Description of New England Individual Self Interest and Unlimited Natural Wealth
The manner in which John Smith described the increasingly important land now a formal part of the United States, in A Description of New England, intended to entice further settlement and it also reflected his genuine amazement and vision for the future. The strength of these descriptions is grounded most fundamentally in Smiths ability to weave together his descriptions of separate places and things in such a way as to predict or to envision the rise of a great colony or nation in the future. To this end, for example, he describes such diverse things as crops, sources of water, locations for harbors, the weather, wildlife, farming, forests, trading possibilities, the nature of the individual in such a rugged environment, the values both politically and spiritually to guide these types of daring individuals, social classes, and the larger relation to Great Britain and the threats posed by other European nations and the indigenous population.
These varied descriptions, read discretely and without a larger context, might leave the reader rather perplexed as if a travel account had been prepared and published. A closer consider of the text, however, clearly demonstrates that Smith was constructing through his travels and descriptions that rise of an extremely formidable part of the British Empire. More specifically, though he could not have known its precise nature at the time of his writing, Smith was effectively outlining and foreshadowing the reasons why and how America would evolve and the source of its commercial wealth and its own unique form of social and political development. He was giving birth to what today is often referred to as the American Dream, the deep-seated belief that individualism and hard work guided by a certain moral framework will aid individuals in conquering all obstacles and achieving success, and it is fair to characterize Smith as the father of the American Dream in many respects. In order to support this characterization of Smith, this paper will present his descriptions and analyses of the ruggedly valuable natural environment and the type of individual needed to conquer and thrive in such a challenging environment.
From an analytical perspective, if Smiths writing is to be connected to a larger purpose, then it is necessary to understand how he described the new land in need of taming and conquering. He described, to be sure, a land that was both deadly and filled with riches both easily accessible and some that were hidden. The most striking features of his descriptions pertained to the spacious nature of the land and its physical and geographical variety. His descriptions read very much like a map, describing land that is fertile for growing crops and areas on the coast for fishing or points for international trade, and reading these descriptions creates an infectious enthusiasm for the prospects of these new lands.
More specifically, virtually every type of vocation and means of subsistence is available and the natural resources make these vocations and means of subsistence easily attainable if individuals are willing to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities. Before arriving inland, for example, Smith seems almost in awe as he describes the structure and the length of the coasts. He notes, for instance, that the Bay is full of great Ilandswhich diuides it into many faire and excellent good harbours (pdf, p. 42). These coasts provide fish for food and trade they provide excellent geography for harbors, and the surrounding mountains and forests provide an overly ample amount of stone, wood, and minerals for construction and craftsmanship. The forests are similarly well-stocked with more than enough resources to sustain future settlement and expansion. Smith describes networks of rivers flowing from many mountains and the richness of the fertile farming lands fed and nourished by these rivers.
Farming is not the only possibility quite the contrary, for those not inclined to the farming lifestyle, Smith goes on to describe an extraordinarily diverse type of wildlife that can support the food needs of hunters and the commercial needs of traders in the form of pelts. In sum, from a natural environment point of view, Smith has described a land which is suitable for virtually every type of vocation and in which resources and opportunities are endless for those hardy individuals daring to risk a more independent lifestyle. It is within this context, trying to describe what type of individual is most suited to these challenges, that Smith makes some valuable comments about the political and religious benefits of settlement and expansion in this new area.
It is important to note that Smith was quite loyal to both his home country and to its governing system on the other hand, he seemed to predict that social, political, and commercial life in this new place would be more independent of authority for practical reasons associated with necessity and that individuals would be compelled to assume much more individual initiative and responsibility than might have been the case had they remained living in England. In this respect, relying on many analogies, Smith is careful to state that My purpose is not to perfwade children from their parents (pdf, p. 58). He therefore states his allegiance to
Britain while simultaneously outlining the benefits to potential settlers. First, he engages in an extensive discussion to the effect that individuals of all social classes will be able to prosper in ways that might not be possible in England. The rich and the powerful can extend their trading empires while the lower classes can build new lives and perhaps improve their standard of living and offer better prospects for their own children. Smith is thus characterizing a new type of social equality as a major benefit and advantage this advantage, to be sure, is one of the fundamental pillars of the American Dream. Equality of opportunity, the idea that everyone will be provided an equal opportunity to prosper, is perhaps the most important tenet of the American Dream. Second, there would exist less oversight, more independence, and individuals would be encouraged rather than discouraged from taking risks. The natural environment was rough, conquering it demanded hardy rather than timid settlers, and this would confer a greater degree of self-determination than was allowed in England or Europe at the time. Finally, Smith explicitly linked the notion of individual liberty with commercial profit and prosperity. (pdf, pp. 60-61) He felt that liberty was an intangible benefit that would be mutually beneficial to both England and the local settlers. He has therefore outlined the origins of the modern American Dream by presenting equality of opportunity for all social classes, a tolerance and encouragement of risk-taking and new ways of doing things, and an emphasis on the causative relationships between liberty, economic prosperity, and individual success and happiness.
