Seminar: The Mayflower Compact and A Model of Christian Charity

Transcription

1 Seminar: The Mayflower Compact and A Model of Christian Charity This lesson covers standard 8~1.3 and addresses the essential question: What role did politics, economics and religion play in colonization? Objectives:. Explain why the Pilgrims wanted to leave England. Describethe MayflowerCompactand whyit was important. Analyze the role played by religion and the church in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.. Discuss John Winthrop's sermon, A Model of Christian Charity.. Compare the two documents focusing on what they tell us about colonial ideas of government. Description of Activity: This activity is a two-day activity First Day: Students will fist read about Plymouth and the Massachusetts Bay Colony in their textbooks: Call to Freedom, pages The class will discuss the two colonies addressing the reasons behind their founding as well as the people who influenced them. For homework students will be assigned to read the two primary documents: The Mayflower Compact and A Model of Christian Charity. Students will also get the Seminar Preparation sheet of questions to consider for the next day's seminar. Second Day: Using the Socratic method, the teacher will lead students in a seminar comparing the two primary documents. The seminar will address the questions listed on the Seminar Preparation sheet and any other questions that the students raise about these two documents and their authors. Note* Students should be instructed on the use of the Socratic method and familiar with the seminar format. Attached is a possible handout to explain this method that is helpful for students and parents. Resources for the Activity: 1. The Mayflower Compact 2. A Model of Christian Charity 3. Seminar Preparation sheet 4. Seminar information sheet 5. Textbook: A Call to Freedom Assessment for the Activity: This activity can be assessed ina variety of ways. Students can be quizzed on the background information that can be gained from the text. Students can be evaluated on their preparation for the seminar and on their participation. See the attached handout on seminars. In my class, students can accumulate points every time they speak during the

2 seminar. For especially insightful comments, they get multiple points. I usually have students write a reflection on the seminar after it is over to determine what they have gained from our discussion.

3 ~. Seminar Preparation for: The Mayflower Compact and A Model of Christian Charity The Mayflower Compact 1. What is a covenant? 2. Was the Mayflower Compact a covenant? Why or why not? 3. Why is the Mayflower Compact important in our history? 4. What does the following sentence mean and do you agree with it? "For government to be legitimate, it must derive from the consent of the governed." A Model of Christian Charity a sermon by John Winthrop ' / 1. Identify at least 5 statements in this sermon that refer to government of the colony. 2. Why do you suppose that Winthrop chose to do this as a sermon? 3. On page 2, Winthrop says, "There are two rules whereby we are to walk, one towards another: justice and mercy" What does this mean and do you agree? 4. Explain the law of nature and the law of grace, according to John Winthrop. 5. Why does Winthrop bring up these two laws at this time? 6. On page 4, find these two quotes and be able to explain and discuss: "...community of perils calls for extraordinary service" "If our brother needs help, we must help him beyond our ability..." 7. Page 4 begins a list of four rules to go by for "extraordinary service" List them in your own words and be able to tell why you think Winthrop included each one. 8. On page 5, Winthrop says, "we must be better than those among whom we have lived" What does he mean by this? 9. Is this sennon a covenant? Find the sentences that support your answer. 10. This is often called the "city on a hill" speech. Why? What is its importance to our history?

4 ..;he Mayflower Compact (1620) The Mayflower Compact (1620) ',,,.."..~,.., The settlers who came to the New World brought with them a great deal of baggage in the form of ideas and beliefs they had held dear in England. Indeed, many of them, such as the Puritans, came to America so they could live in stricter accord with those beliefs. The Pilgrims, a branch of the Puritans, arrived off the coast of Massachusetts in November 1620, determined to live sacred lives according to biblical commands, and in so doing to build a "city upon a hill" that would be a beacon to the rest of the world. But aside from their religious enthusiasm, the Pilgrims also knew that the English settlement founded a few years earlier at Jamestown in Virginia had practically foundered because of the lack of a strong government and leadership. They would not make that mistake, and agreed that once a government had been established, they would obey the commands of its leaders. In making this compact, the Pilgrims drew upon two strong traditions. One was the notion of a social contract, which dated back to biblical times and which would receive fuller expression in the works of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke later in the century. ' The other was the belief in covenants. Puritans believed that covenants existed not only between God and man, but also between man and man. The Pilgrims had used covenants in establishing their congregations in the Old World. The Mayflower Compact is such a covenant in that the settlers agreed to form a government and be bound by its rules. '"--,,, The Compact is often described as America's first constitution, but it is not a constitution in the sense of being a fundamental framework of government. Its importance lies in the belief that government is a form of covenant, and that for government to be legitimate, it must derive from the consent of the governed. The settlers recognized that individually they might not agree with all of the actions of the government they were creating; but they, and succeeding generations, understood that government could be legitimate only if it originated with the consent of those it claimed to govern. For further reading: William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation.(Morison, ed, 1952); George Langdon, Pilgrim Colony (1966); John Demos, A Little Commonwealth (1970). The Mayflower Compact We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and' Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini Source: William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, (Samuel Eliot Morison, ed, 1952),

