Puritanism and Pragmatism Essay -- essays research papers

Although they lived on the same continent, John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin lived in very different worlds. These men atomic number 18 similar in some respects, but overwhelmingly they are different. For example, John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin can be considered leaders in their time frame. Winthrop direct the Puritans Franklin led his country to war. Both men also possessed many of the same virtues such as patience and work ethic. Despite these similarities, John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin had a different style of living and a different philosophy of life. These differences are most notable in regards to religion, economics, and science. Perhaps the greatest difference between Winthrop and Franklin was their invite of religion. Winthrop, a devout Puritan, governed Massachusetts Bay. Every aspect of life in a Puritan settlement revolved around religion. The most important amour in order to establish Winthrops city upon a hill, was the need for the people to obey thei r governors and for the governors to obey God. If they did, God would adopt and protect the wilderness colony as He had the ancient Jews (Nash & Graves 31). Puritanism reflects the notion of pre-destination, indoctrinated by Calvinism, in which there are only two kinds of people the elect and the non-elect. The elect were the people, commonly ministers and high-ranking officers, who have been chosen by God to go to Heaven. The non-elect then, were the people who were not chosen. Fran...