“Ms. GGGG, we are pleased to inform you of your 35% raise to your salary for this year’s pay. As per your hard work and dedication to our project, the business associates here at Google appreciate all you have done for our company.” Ahh! The sweet smell of success! After all of my diligence and stress over this project, I am finally able to be rewarded and it feels better than ever. None of my accomplishments would have been possible without that strict work ethic that had been implemented since the start of my internship. This method of success, as I like to call it, is one of the main reasons, I believe, that any of my triumphs were made possible. Whenever questioned, the associates would always say, “The American Puritan work ethic will …show more content…
Follow it, and we will walk through the light at the end of the tunnel.” The American Puritan work ethic is a way to go about duties, tasks, and obligations and it is said that with hard work and frugality, success is achievable. The broad tree of success can be narrowed down to one branch- American business. The rave of this colonial work ethic has been on going for centuries. Businessmen follow this ethic because, throughout history, it has been proven to be beneficial. Many scholars have argued that Protestantism continues to play a powerful— and often implicit— role in the values of contemporary Americans. As with anything that seems to be dominant in a society, there are those who do not agree that the work ethic is valuable. The reports of success from working through this ethic have been documented throughout history and will continue to be. Although businessmen and journalists, such as Robert Becker, believe exploitation has been the primary outcome of the American Puritan work ethic, expert criticism, published commentary, and history prove that the progress and growth of American business was, and will continue to be, a consequence of the wise application of this work …show more content…
The stress of instituting dedication and hard work through every task has shaped American business. Success, monetarily and internally, is obtained by abiding by this work ethic. Progress and growth in the nation’s economy has resulted partly because of the American Puritan work ethic.
Works Cited
Becker, Robert. Why the Protestant Work Ethic Is a Menace to Society. AlterNet, 24 Oct. 2012. WEB. 10 May 2014.
Dean, Brian. The Puritan Work Ethic. Anxiety Culture. Dec 1996. WEB. 16 April, 2014.
Frezza, Bill. We Are Gathered Here Today To Witness The Burial Of The Protestant Work Ethic.
Forbes List. 16 July, 2013. WEB. 18 April, 2014.
Goodrich, Barbara G., PhD. The Protestant/ Calvinist Work Ethic. The Work Ethic Excerpt from the University of Colorado, Denver. January 2010. WEB. 16 April, 2014.
Hart, Benjamin. Faith & Freedom Chapter Nine: The Protestant Spirit of Capitalism. Christian Defense Fund, 1 Jan. 1997. WEB. 13 May 2014.
Hill, Roger B., PhD. History of Work Ethic. The Work Ethic Site at the University of
Jonathan Klemens’ definition of the Protestant work ethic found in his essay, “The Protestant Work Ethic: Just Another 'Urban Legend?'" pulls inspiration from Max Weber. Klemens’ takes the religious aspect out of Weber’s definition and transforms it from a three part definition to a four part definition. The first part of his definition is passion which is closely followed by commitment and hard work. The fourth and final aspect is innovation. According to Klemens these four parts are essential to a successful and efficient work ethic.
In the provocative article, Were the Puritans Puritanical?, Carl Degler seeks to clarify the many misconceptions surrounding the Puritan lifestyle. He reveals his opinions on this seventeenth century living style, arguing that the Puritans were not dull and ultra-conservative, but rather enjoyed things in moderation. They had pleasures, but not in excess. The Puritans could engage in many pleasurable and leisurely activities so long as they did not lead to sin. According to the article, the Puritans believed that too much of anything is a sin. Degler writes about the misconceptions of Puritan dress, saying that it was the “opposite of severe”, and describing it as rather the English Renaissance style. Not all members of Puritan society
Roof, Wade Clark. "Contemporary Conflicts: Tradition vs. Transformation." Contemporary American Religion. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. 226-27. Print.
I like that Moore is not hesitant to express thoughtful criticisms about the pretensions of the church and the undemocratic ways that Protestants have sometimes attempted to dominate American society. His commentary stimulates constructive discussions about what should and should not be the proper role of Christianity, especially Protestantism, in a religiously pluralistic culture that has constitutional guarantees for religious freedom and the separation of church and state.
...lley, W. H., Jennings, K. M., Wolters, R. S., & Mathis, R. L. (2012). Employment & Labor Relations. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
In 1624, the early 17th century, the religious group called the Puritans, settled for the first time in the New England territory. Once there, they chose to inhabit the Massachusetts area. The Puritans were a varied group of religious reformers who emerged within the Church of England during the middle of the sixteenth century, but didn’t come to the United States until decades later. They escaped the Catholic Church and shared a common Calvinist theology, common criticisms of the Anglican Church, English society and government. In 1632, John Warham, a Puritan minister from England, took with him, a great deal of followers to America, and once there, they settled in Massachusetts. They received and area that was assigned to them and they named it Dorchester. Once in Dorchester, which was located six miles south of Boston, a group of faithful Puritans built a crude church, assigned lots and farms and began to serve God in the wilderness of North America. Dorchester had game-filled forests, fish-filled streams, clear fields, and lush meadows for grazing stock. Even though, the winters were exceptionally inhospitable, the Puritans still thought Dorchester was their promise land. But, as many people noticed, the land was filled up with native people like pilgrims and Indians, and so people like John Mason thought they stood in the way of the Puritan “errand ...
Tischler, Steven. "The Manly Art (Book)." Labor History 28.4 (1987): 562. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 4 May 2014.
Religion of the protestant church was an important factor in the pre-war timeline culture. The Second great awakening, which occurred in the 19th century, greatly impacted American society. This new point of view in terms and matters of faith led northerners to cherish the theory of Christian perfection, a theory that in fact was applied to society in an attempt to eliminate social imperfection. On the other hand, southerners reacted by cherishing a faith of personal piety, which focused mainly on a reading of the Bible; however, it expressed very little concern in addressing society’s problems.1
Winthrop, J. (2008). A Model for Christian Charity. In N. Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume 1 (pp. 82). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
The American work ethic is something our country should be proud of. Since the days of George Washington Americans have worked hard for what they believe in, what they need, and what they want. It is our right as Americans to be able to work for these ideals. Without out a strong work ethic our country would crumble. From businessmen to politicians a strong work ethic is necessary to keep our country financially and politically stable.
Winter, Gibson. Address. "Religious Social Ethics in a Postmodern World." Temple University, Philadelphia, 22 March 1995.
Winthrop envisioned an ideal utopia in which all citizens would devote their lives to the service of God. Ironically, Winthrop’s puritan movement and his beliefs of constructing a perfect society based on biblical teachings resulted in an impressive success in secular affairs. This success was often explained by what was known as the “Puritan Work Ethic,” which means the ability and willing t...
Williams, O. F. Catholic Social Teaching: A Communitarian Democratic Capitalism for the New World Order. Journal of Business Ethics, 1993.Vol.12, no.12 p. 919-923.
Max Weber’s work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is arguably one of the most important works in all of sociology and social theory, both classical and modern. In the decades since its inception, this work has gone on to influence generations of social scientists with its analysis of the effect of Protestantism on the development of modern industrial capitalism. This work, examining such broad topics as religion, economics, and history, is not only an interesting and insightful look into the history of the development of capitalism, but a major work in laying a foundation for future works of social theory.
DONKIN, R (2001) Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work London: Texere. (Ch. 11 – Western Electric Discovers Motivation).