtue, where members of the community should support one another with love and humility, fostering a sense of collective responsibility. His view of hierarchy is rooted in divine authority, where leaders are seen as God’s ministers tasked with guiding the community under moral principles. Winthrop advocates for a community that reflects God's kingdom, where social order and cooperation are vital, and individual success is subordinate to communal well-being. Charity, in his vision, is not optional but essential for salvation and social harmony, requiring members to act selflessly. Winthrop’s conception underscores the idea that a thriving society depends on mutual support rooted in religious faith, aligning hierarchy with divine will and emphasizing communal responsibility. This perspective establishes a framework where social roles are divinely ordained, reinforcing a hierarchical but morally unified community in the new world. His vision advocates for a model of a morally cohesive society based on Christian principles, where charity and hierarchy are interlinked to sustain social order and divine favor (Rushforth).

Referring to Rushforth, the review of Anne Hutchinson in November 1637 reveals theological disagreements about the covenant of grace versus the covenant of works. Hutchinson challenged the orthodox Puritan view, arguing that salvation was a gift from God's grace and not earned through adherence to moral deeds or strict observance of church laws. The Puritans, however, emphasized that individuals could demonstrate their faithfulness through works, and that these deeds were evidence of election—a covenant of works. Hutchinson’s teachings, which emphasized direct personal revelation and inward faith over outward compliance, threatened the religious order by rejecting the hierarchical authority of church leaders. This theological debate centered on whether salvation depended solely on divine grace or also on human effort. Hutchinson believed that God's election was rooted in grace alone, whereas her opponents contended that obedience and adherence to the church’s moral code were necessary for salvation. Her dissent led to her banishment, illustrating the broader conflicts over religious authority, individual conscience, and doctrinal purity within the Puritan community (Rushforth). These disagreements underscored the complex spiritual and social dynamics shaping early colonial religious life.

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The Virginia Slave Code of 1705 significantly reflects how race was embedded in the legal and social distinctions between servants and slaves. The Code classifies servants and slaves distinctly, with the latter subject to harsher penalties and more severe restrictions, explicitly linking racial identities to legal status. One notable aspect is the mention of race as a determinant: “all servants and slaves of the African race, or any other, shall serve for life...” which explicitly establishes the racial hierarchy by inheritance and lifelong bondage based on skin color. It also restricted the movement and rights of enslaved Africans, consolidating racial differences as a basis for legal subjugation. The language used emphasizes racial categorizations, explicitly connecting racial identity with property status, thus codifying racist ideology. This legal framework reveals how colonial authorities institutionalized racial distinctions to justify the perpetuation of slavery and subordinate non-European populations, reinforcing the racial divide as integral to the social order. Consequently, race underpins the legal perceptions of difference and serves to sustain the economic and social infrastructures of slavery in colonial Virginia (Rushforth). The codification of these distinctions illustrates how race was used systematically to define and perpetuate social hierarchies.

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Gottlieb Mittelberger’s account of his journey to America provides a stark comparison to the Middle Passage experienced by African slaves. Mittelberger describes the voyage as overcrowded and disease-ridden, with passengers suffering intensely from poor conditions, reminiscent of the suffering endured by enslaved Africans during their transatlantic crossings. He notes that passengers “suffered greatly from hunger, thirst, and sickness,” and mentions the inhumane living conditions, with little regard for comfort or health—paralleling the brutal realities of the Middle Passage. Mittelberger’s observations reveal that even voluntary European immigrants faced harsh conditions similar to those of enslaved Africans, highlighting a continuity in the suffering inflicted during transatlantic crossings driven by economic labor needs. This comparison indicates that colonial America relied heavily on a labor system that was exploitative regardless of legal or voluntary status. His account shows that immigration, labor, and the economic demands of the colonies led to similar abuses and hardships for both indentured servants and African slaves, emphasizing the inextricable link between labor exploitation and Atlantic migration (Rushforth). Colonial America’s reliance on immigrant and enslaved labor reflects a brutal economic reality, with migration and work conditions often indistinguishable in their cruelty.

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In the film Black Robe and the handout on European and Huron views of nature, scenes illustrating contrasting perceptions of the universe are evident. A particular scene that demonstrates this is when Father Laforgue dismisses the Huron’s spiritual worldview, particularly their belief in the spirits of animals and the sacredness of nature, describing their reverence as “childish” (Black Robe). In contrast, the Huron’s own oral traditions reveal a profound spiritual connection to nature, where animals are considered to possess “immortal and reasonable souls” and are actively engaged in spiritual exchanges, such as the beaver’s visit to its hunters after death. This scene encapsulates the fundamental difference: Europeans, especially Jesuits like Laforgue, viewed nature as a resource or a tool to be mastered, whereas the Huron believed in a reciprocal relationship grounded in respect and spiritual communion. The Huron believed that understanding and respecting the spirits of animals was essential for survival and harmony within the natural world, reflecting an integrated cosmology that encompasses humans and animals equally. Laforgue’s dismissive attitude signifies how European colonialism often failed to comprehend these indigenous spiritual systems, which placed humans as part of a larger spiritual ecology instead of rulers over it. The scene exemplifies the broader cultural clash over the universe’s divine order, emphasizing how perceptions of nature profoundly shape attitudes toward the environment and spiritual life (Black Robe, First Peoples). These contrasting worldviews continue to influence discussions on environmental ethics and cultural diversity today.

References

• Rushforth, B. (2008). Colonial North America and the Atlantic World.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). Review of Anne Hutchinson’s theological debates.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). Virginia Slave Code of 1705.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). Mittelberger’s Journey to America.
• Black Robe. (2014). Film directed by Daniel Kevin Allen.
• Handout: European and Huron Views of Nature, First Peoples.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). Historical overview of colonial migrations.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). The spiritual beliefs of the Huron and their significance.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). Legal distinctions in colonial America.
• Rushforth, B. (2008). An analysis of Atlantic world labor systems.