5 '\ John Winthrop, 1630 A MODEL OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY Goe Almighty in His most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind as in all times some must be rich, some poor; some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in subjection. The reason hereof: First, to hold conformity with the rest of His works, be-. / ing delighted to show forth the glory of His wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures and the glory \,---" of His power, in ordering all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole, and the glory of His greatness: that as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, so this great King will have many stewards, counting Himself more honored in dispensing His gifts to man by man than if He did it.. by His own immediate han~. Secondly, that He might have the more occasion to manifest the work of His Spirit: first, upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them, so that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor, nor the poor and despised rise up against their superiors and shake off their yoke; secondly, in the regenerate, in exercising His graces in them--as in the great ones, their love, mercy, gentleness, temperance, etc., in the poor and inferior sort, their faith, patience, obedience, etc. \c Thirdly, that every m~n might have need 'of other, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in 11 pa,qe--i

6 , the bond of brotherly affection. From hence it appears plainly that no man is made more honorable than another or more wealthy, etc., out of any particular and'singular respect to.himself, but for the glory of his creator and the common good of the creature, man. Therefore God still reserves the property of these gifts to Himself (Ezek ). He there call.s weal th His gold and His silver, etc. (prov. 3. 9).. He claims their service as His due: "Honor the Lord with thy riches;." All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two sorts, rich and poor, under the first a~e comprehended all such as are able to liv~ comfortably by their own means duly improved, and all others are poor, according to the former distribution. There are two rules whereby we are to walk, one towards another: justice and mercy. These are always distinguished in thier act and \I.intheir obj ect, yet may they both concur in the same subject in each respect: as sometimes there may be an '--- occasion of showing mercy to a rich man in some sud~en danger of distress, and also doing of mere justice to a poor man in regard of some particular contract. There is likewise" a double law by which we are regulated in our conversation, one towards another: in both the former respects, the law of nature and the law of grace, or the moral law or the law of the Gospel--to omit the rule of justice as not properly belonging to this purpose, otherwise than it may fall into consideration in some particular cases. By the first of these laws, man, as he was enabled so, withal (is) commanded to love his neighbor as himself; upon this ground stand all the \.

7 precepts of the moral law, which concerns our dealings with men. '-,-- \ 1 To apply this to the works.of mercy, this law requires two things: first, that every man afford his help to another in every want or distress: secondly, ~~at he perform this out of the same affection which makes him careful of his own good according to that of our savior (Matt ): "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you. II. This was practiced by Abraham and Lot in entertaining the angels and the old man of Gibea. The law of.grace or the Gospel hath some difference from the former, as in these respects: first, the law of nature was given to man in the estate of innocency, this of the Gospel in the estate of regeneracy. Secondly, the former propounds. '\ ---- one man to another as the same flesh and image of God, this as a brother in Christ also, and in the communion of the same spirit, and so teacheth us to put a difference between Christians and others. lidogood to all, especially to the household of faith." Upon this ground the Israelites were to put a difference between the brethren of such as were strangers though not of the Canaanites. Thirdly, the law of nature could give no rules for dealing with enemies, for all are to be considered as friends in the estate of innocency; but the Gospel commands love to an enemy. P mo'f : "If thine enemy hunge;-, feed him; love your enemies, do good to them that hate you" ~(Matt ). This law of the Gospel. propounds likewise a difference of seasons and occasions. There is a time when a Christian must sell all and give to th~ poor as th~y did in the apostles' ~. times; there is a time also when a Chris:tian,thouqh they qive. not all yet, must give beyond their abil"ity, as they of Macedonia " :?

8 (II Cor. B). Likewise, community of perils calls for extraordinary service for the church. Lastly, when there is no other means whereby our Christian brother may be relieved in ' this distress, we must help him beyond our ability, rather than tempt God in putting him upon help by miraculous or extraordinary means For the persons, wej are a company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ, in which respect only, though we were absent from each other many miles, and had our employments as far distant, yet we ought to account ourselves knit together by this bond of love, and live in the exercise of it, if we would' have comfort of our being in Christ. This was notorious in the practice of the Christians in former times, as is testified of the Weldenses from the mouth of one of the adversaries, Aeneas Sylvius: Mutuo solent amare pene antequam norint-- they used to love any of their own religion even before they were acquainted with them. 2. For the work we have in hand, it is by mutual consent, through a special overruling providence and a more than an ordinary approbation of the churches of Christ, to seek out a place of cohabitation and consortship, under a due form of ' / i government both civil and ecclesiastical. In such cases as this, the care of the public must oversway all priyate respects by which not only conscience but mere civil.policy doth bind us; for it is a true rule that particular estates cannot subsist in the ruin of the public. 3. The end is to improve our lives to do'more service to - (. the Lord, the comfort and increase of the b~dy of Christ - 14 'P(Age,4

