John Winthrop Essay Example for Free

John Winthrop Essay John Winthrop is one of the outstanding figures in American history who through their dauntless pursuit of new opportunities and staunch adherence to their ideals have won for themselves a permanent place in the national hall of fame. Born in England, he brought all his intellectual power and religious fervor to build a new country in North America. His importance as the many times elected governor of Massachusetts led Francis J. Bremer to call Winthrop â€Å"Americas Forgotten Founding Father† (Bremer, 2003). Winthrop’s decision to join the Massachusetts Bay Colony was inspired by his ardent belief that Catholic ritual was a sin for the Anglican Church and that Puritans needed to cleanse themselves of this religious practice, sheltered in a new getaway in a foreign land. Obtaining the royal charter for what seemed on the surface a purely commercial enterprise, Winthrop and other influential Puritans in 1629 set on a journey that brought them to New England. His remarkable leadership ability was recognized by his companions immediately as he was elected the governor of the future colony even before the journey. Afterwards, Winthrop was re-elected to this post 12 times in total. Winthrop’s legacy lives on in the modern-day political community. Of special importance is his famous â€Å"City on a Hill† sermon in which he proclaimed the creation of a godly community as the goal of the new settlement. It should be noted that Winthrop, for all his religious zest, was also more moderate than many of his contemporaries and allies in the demonstration of his views. In the time of his governorship, he tried to keep the number of executions for heresy to a minimum and interfered with the introduction of some of the more conservative customs as the veiling of women. John Winthrop’s contribution to the development of North American colonies as well as his lasting intellectual legacy made him a memorable figure in the US history. Bibliography Black, Robert C. Iii. The Younger John Winthrop. New York: Columbia University Press, 1968. Bremer, Francis J. John Winthrop: Americas Forgotten Founding Father. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Noll, Mark. â€Å"Founding Fathers? † First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, 140 (February 2004): 38+. Waters, Thomas Franklin. A Sketch of the Life of John Winthrop, the Younger: Founder of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1633. Cambridge, MA: John Wilson and Son, 1899.