exploration of the americas - david-glen smith

revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor

Exploration of the Americas

2revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor

1469 • SpainisunifiedwithmarriageofFerdinandandIsabellaI.

1492 •FirstexpeditiontotheWestIndies;ColumbusclaimslandsforSpain.

•RodericdeBorjaiBorja(Italianized-Borgia)namedasPopeAlexanderVI.

OneofthemostcontroversialRenaissancepopes.

BornintheKingdomofValencia,whichisnowmodernSpain.

• TheInquistor-General,TorquemadagivesSpanishJewsthreemonthsto

acceptChristianityorleavethecountry.

1493 • PopeAlexanderVIpapalbull“Intercaeteradivina”whichdividestheNewWorld

betweenSpainandPortugal.Thesetwocountriesgainsovereigntyoverallthe

newlanddiscoveredacrosstheAtlantic,solongastheterritoryfoundwasnot

alreadyunderanotherChristianprince.Ofcourse,othercountriestakeexception

tothefavoritism.

1502 • BartolomédelasCasas,ateighteen,emigratestoCubagainingproperty,slaves.

1510 • BartolomédelasCasasbecomesDominicanpriestwhileinNewWorld;

relinquisheshisslaves.

Time Line Review


Time Line Review - Overview1530 • EnglishKingHenryVIIIestablishesChurchofEngland.

1542 • BartolomédelasCasaswritesA Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

bringingtheunjusttreatmentofNativeAmericanstotheattentionofPhilipII.

1549 • PublicationoftheBook of Common Prayer,establishingprayersfor

recitationinEnglish

1552 • BartolomédelasCasaspublishesA Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

bringingtheunjusttreatmentofNativeAmericanstotheattentionofthepublic.

1560 • ThecompleteGenevaBibleispublishedinEnglish.

1566 • BartolomédelasCasasdiesinMadridatapproximately81yearsold.

1584 • SirWalterRaleighplanstheColonyandDominionofVirginia.

1585 • ThomasHariotvisitsRoanokeIsland,learnslanguageoftheAlgonquiantribe.

1588 •DestructionofPhilipII’sSpanishArmadaunderEngland’sQueenElizabethI.

• ThomasHariotpublishesA Brief and True Report of the Newfound Land of

Virginia.Thisisanattempttopresentanaccurateportrayalofthenativepeople.


1594 • SirWalterRaleighhearsofa“CityofGold”inSouthAmerica;explorestheregion,

andpublishesanexaggeratedaccountofhisexperiences.

1597 • EnglishActofParliamentcreatessentencesoftransportationtocoloniesfor

convictedcriminals.

1597 • JamesVIofScotland(laterJamesIofEngland)publishes

The True Law of Free Monarchies

1603 • QueenElizabethIofEnglanddies.JamesIofEnglandnamedheir.

1606 • VirginiaCompanyofLondonisgrantedroyalcharter;sends120coloniststoVA.

1607 • Jamestown,firstEnglishsettlementonAmericanmainlandisfounded.

•WilliamBradfordandotherSeparatistsmovetotheNetherlands.

1609 • PublicationofShake-speares Sonnets: Never Before Imprinted

1611 • PublicationoftheKing James Version of the Bible

1620 • TheMayflowerleavesEnglandandreachesCapeCodafter64days

• SigningoftheMayflowerCompact

1621 • WilliamBradfordbecomesleaderofPlymouthColony

Time Line Overview


• Acharteredcompanyisanassociationformedbyinvestorsorshareholders

forthepurposeoftrade,explorationandcolonization.

• JohnSmith’spublicationA Description of New Englandwascreatedto

findsuchcompaniesandindividualstosupportnewerexpeditionstothe

NewWorld.

• Companiesenabledmerchantstobandtogethertoundertakeventures

requiringmorecapitalthanwasavailabletoanyonemerchantorfamily.

Thepurposeofsuchcompanieswastocollectfinancestounderwriteand

insurethevessels,contents,andcrew.

• Profitscouldbemadefromthereturnvoyages.

• Conflictionsoverterritoryrightswerecommon.

Charter Companies


James VI of Scotland states:

Accordingtothesefundamentallawsalreadyalleged,wedailyseethatinthepar-

liament(whichisnothingelsebuttheheadcourtofthekingandhisvassals)the

lawsarebutcravedbyhissubjects,andonlymadebyhimattheir[proposal]and

withtheiradvice;foralbeitthekingmakedailystatutesandordinances,[impos-

ing]suchpainstheretoashethinks[fit],withoutanyadviceofparliamentores-

tates,yetitliesinthepowerofnoparliamenttomakeanykindoflaworstatute,

withouthissceptre[thatis,authority]betoit,forgivingittheforceofalaw

. . . Andasyeseeitmanifestthatthekingisover-lordofthewholeland,soishe

masterovereverypersonthatinhabiteththesame,havingpoweroverthelifeand

deathofeveryoneofthem;foralthoughajustprincewillnottakethelifeofany

ofhissubjectswithoutaclearlaw,yetthesamelawswherebyhetakeththemare

madebyhimselforhispredecessors,andsothepowerflowsalwaysfromhimself

. . .

