Puritanism and Pragmatism Essay -- essays research papers

Although they lived on the same continent, John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin lived in very disparate worlds. These men are similar in more or less respects, but overwhelmingly they are different. For example, John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin can be considered leaders in their time frame. Winthrop led the Puritans Franklin led his country to war. some(prenominal) 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 near notable in regards to religion, economics, and science. Perhaps the greatest difference between Winthrop and Franklin was their lot of religion. Winthrop, a devout Puritan, governed Massachusetts Bay. Every aspect of life in a Puritan colony revolved around religion. The most all important(p) thing in order to establish Winthrops city upon a hill, was the need for the nation to obe y their governors and for the governors to obey God. If they did, God would adopt and value the wilderness colony as He had the ancient Jews (Nash & Graves 31). Puritanism reflects the sentiment 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, usually 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...