Sunday, January 28, 2007

European American Dreams I

The Europeans came to America because they sought freedom in the form of freedom of religion and freedom from the monarchial tyranny of Europe. There is also a strong dose of working to reach your full potential in the dreams of European Americans -- that was one of the principles covered in Tocqueville's writings. The other in respect to self-advancement was never giving up. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about the subject of self-reliance while trusting one's inner voice.

This bullet pointed list of European American dream elements is still relevant with all Americans to this day:

*Freedom
*Religion
*Self-advancement
*Never giving up
*Individualism
*self-reliance

We read John Winthrop's A Modell of Christian Charity, and I found it ironic that Europeans were coming to America to find religious freedom, yet tried to convert the Native Americans to believing in their God. Winthrop valued basic ideals such as building community, frugality, and that all men treat each other equally via the same code of moral conduct.

As we read Crevecoeur and watched The New World, time and time again the same themes kept popping up of freedom. The early settlers wanted their freedom of choice. That meant freedom of religion blended into a new social system. The American dream back then was to own land -- and it still is today though more specifically it is now to own a house.

The Reason Americans Came Here in the First Place


Some ideas stand the test of time...

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