True Law of Free Monarchies


True Law of Free Monarchies

Whereheseesthelawdoubtsomeorrigorous,hemayinterpretormitigatethe

same,lestotherwisesummum jus be summa injuria[thegreatestrightbethe

greatestwrong],andthereforegenerallawsmadepubliclyinparliamentmay

upon...[thekings]authoritybemitigatedandsuspendeduponcausesonly

knowntohim.

Aslikewise,althoughIhavesaidagoodkingwillframeallhisactionstobeac-

cordingtothelaw,yetishenotboundtheretobutofhisgoodwillandforgood

example—givingtohissubjects...SoasIhavealreadysaid,agoodking,though

hebeabovethelaw,willsubjectandframehisactionsthereto,forexample’ssake

tohissubjects,andofhisownfreewill,butnotassubjectorboundthereto...


Generalities regarding Puritan Movement

DuringtheEnglishreignofJamesI,(1603-1625)theEnglishPuritanstriedto

establishastrongerreformwithintheChurchofEngland.

Disagreements which resulted in the Separatists movement:

• Puritans(afactionintheChurchofEngland)deniedtheDivineRightofKings

• dislikedtheBook of Common Prayer

• somePuritangroupswillmaintaintheirmembershipandallegiancetothe

ChurchofEnglanddespitetheirfeelings,however:

• Separatists(likethePilgrims)heldthattheirdifferenceswiththeChurchof

Englandwereirreconcilableandthattheirworshipshouldbeorganized

independentlyofthetraditionsandorganizationofacentralstatechurch

• evenasSeparatiststheyconsideredthemselvestobeEnglish

andasacolonytheywereunderthedominionoftheEnglishking.


William Bradford

• AmemberofwhatiscalledtheScroobymovement,acollectionofSeparatists.

•ThemovedtotheNetherlandstemporarilyin1607,onlytoleave

duetosocial/politicalreasons.ItwasherethatBradforddevelopedhissense

ofwriting,closelymirroringtranslationsfromtheBible,parallelstructures

ofrhythmandimage.Thiswashisstrongestinfluenceonhisown

rhetoricalprocess.

• During1620,BradfordleavesEnglandaboardtheMayflower.

•BradfordwasoneoftheoriginalsignersoftheMayflowerCompact.

• HewaselectedgovernorofthePlymouthcolonythirtytimesduringhislife.

• Hebelievedthathewasselectedtoleadhispeoplebydivineauthority.

•HiswritingstyleistermedthePuritan “plain style”whichothersutilizedin

theColonies.


Puritan Plain Style

• containsalackofanyovertornamentation

• functionrulesoveralldecoration

• worksareverydidactic,mustpreachalesson,provideamoral

• limiteduseofadjectives,orcolors,orovertdescriptions

• emphasisisplacedonnounsandverbs

• limitedemphasisonemotionsandreactions;arousing passion is dangerous

•God’screativeworkshouldbefocusoftheworkandnotthewriter’scraftitself

•materialfocusesonplain,simple,hardworkingthemes

• Godshouldbeglorifiedinany/everydailyaction

• meditationontheordinarychorebuildsaconnectiontoarighteouspath

• atanyopportunityGodshouldbeacknowledgedinthework


History Of Plymouth PlantationChapter IV “Showing the Reasons and Causes of Their Removal”

Theplacetheyhadthoughtsonwassomeofthosevastandunpeopledcoun-

triesofAmerica,whicharefruitfulandfitforhabitation,beingdevoidofallcivil

inhabitants,wherethereareonlysavageandbrutishmenwhichrangeupand

down,littleotherwisethanthewildbeastsofthesame...Andyetiftheyshould,

themiseriesofthelandwhichtheyshouldbeexposedunto,wouldbetoohardto

beborne;andlikely,someorallofthemtogether,toconsumeandutterlytoruin-

atethem.Fortheretheyshouldbeliabletofamine,andnakedness,andthewant,

inamanner,ofallthings.Thechangeinair,diet,anddrinkingofwater,would

infecttheirbodieswithsoresickness,andgrievousdiseases.


History Of Plymouth Plantation

Andalsothosewhichshouldescapeorovercomethesedifficulties,shouldyet

beincontinualdangerofthesavagepeople,whoarecruel,barbarous,andmost

treacherous,beingmostfuriousintheirrage,andmercilesswheretheyover-

come;notbeingcontentonlytokill,andtakeawaylife,butdelighttotorment

meninthemostbloodymannerthatmaybe;flayingsomealivewiththeshells

offishes,cuttingoffthemembersandjointsofothersbypiecemeal,andbroiling

onthecoals,eatthecollopsoftheirfleshintheirsightwhilsttheylive;withother

crueltieshorribletoberelated.Andsurelyitcouldnotbethoughtbutthevery

hearingofthesethingscouldnotbutmovetheverybowelsofmentogratewithin

them,andmaketheweaktoquakeandtremble.

exploration of the americas - david-glen smith

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