View source for Week 4 Questions/Comments-327 09

== Cross-source questions/comments ==


== Anne Bradstreet, “A Spiritual Autobiography,” ~1670 ==

Anne Hutchinson is now one of my top 10 favorite women in history. The overall summary of her trial is stated on page 103: she was charged with dishonoring the community fathers, of holding meetings at her home in a manner inappropriate to her sex, and of insulting ministers at a private conference by accusing them of laboring under a Covenant of Works. Anne Hutchinson then admits having a revelation where God told her that he would destroy her prosecutors. This was considered heresy. Anne was then sentenced to banishment from the jurisdiction. Overall, I just found the trial to be hilarious. Some of the accusations were such a stretch. I especially enjoyed the accusation that Anne broke the law of the fifth commandment, honoring your mother and father. It took me a minute to figure out that that they actually thought that this meant honoring the “fathers of the commonwealth” (seriously!? …Yes) the governor states on page 105, “if they be the fathers of the commonwealth, and they of another religion, if you entertain them then you dishonor your parents and are justly punishable.” …wow….
I was also surprised at how blunt the puritan men were about the status of women. When Anne Hutchinson was being sentenced, the governor states: “Mrs. Hutchinson, the sentence of the court you hear is that you are banished from out of our jurisdiction as ''being a women not fit for our society''….”  Harsh words. --Erin Sanderson

I had one main question when reading the trial, I had no idea what a Covenant of Works was.  I googled it, and I came up with this definition:

The covenant of works is God's promise to Adam. In return for perfect obedience, he would merit God's reward. The reward in this covenant does not result from grace; rather, it is a debt owed to Adam for keeping his part of the covenant. Unfortunately, Adam failed to keep the covenant and "after the fall, the free gifts on which salvation depends were withdrawn, and natural gifts corrupted and defiled" (Calvin). [[http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_18c/defoe/puritanism.html#works]]

However, I am still confused as to what Anne Hutchinson was being charged with. She was charged with accusing ministers of laboring under a Covenant of Works. What exactly does that mean? -- Erin Sanderson

I was also confused about what that means. I know Dr. M said in class that she was charged with saying bad things about the ministers and going against the church so I'm guessing that is what that means. -- Katelyn Lease

When I read Anne Bradstreet’s spiritual autobiography, I was amazed by the necessity of Puritans to deny their individual wants, needs, and rationale. Anne described joining the church as ‘submitting’. When Anne was sick, she said God was trying to humble her. Then once God finally granted Anne children, she began a new struggle to extinguish their individuality and worked “till Christ bee formed in you [her children].”(pg 100) Given this context, one can see that an individual thinking on his/her own, such as Anne Hutchinson, was very radical and seen as dangerous. -Allison Luthern

I was surpised in this article that Anne Bradstreet considered whether the Catholic doctrine was right when she herself was a Puritan (she decides to stick with her Puritan beliefs) but that moment of questioning was interesting to me, especially given the violent history that Catholics and Protestants had in the previous century and the mistrust that each side had for the other. - Will Hechmer

== Anne Hutchinson’s trial, 1637 ==
Regarding Anne Hutchinson's Trial
I find it interesting that whenever the governor asks her a question that she rebukes it.  In particular, when the governor asks her why she keeps a meeting at her house on a set day.  She responds that is lawful for her to do so.  Implying that she has not broken any law and then puts "unlawful act" in his lap by saying "can you find a warrant for yourself and condemn me for the same thing?"  Meaning do you not have a religious meetings in your home. She is witty and clever with her words in proving her case.  The governor seems to stumble to find fault towards her act of meeting.  With each question the governor asked she has a rebuttal.  -Marsha Himes

Anne Hutchinson’s transgressions seemed to take on a deeper significance to Puritan leaders because of her gender. Not only did she express a different, radical theology, she, a woman, preached this theology to men. When the court asked her if she taught men, Anne Hutchinson artfully replied that she was teaching the men of the court at that very moment. To these leaders, Anne Hutchinson threatened their religion and their patriarchal social order where women never had authority over men.  -Allison Luthern

The transcript of Anne Hutchinson’s trial had me wondering about the recording techniques of the 17th century. How did they go about making courtroom transcripts? It’s not like they had recording equipment. I really doubt anyone could have written fast enough to keep up with everything everyone was saying. You’d have to be the Jesse Owens of scribes to keep up with some of those long monologues of Anne Hutchinson. Did they have several people recording at the same time? Or maybe the transcriber just asked everyone to speak really slowly? All kidding aside, that brings up issues of how accurate and trustworthy these trial records are. -- Taylor Brann

== Lancashire, England Women’s Meeting structure, Quaker women in 1675 ==
The Quakers seemed to give equality more of a chance than Puritans. This document reiterates many common themes of female inferiority. Women were weaker and they needed to stay at home with their families. However, this epistle ends in a way that really strengthened women. The female authors of this document asserted that God could make the weak strong and even used a masculine, military analogy. Puritans would never refer to women as “valliant Souldiers of Jesus Christ” or arm them with “Armour of Light” and “the Sword of his Eternal Spirit.” (pg 113) -Allison Luthern

