Puritan Influence

Reading the Apess piece on King Philip was very eye opening. I think Apess made many accusations that the Puritans would have obviously disagreed with, but it was also the Americans who would have probably disagreed as well. Apess gives a few examples of people who were less than sympathetic to Indians of his own time, examples that were written a bit tongue in cheek, but also meant to show that all was not forgotten or forgiven. I think what was most telling about his work was the way the Puritans treated the Indians when they were captured, particularly the awful passage about the quartering and displaying of King Philip. This is something I certainly would not have expected from them, even considering the mindset they had. That kind of action would have been something they would have reserved as an admonition of the Indians. While I am surprised, I did have to read this piece with a critical eye, just as I have every piece. I do think Apess has a slight slant to his writing, particularly when writing about King Philip toward the end of the war and some of his actions. I do, however, sympathize with him. I think he was more than generous toward the Puritans, and he did more than the Puritans would have done in regard the "turn the other cheek" adage. I feel he was justified to be upset and angry, especially considering all that he and his people had to go through. I also feel the actions that he claims are substantiated, especially when you think of the treatment the Quakers recieved from the Puritans, noted in their own history.

The Puritan influence did not last with just them, however, and carried on throughout American history. The intolerance of other cultures, and the inherent superiority that was given to the white men by the white men exists in ways to this day. It was even more apparent during the time of the readings for today. The Indians were treated as second class citizens, and were even captured by some to be sold into slavery in Europe. The later arrival of Africans to America as slaves seems to be something that is seen as "okay", since the precedent of enslaving an "inferior" or non-Christian race is okay in the eyes of the Puritans. It is the strong Puritan influence that really set the tone for a caste system based on race to be accepted in early America. When looking at the Wheatley and Occom letters, it is obvious that both understand the ways in which Christianity can be hypocritical, much in the same way that Apess calls out the Puritans. Both Wheatley and Occom speak to their own time, and sympathize with the plight each has to face, as well as the plight of Indians and Africans, and African-Americans at the time. Each realize that they are part of a lower class in America, yet each are among the most brilliant of their time. This is something that is lost on the whites of America. This is a part of the lasting Puritan legacy, a legacy that if not promotes, at leasts willingly accepts hegemony.