The Puritans, Salem Witch Trials, and Nathaniel Hawthorne

The name Puritan first appeared in English history in 1550. The Puritans were an influential order which was a part of the revolting Protestants prevalent in the 16th and 17th century. They were strong believers of Calvinism which loosely preaches that the consequences of our actions in this mortal world decides the fate of our souls which could be subjected to either damnation or salvation. Their main principles relied on the ideas of free-will and sanctity of the human soul. The Puritan beliefs are roughly based on the Doctrines of Grace written by the fellow theologians of James Arminius. The Puritan lifestyle was restrained and rigid: People were expected to work hard and to repress their opinions and emotions. Individual differences were frowned upon.
Puritans believed the Devil was as real as God. Those who follow Satan was considered witches. Witchcraft was one of the greatest crime a person can commit and is punishable by death. During the Salem Witch Trials about 24 or 25 people died either from being put to death or died in prison.

Nathaniel Hawthrone was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He is actually related to a judge name Judge Hathrone, who was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne's works belong to dark romanticism (cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity). Many of his works were inspired by Puritan New England. He's mostly a short story writer but he also wrote some nonfiction. He died in May 19, 1864 , in Plymouth, New Hampshire. After his death his friend, Longfellow wrote a tribute poem to Hawthorne, published in 1866, called "The Bells of Lynn."

The Puritans influence our modern society in many ways. They made a virtue of qualities that made for economic success—self-reliance, frugality, industry, and energy—and through them influenced modern social and economic life. Their concern for education was important in the development of the United States, and the idea of congregational democratic church government was carried into the political life of the state as a source of modern democracy.

Interesting fact: Edgar Allen Poe once accused Nathaniel Hawthrone's Twice-Told Tales and Mosses from an Old Manse of plagarism.

Statue of Nathaniel Hawthrone

The Moment I Knew I Was An American ... Hmmm...

First of all lets start with what is an American. An American is anyone who loves life enough to want the best that it has to offer.  An American is anyone who understands that to achieve the best in life requires action and effort. An American is anyone who understands the need to use one's mind and wits to meet life's challenges. An American is anyone who understands that achieving the best in life requires risks. An American is someone who seeks liberty. They are here to run their own farms or their own businesses. They are here for freedom and not to be told what to do from a dictator. They're also here for  opportunities for a good/better life. An American is anyone that's protected under the Constitution of the United States. An American is a mix of heritages living with one another. An American is someone that celebrates the day of independence on the 4th of July. Americans are united by a love of liberty, respect for the freedom of others and an insistence on their own rights as set forth in the Declaration.

So, the moment I knew I was a American is when I wrote this blog. Anyone can be counted as an American, even illegal immigrants, because they came to America to escape problems that they have in their old country. They come for opportunities  at a new life and to be protected from their problems. 

You don't need a citizenship to be an American, everyone is an American by heart.

                                            

Us vs. Them ... Us and Them

Conflicts can lead to conclusions of death and instability in a place. Some say the death of a person or persons is a solution to a problem and I think that that is inhumane way of solving a problem. Conflicts often arise from economic, political, and religion issues because not everyone can agree and have similar ideas about them. People always have different thoughts about these things.

An example of a economic issue was between the colonists of North America and the British of England. Back then England passed many laws telling the colonists who they can and can't trade with. They told the colonists that they must export all of their raw materials such as cotton to only England. If they wanted to trade with other countries they must pay a tax in order to export things to other countries. So, as a result some colonists smuggled  exports and imports into the colonies. The British wanted them to only trade with the British so they can take the cotton to England, there they can process it into things such as cloth which they sell back to the colonies. And the British makes lots of money this way and they use the money to build up a stronger army so that they can go and take/claim more lands so that they can have more markets to sell their goods and make more money. The colonists soon thought why not just process the cotton here in the colonies and then sell them and keep the profit for themselves,  but the British didn't want this. Soon after the French and Indian War, England have lots of debt to pay because of all the money they spent on the war. So they decided to tax the colonists in order to make money, but the colonists didn't want to pay these taxes and soon they decided to rebel since King George III issued more taxes and he wouldn't listen to their demand of allowing the colonists to have a voice in the British government. As a result this led to the American Revolution, which the colonists won and gain their independence.

American Revolution Battle                    
                   

An example of a political issue is the difference between the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States. There are many issues they face each day and each party have different solutions to them. Soon issues can led to a fight such as the events that led up to the Civil War. The Republicans of the North were against slavery while the Democratic South supported slavery.

Republican And Democratic Symbols                                         

Lastly, there's religion another cause of conflict. Throughout history many religions developed each having different ideas than the others while some have similar ideas which some differences. There have been many conflicts throughout history because of religion. Such as the Crusades where the Catholic Church sponsored campaigns to take the city of Jerusalem from the Muslims, who had taken  over the city.

Crusades

Comment below and tell me what you think.