Although the Quakers did give women a more active role, it seemed like the women's meetings were more for the purpose of policing each other. They had the "authority" to "Judge" and "Condemn" those who had done something wrong. So, were all of these matters dealt with just among the women's meetings or were there some offenses that were brought before the men's and women's meetings jointly? There is also a reference to the "new Covenant." Is this a distinct belief difference as opposed to the "covenant of works" (referred to in Anne Hutchinson's trial)? -Nancy Lee

== David Brainerd, 1746, account of the Great Awakening ==

A Remarkable Instance of Awakening-Woloch Reading
The ideas ministers had during the Great Awakening seize to amaze me, as in David Brainerd's case he really did believe he was saving the young Indian woman. "This was indeed a suprising day of God's power, and seemed enough to convince an atheist of the truth, importance, and power of God's word." He believed her not being able to control herself nor speak to anyone was a sign that God had reached her and the Anglo way of life was coming forward in Native American culture. My question is did Native Americans really wish to conform? Or did they see it as a way to avoid confrontation, when they were now outnumbered by the settlers? But overall did ministers think they were reaching all the people they saw as "uncivilized"? -Megan W. 



== Narrative of Old Elizabeth, published in 1863 when she was 97, about her religious conversion in the 1770s. ==
 



== Elizabeth Godman lawsuit (1653); Elizabeth Godman tried for witchcraft, 1655 ==

I understand that it was a completely different time and that the Puritans and other early colonists believed in witchcraft. But, when I started reading this story it almost made me laugh. Mr. Atwaters had dreams about witches while his son was sick so that made him think that a witch made his son sick. It just seems so crazy to me. I was also surprised that Elizabeth could sue her neighbors for calling her a witch. I guess since this instance was before the 1692 witch trials in Salem Village, maybe it wasn't taken so seriously. Why do you think Elizabeth Godman's situation was different from the witch trials in Salem Village?--Katelyn Lease


I thought the claims against Elizabeth Godman along with the fact that she filed a lawsuit was interesting. Many of the people claiming she was a witch seemed to think that their pigs or chickens died because of her; because she was a witch. I thought that was comical. I liked the fact that she was able to sue them too. The time of the trial was before the Salem Witch trials so maybe that is why the claims did not have enough justification. I am sure if they were made in 1692 she would have lost the case. -Amy Van Ness

== Bridget Bishop convicted of witchcraft 1692; “Casco Girls” accuse George Burroughs, 1692 ==


The Salem witch trials I could not help but wonder where they came up with the ridiculous accusations, pigs dying after a visit from a women equaled her being a witch, did any of the citizens ever consider alternatives? I think the magistrate felt they were given a power and to secure general security they would convict a woman for looking at a child the wrong way or muttering a prayer seen as an incantation. In the case of Bridget Bishop, I did wonder did she wish to be seen as a witch?Or did all of the offenses against her make the claim of her being a witch come true? -Megan W.

I agree that they really do jump to conclusions. It is like they think there could be no other possible reason why the pigs died. I think it goes back to what we talked about in class, that maybe the accusers were accusing people of witchcraft to show that they are holy. Because only the truly holy people could recognize evil? Religion is such a huge influence on the NE colonists. I think that cases like Bridget Bishop and George Burroughs show just how strong that influence was. --Katelyn Lease

I found it interesting in the trial of Bridget Bishop (as well as other witchcraft trials) one of the big arguments for her to be a witch was the illness and death of Children.  That a witch is shown to be the very opposite of the proper woman (who gives birth to children) she therefore it connected with the deaths or illnesses of children.  She is the corrupted version of the perfect wife, mother, and woman inverting all morality and virtue.  She is often also physically corrupted as in Bishops case upon examination they found a “preternatural teat” that ceased to exist but a few short hours later.  With Halloween coming upon us soon, it is interesting to think about how these trials may have affected our ideas of such a perverted creature and her connection to the inverted holiday. -- Elyse Lawrence

== Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker, wealthy Philadelphia woman, diary – 1758-1794 ==

I think Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker's diary entries really reflect the discrepancies between the experiences of different colonial women, as a result of race, social and class status, geographic location, etc. Elizabeth is described as a "wealthy Philadelphian", and thus I think her accounts and experiences differ dramatically from those of other women- not just women living in different regions or areas (i.e., the Southern colonies), but also in her own town. For example, Karin Wulf describes the "Hucksters" in Philadelphia who were "at the lower end of the scale" (p.101) and would purchase second-hand or damaged goods and then re-sell them on the city streets as a way to earn money. Conversely, Elizabeth describes the work that others are doing for her: "Phebe Morris here this Afternoon fitting a Gown for me...", "George Baker drove up Polly Campbell, whome I have hir'd this day to tind my little Henry...". She also describes the frequent comings-and-goings of different maids in her service. Her experiences are in stark contrast to the every-day experiences and lives of the female slaves on Landon Carter's Virginia plantation,whom he refers to as "sordid creatures" (p.83). Carter states, "I have ordered the wench to be tyed up and severely slashed to keep her care if possible; but I am afraid it will not be long enough remembered." (p.83) From these excerpts, the reader can safely conclude that Elizabeth was leading a very different life than those of African American female slaves. -Allison Godart

