What Warrant Have We To Take That Land 1629 John Winthrop

But What Warrant Have We To Take That Land 1629john Winthropas John

But What Warrant Have We to Take That Land? (1629) John Winthrop As John Winthrop wrestled with the question of whether to join the proposed colony of Massachusetts Bay, he committed his thoughts to paper, circulating them among his associates. These statements, which exist in several versions, are remarkable expositions of both the motives impelling Puritans to leave their homeland and the purposes to which they wished to put what they termed the American wilderness. Winthrop's response to this objection sets forth, with standard Puritan logic, the dominant view of the English toward the native inhabitants.

Question: But what warrant have we to take that land, which hath been of long tyme possessed of others the sons of Adam?

Answer: That which is common to all is proper to none. This savage people ruleth over many lands without title or property; for they enclose no ground, neither have they cattle to maintain it, but remove their dwellings as they have occasion, or as they can prevail against their neighbors. And why may not Christians have liberty to go and live amongst them in their wastelands and woods (leaving them such places as they have manured for their corne) as lawfully as Abraham did among the Sodomites? For God hath given to the sons of men a twofold right to the earth; there is a natural right a civil right. The first right was natural when men held the earth in common, every man sowing and feeding where he pleased: Then, as men and cattle increased, they appropriated some parcels of ground by enclosing and peculiar manurance, and this in tyme got them a civil right.

Such was the right which Ephron and Hittite had to the field of Machpelah, wherein Abraham could not bury a dead corpse without leave, though for the out parts of the country which lay common, he dwelt upon them and took the fruit of them as his pleasure. This appears also in Jacob and his sons, who fed their flocks as boldly in the Canaanites land, for he is said to be Lord of the country; and at Dothan and all other places men accounted nothing their own, but that which they had appropriated by their own industry, as appears plainly by Abimelech’s servants, who in their own country did often contend with Isaac’s servants about wells which they had digged; but never about the lands which they occupied.

So likewise between Jacob and Laban; he would not take a kid of Laban’s without special contract; but he makes no bargain with him for the land where he fed. And it is probable that if the country had not been as free for Jacob as for Laban, that covetous wretch would have made his advantage of him, and have upbraided Jacob with it as he did with the rest. Secondly, There is more than enough for them and us. Thirdly, God hath consumed the natives with a miraculous plague, whereby the greater part of the country is left void of its inhabitants. Fourthly, We shall come in good leave of the natives.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The question of legitimacy and moral justification for the colonization of land inhabited by indigenous peoples has been a significant debate in historical and ethical contexts. The 1629 writings of John Winthrop present a compelling Puritan perspective that seeks to justify English claims to land, specifically in the context of early American colonization. Winthrop's arguments reflect the prevalent European mindset of the period, which often considered land as available for conquest and settlement once it was perceived to be without owners or underutilized by indigenous populations.

Central to Winthrop's reasoning is the distinction between natural and civil rights to land. He posits that since the native inhabitants do not enclose grounds or maintain cattle—signs of ownership or proper use—their claim to the land is weak or nonexistent. According to Winthrop, the native peoples' habit of moving their dwellings and not establishing fixed property rights made their control of the land illegitimate in the eyes of European settlers. Instead, he draws parallels with biblical figures like Abraham, Jacob, and the Hittites, who engaged in land transactions that reinforced the concept of “civil rights,” suggesting that land appropriated through industry and enclosure is rightfully owned.

Winthrop further suggests that Europeans, as Christians, had moral and perhaps divine approval to settle and use the land. He highlights that the native inhabitants had been severely affected by divine intervention—specifically, by a miraculous plague—reducing their numbers and leaving large tracts of land vacant. This divine act, according to Winthrop, provides a moral precedent for English settlement and occupancy. Additionally, he asserts that Europeans could peacefully coexist with the natives, having obtained their “good leave,” thus framing colonization as both justified and orderly.

Ethically, Winthrop’s arguments reflect the colonial mindset that viewed indigenous people as occupants without legal or moral claim, especially if they did not cultivate or enclose land in the European sense. This perspective ignores the indigenous worldview and communal land practices that often did not align with European notions of property rights. It also hinges on biblical justification, appealing to divine rights and historical precedents to legitimize conquest and settlement.

Modern scholarship critically examines these colonial justifications, emphasizing the need to acknowledge indigenous sovereignty and to critique the colonial narratives that justified dispossession. The assumption that land without enclosed boundaries or cattle lacks ownership fails to recognize the cultural and spiritual connections of indigenous peoples to their lands. Furthermore, the divine intervention cited by Winthrop is now understood as a historically contingent explanation that served colonial interests rather than an objective divine mandate.

In conclusion, Winthrop’s argument reflects a combination of biblical reasoning, European legal concepts, and colonial expediency to justify English claims to land in early America. His perspective is emblematic of the wider colonial ideology that disregarded indigenous rights and prioritized settlement and resource extraction. Contemporary interpretations demand a reevaluation of such justificatory frameworks, advocating for recognition of native sovereignty, respect for indigenous land rights, and acknowledgment of the cultural significance of traditional territories.

References

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