The reading by Johnson starts out with a married lady by the name of Katherine Watkins complaining of rape by a black slave. Throughout the remainder of this section, depositions are given by other black slaves and people who claim to have witnessed the occurrence. Most of the accounts indicate that Mrs. Watkins seduced the slave into a sexual act and then blamed it on him in order to stay out of the trouble that her Quaker husband’s beliefs would have brought on her. The other section in this book is the sermon by John Winthrop entitled, A Model of Christianity. Two rules by which all men should abide, he says, are to show mercy and do justice. Among many other good deeds, he preaches love among Christians, performing service for the Lord, having unity and conformity in the community, and strict obedience to God’s word lest some punishment befall you. The handout given in class deals with the issue of homosexuality and the punishments for sodomy and buggery.
The reading by Marcus was solely concentrated on the Salem Witch Trials. A former minister, George Burroughs, is accused of witchcraft and much of the section deals with people who claimed to have been bewitched by him. There are a couple of letters by Cotton Mather explaining the difficulty of the witchcraft trials and his defense of the conviction of George Burroughs. The rest of this reading is letters of confession by the accused and more letters relating to the trials.
The role of Colonial women in society is given an in depth look in the segment by Graebner. In these days, the husband was seen as the supreme head of the family and women were basically domestic. Women were basically known only as the wife of their husbands and often helped them with their business affairs. Eventually, a minimal level of trade arose among women in the village, but nothing big enough to trigger a large outbreak of feminism at that time. A women’s role in society can basically be summed up in this quote, “The economic roles of married women were based upon two potentially conflicting values – gender specialization and identity of interest. A wife was expected to become expert in the management of a household and the care of children, but she was also asked to assist in the economic affairs of her husband, becoming his representative and even his surrogate if circumstances demanded it.
America is in a Moral Decline The founders of America believed that a popular government and its laws necessarily rested upon an underlying moral order that preceded both the state and man-made law. They referred to this transcendent moral order in the Declaration of Independence as "self evident truths" and "the laws of nature and of nature's god" (Barr pg. 211). For a republic to work, the founders thought, the people had to internally guided by commonly shared moral values. The founders
The very existence and success of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America suggests a decline in prejudice and an increase in tolerance. And while this forward movement has certainly occurred, the content of the play challenges the congratulatory and affirmatory outlook we may be inclined to offer the present, and rather suggests that inhospitality and impracticality characterize the present. Through a coupling of emotional resonances and a series of binary disruptions of the clear divides we rely on to
America is a popular image in literature and films. Dozens of writers sought to expose America’s vices and evaluate the consistency of its values, morality, and ethical norms. The pursuit for material wealth and the American dream were the topics most frequently discussed in American literature during the 1920s. The effects of World War I on individual beliefs and ideals, the ongoing decay of morality, the hollowness of dreams and convictions, and the failure to materialize one’s life goals together
George Ritzer defines culture as “the ideas, values, practices, and material objects that allow a group of people, even an entire society, to carry out their collective lives in relative order and harmony” (54). Culture in America has changed drastically over the last several years. One of the main aspects of American culture that has changed is values. Gallup, a research-based incorporation, conducted a study in 2014 that shows how some of America’s values have changed. The study included a
the United States, had written a very important historical speech and document towards the end of his time in office. He had written the Farewell address which focused on helping America understand the importance of preserving unity, acknowledging the rise of political parties forming, strengthening religion and morality, and he stated his position on American foreign policy. He addressed these ideas with strong tone and used incredible amount of dictions that strengthens his tone as well as representing
Morality derives from the Latin moralitas meaning, “manner, character, or proper behavior.” In light of this translation, the definition invites the question of what composes “proper behavior” and who defines morality through these behaviors, whether that be God, humanity, or an amalgamation of both. Socrates confronted the moral dilemma in his discourses millennia ago, Plato refined his concepts in his Republic, and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi would commit their life work to defining and applying
The Global, Moral Dilemma Morality derives from the Latin moralitas meaning, “manner, character, or proper behavior.” In light of this translation, the definition invites the question of what composes “proper behavior” and who defines morality through these behaviors, whether that be God, humanity, or Martin Luther King in “A Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Socrates confronted the moral dilemma in his discourses millennia ago, Plato refined his concepts in his Republic, and leaders such as Mahatma
Church-state relations in America has been widely discussed and hotly debated. One school of thought holds that the church should be absolutely separated from the state, while another holds that the church plays a moral role in state building and its sanctity, without which the state risks falling apart. In my discussion of the church-state relations, I state that the history of church-state relations has a Constitutional basis. Next, I discuss the two schools of thought in context and how they have
In the 1700s, the American government was one of the first nations to have a democratic revolution. With America being a successful democratic country after its revolution, it drew attention domestically and internationally. Domestically, the creation of the new Constitution, after the failure of Articles of Confederation, raised questions in representation and federal power, which led to the creation of The Federalist Papers by the James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Decades later, Alexis
Gelernter believes that are morality in our current culture is weak. He believes the we are apathetic and ignore what does not affect us. Gelernter makes his argument through anecdotes to explain morality in our current culture by stating that “in modern America, moral upside-downness is a specialty of the house. To eliminate race prejudice we discriminate by race. We promote the cultural assimilation of immigrant children by denying them schooling in English. We throw honest citizens in jail for
multiple different states in the U.S.. This war started between the United States of America and the Confederates States of America. Some say it started because of uncompromising differences with the free and slave states over the power of the national government to end slavery in territories that have not become states yet. Although, the issue included slavery in the Civil War, politics, economics, and morality essentially caused of the Civil War, as evidenced by political theorist, John C. Calhoun
The Morality of Birth control originally surfaced as a pamphlet in 1918, which questioned the morality of denying knowledge surrounding a drug which could prevent pregnancy women. In 1913 Margaret Sanger worked as a nurse in a New York. There Sanger watched one woman fall ill from a household abortion. The doctor told this women to avoid pregnancy she should “have her husband sleep on the roof” (Richmond Edu, Par. 7). A few months later Sanger found the same women dead after a second self-inflicted
Based on modern American standard and their conception of morality, the order of which Dante assigns sin along with their corresponding values is out of arrangement. The sins that place those into the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Circles of Hell would greatly differ from a version of the last three circles if they were made by a modern American. These sins would differ in both order and grouping. I have come to this conclusion after comparing the sins detailed in Dante’s Inferno to modern American
essay titled, “The Naked Truth about Fitness.” She states, “We redefined virtue as health.” (Ehrenreich, 2014, p. 327) Her essay tackles the problem of the recent glorification of health that has plagued modern America, referencing the term “healthism.”
ideas, events, or words affected the person but rather “why” it affected them. To understand the why, we must first understand the initial cause and effect. George Santayana’s philosophies found in his essays, “Intellectual Ambition” and “Intuitive Morality,” were enthused by the rise of education and change in literature during the time. The cause and effect can be as simple as the rise of education and such forth brought Santayana to write these essays; however, with the lack of detail, the lack of