== Landon Carter complains about his female slaves (1771-1773) ==
You can read throughout his complaints, he sees himself to be superior to them, calling them "absurd" and "lazy and careless."  As he complains about how someone must be there when they are cutting down the tobacco or they will do it wrong.  Is someone around to show his slaves how to properly do it or explain to them?  I'm sure the complaints of slaves being in pain are legitimate and Landon Carter is just not sympathetic to their aches and pains.  He disregards their complaints and treats them like work horses.  He says they need a "good whipping" and that will make the pain go away as it cured Mrs. Dairy Mary's "invisible pain in her hip."  Then eventually he admits that no matter what the punishment they still will not work well because they are negros.  I think that during that time that negro slaves were looked at inferior to the white colonists but what was the degree of treatment of slaves? Was Landon Carter's assumption about negro slaves generally agreed upon or was he the exception?  When I read George Washington Assigns Work to His Slaves, there wasn't any comments about slaves being mistreated. -Marsha Himes

Landon Carter’s diary showed that he was frustrated with what he saw as the stupidity and laziness of his slaves. I think it is more likely that these slaves were engaged in a passive aggressive resistance to his authority. A slave woman such as Sicely, the cowkeeper, had very little control over her own life, but she could ruin her master’s day by allowing a cow to wander into a swamp. -Allison Luthern


Landon Carter must have been extremely annoyed and fed up with his female slaves to record their laziness and his agitation in his journal so often. He mentioned the women being over dramatic, claiming they are sick but in actuality are not, and being bored with their work so mistakes are made. To me,he doesn't seem like a "typical" southern slave owner. Most would force their slaves to do work and not except excuses for their laziness. He seemed to be giving up in his last entry claiming that he can't do anything to train them to do their work.  -Amy Van Ness

Landon Carter is a whiner. He complains when his slaves make mistakes and whips them to help them remember to do their jobs right. I do not understand how he can think that will make them work harder. To me that would just make me angry and I would do worse then I did before. I guess maybe he tried to help Mary Mcginis daughter but that was not really help. When things do not get done it could be for another reason then they were lazy. He is so arrogant and feel superior to his slaves. - LeAnn Taggart

== George Washington's slave list (1786) and slave work assignments (1786-88) ==
I thought it was a bit odd the way some of the work assignments were referred to. The reference "all the plows...were plowing the Corn and the Hoes weeding it" seems like the people doing the work were just pieces of equipment. - Nancy Lee

I found George Washington’s listing his slaves to be rather interesting. He seemed to be very much aware of all of them. He knew all of their names, though of course the majority had no surnames, and jobs. He also knew which children went with what parent, listed by their mother not father, and how old these children were. Were all slave owners so knowledgeable of their slaves? Or was this common practice, along the lines of knowing all the details of your property? It did seem like GW was simply cataloging his property more than anything, particularly when he listed some slaves as blind, lame, or old. -- Taylor Brann

== Eulalia Perez Recalls her work in a mission in Spanish CA in early 19th Century (1877) ==



== Karin Wulf, “Women’s Work in Colonial Philadelphia,” 2000 ==

Karin Wulf concludes her article by stating that "work", especially for women of 18th Century Philadelphia and other urban cities, became "an important source of personal and community identity." (p.103) She continues by arguing that many workers identified with their work, especially if it "enmeshed them in networks of obligation and association." I am wondering if a colonial woman's perception and close identification of her work as being related to her place in the larger community is resulting from a sense of wanting to feel "needed" by others, especially if the woman who was working (either outside or inside the home) was single or a widow. Perhaps work offered such women a means of fulfillment- a way to feel that they had an obligation and responsibility to fulfill to the larger community. I'm not sure if I am making much sense. I guess I am thinking that upon the death of their husbands, or if they were single and did not have any children, working allowed such women to feel that they were "needed" (I can't think of a better word)and could contribute to the community and society in their own way. I think exploring the emotions and motivations of the women to take up work would be very interesting, though probably difficult to research. -Allison Godart

Karin Wulf describes how women made money despite the fact that they were not really  to work the men were. Retailing was huge for women in colonial times. Wulf says that women could have made up half of the retailing business and I find that interesting because there are still more women in retail then there are men. I like how she pointed out that even rich widows worked shopkeepers at high end stores. Women from all social classes made money. Most women needed income after they became widows because their husbands did not leave them their entire inheritance. Most of that would go to there sons. I like this article because we are not taught that much about how women made money in colonial times. -LeAnn Taggart