John Winthrops Influence On Common Sense

In every era in history there is always a leader who brings about a new belief or philosophy which helps change the way people think. For example, before the war against England for independence most of the colonists either did not want to fight against England due to their loyalty to them or because they were uncertain of whether they should go to war or not. However, when Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense, in the pamphlet he writes that independence from England must come, because America lost touch with its home country (Levine, 2012). As well as, in the pamphlet he says,“ The laying a country desolate with fire and sword, declaring war against the natural rights of all mankind, and extirpating the defenders thereof from

John Winthrop was convinced God elected him to salvation or in Puritan terms, to “sainthood” (Dunn, 2016). So, from his early teens he began his scriptural studies and prayers to become a full-fledged Puritan. Winthrop also dedicated himself the world as he saw it, arguing, “…the life which is most exercised with trials’ and temptations is the sweetest, and will prove the safest (Dunn, 2016).” On the other hand, Benjamin Franklin saw religion as worthless unless it is used to promote virtuous behavior and saw Jesus as a great moral teacher, instead as a God (Fea, 2011). As well as, a couple of weeks before Franklin died Ezra Stiles wrote a paper about Franklin’s beliefs. In the excerpt, he says, “…As for Jesus of Nazareth…I think the system of Morals and Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw…but I have…some Doubts to his divinity… (Fea,

For Winthrop, for example, he quotes the bible by saying, “…all men would have need of one another” this shows he believed all social classes were “made” by God (Geneva Bible, John 13:35). So, to Winthrop he thinks the mutual need between people came from God to help one another while Benjamin Franklin had a similar idea but a secular view on individualism. Franklin even quotes Winthrop speech on A Model of Christian Charity saying, “more nearly together in the Bonds of Brotherly affection… (Wood, 2014).” In other words, this means to Franklin bonds are created not from God but simply from the bond between people to help one another. Winthrop also believes that social advancement and individual improvement comes from God. His belief is shown in his speech “city upon the hill,” because in his speech he tells other Puritans that they should be role models for rest of the world to show how they should behave (Levine, 2012). Franklin on the other believes both social and individual improvement came from one’s actions. For example, Franklin developed his daily routine to help on a daily basis with his routine it helped him become an author, freemason, scientist, diplomat and much more. In his biography, he writes, “Often I sat up in my Room reading the greatest Part of the Night, when the Book was borrow’d in the Evening and to be return’d early in the Morning lest it should be miss’d or