Essay on A New England Town the First Hundred Years

Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town: The First Hundred Years (New York: W. W. Norton Company, Inc., 1970) Many historical texts about the American Revolution and the events leading up to it are generalized, unspecific and do not investigate the preliminary causes of the changes America underwent before the Revolution. However, A New England Town by Professor Kenneth Lockridge attempts to describe how the colonies in America developed by following the progress of a typical Puritan colonial town, Dedham, Massachusetts, from its inception in 1636 through its first one hundred years. It is Lockridge’s belief that colonial history can be better learned through thoroughly examining one specific town instead of shallowly studying many.†¦show more content†¦In the first, Dedham’s founders strive to create the perfect covenant that will shape the town into a vision of social perfection and emphasize that â€Å"the foundation whereof is everlasting love† (5). Once a specific number of townsmen were selected by the founders and all committed to the covenant, they a ssigned plots of land to each of the thirty settlers and painstakingly began to create a strict, selective and flawless church. Next, the town elects selectmen who act as the judge and jury when rare conflicts arise between neighbors or citizens. Dedham was growing in population until laws involving the church became too strict, loopholes were created in communal obligation laws and influential and experienced leaders retired or passed away. The perfected balance of Dedham was slowly tipping, and decline was evident. In the following section, Dedham begins to rebuild and expand significantly. The infrequent town meetings quickly gave way to numerous, drawn-out gatherings and eventually led to a more powerful government instead of a balance between the selectmen and townsmen. Later, sections of the land grant that were left undeveloped in the town’s first fifty years were now getting developed into farmland and inhabited by townsmen looking to expand. Eventually six dif ferent divisions were created. After the towns were built in each division, churches were created, and Dedham’s valued unity was nearly nonexistent. Similarly, a subtle development ofShow MoreRelatedThe Hundred Years War Essays1042 Words   |  5 PagesThe Hundred Years War After the Crusades, trade began to revive in Italy, largely because neither trade nor towns had declined as much there as elsewhere. As trade grew in other countries, fairs were set up as places where merchants could exchange large amounts of goods. In 1346 the bubonic plague, a fatal disease, swept through Europe killing one third of the population. The Hundred Years’ War, which began in 1337 and was between England and France, brought important developments to EuropeanRead MoreJoan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans Essay1280 Words   |  6 Pagesduring the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, the city of Orleans was besieged by English forces. The 5000 English soldiers lead by Thomas de Montecute, attacked for months. Around this time, Joan of Arc Appeared in at the court of Charles, and lifted the siege in 1429. This was the major turning point for the French in the war. The events leading up to the Siege of Orleans were mainly victories for the English. The French were attacking land which King Edward III, the king of England, ownedRead MoreAnalysis Of Blue Hills Of Massachusetts By Katherine E. Mullen969 Words   |  4 PagesFor hundreds of years, the human have written different types of literature. Regional literature is one of these. Regional literature is also known as local color or Regionalism. It is focused in poetry and fiction which have â€Å"characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features† of a specific region (Regionalism and Local Color Bibliography). For example, in Katherine E. Mullen of Barre poem â€Å"Blue Hills of Massachusetts†, she qwrites about Massachusetts and focused her poem on it. New EnglandRead MoreTransportation in Elizabethan England Research Ppr Essay1698 Words   |  7 Pages2010 Collings 1 Transportation is one of the most important parts of society today and even five hundred years ago. In Elizabethan England, travel was very basic, just feet, hooves, and wheels on cobblestone streets (Singman 86). Ships were also very important to travel and colonization, for England is an island nation (Time Life Ed. 132). Many towns were put on navigable rivers just to make travel easier because many people in this time used rivers and oceans for transportationRead MoreEssay on The Hundred Years War1214 Words   |  5 Pages Despite already having captured land on French main land prior to the Hundred Years’ War, England was unsuccessful in capturing the French Throne because they were out numbered, did not establish a proper beach head, and were hurt by the heroics of Joan of Arc in Phase IV. The Hundred Years’ War was unsuccessful because England was not able to capture the French throne. From 1328-1360 was phase one of the hundred years war. It started off with a bluff from the english king Edward the 3rd. EdwardRead MoreSalem Witch Trials Paranoia Essay1629 Words   |  7 PagesIn the 1680’s and 1690’s there was mass hysteria in New England over supposed witchcraft. The most famous outbreak was in Salem, Massachusetts, hence the name Salem Witch Trials. In Salem, there were young girls who started acting strangely, and they leveled accusations of witchcraft against some of the West Indian servants who were immersed in voodoo tradition. Most of the accusations were against women, and soon the accusations started to shift to the substantial and prominent women. NeighborsRead MoreBattle During The Elizabethan Era1142 Words   |  5 PagesIsaiah Zayas Mr.Marquez English 1 CP May 12, 2015 Battles During Elizabethan Era In the 1500’s there was a period in time six years before Shakespeare was born Queen Elizabeth took thrown and became queen of England. It was like the most recognized era in the English history , the era was most recognized because of so many things that happened that were important to the English. Other reasons why it was important was of the plays that took plays in the theaters that were composed by many peopleRead MoreSouthern Colonies Religion1355 Words   |  6 PagesAnglican churches spread along the length of the Atlantic seaboard, the largest concentration being in the coastal South. In these colonies, Anglicanism also enjoyed the advantage of being the established, state-supported church, as it had been in England since the sixteenth century. In Anglicanism great emphasis is placed on observing a formal ceremonies--the celebration of saints days and other holy days. They had great performance of elaborate, dramatic ceremonies, the conduct of worship by recitin gRead MoreWhose Time Had Come838 Words   |  3 Pagesnot long before the morals began to loosen and religious expectations became a small, unimportant sector of everyday life. As the first and second generations of colonists began to age and eventually die off, the upcoming population gave into temptations of the world and were soon far away from the hand of God. When the separatists made the trip overseas to the new world, they embarked on the dangerous journey in sight of a place to raise their children under a government that allowed them to haveRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Of 16921270 Words   |  6 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials The year 1692 is remembered as one of the most scandalous times in American History. Throughout the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, over a hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft (the majority of them being women). 14 women were hung, and 5 men were accused leading to a total of 19 people dying due to these trials. One man was even pressed to death by substantial weights for declining to enter a plea (Linder 1). No less than eight individuals passed on in jail, including