9 '''''- a '-, ' whereof we are members, that ourselves and posterity may be the better preserved from the co~n c~rlons of this evil world, to serve the Lord and work out our salvation under the power and purity of His holy ordinances. 4. For the ~eans whereby this must be effected, they are twofold: a conformity with ~~e work and the end we aim at; these we see are extraordinary, therefore we must not content ourselves with usual ordinary means. Whatsoever we did or ought to have done when we lived in England, the same must we do, and more also where we go. That which the most.'in their churches maintain as a truth in 'professiononly, we must bring into familiar and constant practice: as in this duty of love we must love brotherly without dissumulation, we must love one another with pure heart fervently, we must bear one anpther's burdens, we '---/ must not look only on our own things but also on the things of our brethren. Neither must we think that the Lord will. bear with such failings at our hands as He doth from those.' among whom we have lived.... Thus stands the cause between God and ~s: we are entered into covenant with Him for this work; we have taken out a commission, the Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles. We have professed to enterprise these actions upon "these and these ends: we have hereupon besought Him of favor and ~lessing. 'Now if the Lord shall please to hear us and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our Commission, (and) will expect astrict performance of the articles _../ contained in it. But if we shall neglect the observation of these 15 rvl,5e 5

10 articles which are the ~nds we have propounded, and dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present.world and prqsecut our carnal intentions, seeking great things for ourselves and our posterityr the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, be revenged of such a perjured people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant. Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah: to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection~ we must be wi~ling to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others' necessities~ we must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality, We must delight ~n each other, make others' conditions our own, rejoice togeth~r, mourn together, labor~-' and suffer together: always having before;our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same.' body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our Gdd and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom;- power, goodness, and truth than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when He shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations:, ""The Lord make it like that of "New England." For we "must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are '- upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this 16 ou\oje.to

11 work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present ~~ help from us, we shall be ma~e a story and a by-word through the world: we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for God's sake;'we shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause ~theirprayers to be turned into curses upon us. till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going. And to shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel (Deut. 30): Beloved, there is now set befor~ us life and good, death and evil, in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His ordinance and,his laws and the articles ~ "--,, of our covenant with Him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the l~nd whither we go to possess it: but if our hearts shall turn away so that we will 'not obey, but shall be seduced and worship. ". other gods, our pleasures and profits, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it. Therefore, let us choose life, : that we~ and our seed, may live; by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity. ~"

12 preparation and Participation in seminars '"...;... "..~.:::... Expectations: * The purpose of the seminar is to increase everyone's understanding of ideas that are embodied in a piece of literature or work, as well as everyone's appreciation of it. The works are chosen because they can have more than one" answer." Any member of the seminar may have the clue which helps unlock the meaning of the text. * I will not put you on the spot. You may pass at any time. * I will depend on each of you to offer your ideas and to have the courage to stand up for them.. (I will not allow explanations such as, "I don't know - I just feel that way.") * I will question you and perhaps ask a follow up question. * If you say something about the text that is not correct, I will correct you. Rule~ : -Participants must come to the seminar prepared, having read the assignment for the seminar. -A seminar is a shared responsibility. Its success depends on: The quality of the leader's questions How well students have prepared How willing students are to take risks by participating. -Remember that the only "mistake" you can make is in misinterpretingthe actual text. You will never be graded on your opinions, but rather on your preparation and willingness to participate in intelligentdiscussion. -Everyone will use basic courtesy, speaking one at a time. hands is not necessary. Raising -Everyone listens actively to one another, shows consideration for their ideas, and waits for the previous speaker to finish before speaking. Remember that as young adults, you can disagree without being disagreeable. -stick to the text or the subject under discussion. -Anyone can pose a question for discussion, and everyone should feel free to directly question one another about their ideas. Everyone should address one another using their names.

13 '..' Mr. Lincoln Speaks Lesson plan by ~. ~.'.~-~-: ~.. This lesson covers standards in Social Studies, 8-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and events leading to, and the course of, the American Civil War. It also covers many process skills such as: historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, and analysis and decision-making. Objectives:. Distinguish between'historical fact and historical interpretation. Consider multiple perspectives.. Analyze the interests and values of the various people involved. Choose a position from existing alternatives. Interpret primary sources. Describe the causes and course of the American Civil War '".Descriptionof Activity:..' Students will compare and contrast the ideas in two of Lincoln's speeches, Lincoln's "I Would Save the Union" response to Horace Greeley and "The Gettysburg Address". There will be a teacher-lead dis8ussion on the first letter after which students will read.the background llformation on Gettysburg. The teacher should then help students to interpret what is said and alluded to in this address. Discussion should include such questions as: why Lincoln made the speech so short and why he chose certain words and ideas over others. For homework students will have to write a paragraph explaining what these two speeches say to them about Lincoln. Resources for the Activity: 1. "I Would Save the Union" handout 2. "The Gettysburg Address" handout 3. The chalkboard 4. The textbook: A Call to Freedom Assessment for the Activity: Teachers should assess student understanding informally during the discussion. The homework assignment of student reflection can be graded and the student can expect to see the information on a quiz or test.

14 .Abraham Lincoln Online SPEECHES & WRITING Home I News I Books I Speeches I Places I Resources I Students I Index I Search I DIScussion The Gettysburg : Address Gettysburg, Pennsylvania November 19, 1863 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. Weare met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gavethe last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Source: The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. VII, edited by Roy P. Basler. Related Links 6/24/04