Download and Annotate, from the Core Canon and upload into your Drop Box
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I'm reposting the picture of John Winthrop, painted as the proper Jacobean gentleman he was just to remind you that social class determined dress, not religion in his day.. Notice the elegant lace collar. Images of puritans dressed drably in black were largely the creation of 19th century Victorians like Nathaniel Hawthorne. Click on Winthrop's image to reach the home of the John Winthrop Society.
Find out what the motto of the society, Praeservare et Transmittere, means, and write it in the margin of the Model Browse around a little and see what resources are there
Download,Read, Mark Up, and place in your dropbox, from The Core Canon
As we saw last week, Thomas Hobbes begins with an observation on human equality. His view was that humans in the state of nature were all equal, and we made a point of trying to see what he meant by that term (remember the distinction between identity and equality). Winthrop’s view could hardly be more different. He begins by observing inequality and attempting to demonstrate that this inequality is a good thing. I want to spend this class period closely examining the differences between these two men.
First, I’d like to have you consider the difference in method of reasoning. Hobbes, as we’ve seen, uses both hypothetical instances and chains of logic to drive his points home. What methods does Winthrop use? See if you can spot at least two. Which method does he use most frequently?
Second, I’d like to have you pay some attention to Winthrop’s defense of inequality. How can he defend inequality as being good for humans? He’ll provide three distinct and different reasons. Make sure you understand each, and if you don’t, have questions ready to raise.
Third, the differences he defines leads him to a series of pronouncements about what society is for, and as you might suspect there are some differences from Hobbes’ view. Winthrop defines a community based on “love and affection,” rather than on mutual fear. Be sure to note that this community extends beyond the faithful (see lines 55 - 60).
Fourth, look to both general principles of how members of a society are to relate to each other (lines, 215 - 240; 285 - 295) and practical applications of those principles as he presents them in a series of “questions and answers”.
Fifth it might be useful to think about how those principles might apply to a variety of different “communities”–including academic communities such as this one
Finally, focus your markups and stickynotes on these issues.
This is the last of our direct encounters with John Locke, though we’ll see much evidence of his influence throughout the rest of the semester. (Including the other document on today’s agenda). There are only 10 pages here: One of the great issues has been the relation between public order and individual freedom. John Locke is trying to do two things here:
First, he’s trying to set criteria for when it is appropriate for the citizens of a country to alter their form of government.
Second, he’s trying to argue that his criteria do not as a matter of practical fact, lead to constant rebellions or revolutions. This is the argument you’ll want to understand here
Charles the First steps out a window and loses his head. It's a good idea not to lose a revolution if you're a monarch. This is situation John Locke had in mind when he wrote is thoughts on dissolutions of governments. The government overthrown was that of James II. the younger son of Charles I. This was a "glorious" revolution, in that the King fled rather than fought. He kept his head, unlike his father, the the results of all of this was the declaration of the Rights of Parliament, also known as the "English Bill of Rights" which I've asked you to read, above.
The English Bill of Rights is contemporary with the Locke extract we have on today’s agenda, and no doubt those who wrote the English Bill of Rights were aware of Locke’s political thinking. Americans can find the title, “English Bill of Rights” a little confusing because it resembles our Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments to the United States Constitution). However, the English Bill of Rights refers to the rights of Parliament, not the rights of the people themselves. Read the English Bill of Rights with your marked-up copy of Locke nearby. See if you can find evidence in the English Bill of Rights of Locke’s thinking. If so, mark up the places where you do see a connection.
It is easy to understand why Locke and others were driven to understand political philosophy in a century where so many English were preoccupied with killing each other for political and religious reasons. The "Glorious Revolution" (so-called because it was accomplished more or less bloodlessly) was the result. The pictures above represent Oliver Cromwell and Charles II. Charles was the last of his dynasty to complete his reign without being challenged and overthrown. It should not be difficult to determine which is the "Puritan" from the images. The middle image above represents the Royal Assent to the English Bill of Rights by William of Orange and his wife, Mary, who became joint monarchs by assenting to the supremacy of Parliament.
One way to change governments: The English Civil War between the "Cavaliers" and the "Roundheads" resulted in a victory for the Protestant forces, and the institution of the Commonwealth. The picture above links to a site on the English Civil War. Take a look at it, you'll be glad you did.
Sometimes one can tell a lot about the nature of a document by its form. Take a minute to look at the geometry of the English Bill of Rights? Do the visual divisions suggest something about the document’s organization. (Remember we talked about this a little when we were thinking our way through Cicero on the Laws.)
History and the Modern World