In conclusion, a careful reading of Smiths work supports an interpretation to the effect that he had unintentionally created the framework for the American Dream. In order to conquer the rugged environment with so many riches a new type of philosophical mindset need to be instilled in individuals. This mindset is akin to what is known as the American work ethic and it functioned to mold and to create new types of individuals who did not conform to British expectations and demand for very long.
These varied descriptions, read discretely and without a larger context, might leave the reader rather perplexed as if a travel account had been prepared and published. A closer consider of the text, however, clearly demonstrates that Smith was constructing through his travels and descriptions that rise of an extremely formidable part of the British Empire. More specifically, though he could not have known its precise nature at the time of his writing, Smith was effectively outlining and foreshadowing the reasons why and how America would evolve and the source of its commercial wealth and its own unique form of social and political development. He was giving birth to what today is often referred to as the American Dream, the deep-seated belief that individualism and hard work guided by a certain moral framework will aid individuals in conquering all obstacles and achieving success, and it is fair to characterize Smith as the father of the American Dream in many respects. In order to support this characterization of Smith, this paper will present his descriptions and analyses of the ruggedly valuable natural environment and the type of individual needed to conquer and thrive in such a challenging environment.
From an analytical perspective, if Smiths writing is to be connected to a larger purpose, then it is necessary to understand how he described the new land in need of taming and conquering. He described, to be sure, a land that was both deadly and filled with riches both easily accessible and some that were hidden. The most striking features of his descriptions pertained to the spacious nature of the land and its physical and geographical variety. His descriptions read very much like a map, describing land that is fertile for growing crops and areas on the coast for fishing or points for international trade, and reading these descriptions creates an infectious enthusiasm for the prospects of these new lands.
More specifically, virtually every type of vocation and means of subsistence is available and the natural resources make these vocations and means of subsistence easily attainable if individuals are willing to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities. Before arriving inland, for example, Smith seems almost in awe as he describes the structure and the length of the coasts. He notes, for instance, that the Bay is full of great Ilandswhich diuides it into many faire and excellent good harbours (pdf, p. 42). These coasts provide fish for food and trade they provide excellent geography for harbors, and the surrounding mountains and forests provide an overly ample amount of stone, wood, and minerals for construction and craftsmanship. The forests are similarly well-stocked with more than enough resources to sustain future settlement and expansion. Smith describes networks of rivers flowing from many mountains and the richness of the fertile farming lands fed and nourished by these rivers.
Farming is not the only possibility quite the contrary, for those not inclined to the farming lifestyle, Smith goes on to describe an extraordinarily diverse type of wildlife that can support the food needs of hunters and the commercial needs of traders in the form of pelts. In sum, from a natural environment point of view, Smith has described a land which is suitable for virtually every type of vocation and in which resources and opportunities are endless for those hardy individuals daring to risk a more independent lifestyle. It is within this context, trying to describe what type of individual is most suited to these challenges, that Smith makes some valuable comments about the political and religious benefits of settlement and expansion in this new area.
It is important to note that Smith was quite loyal to both his home country and to its governing system on the other hand, he seemed to predict that social, political, and commercial life in this new place would be more independent of authority for practical reasons associated with necessity and that individuals would be compelled to assume much more individual initiative and responsibility than might have been the case had they remained living in England. In this respect, relying on many analogies, Smith is careful to state that My purpose is not to perfwade children from their parents (pdf, p. 58). He therefore states his allegiance to
Britain while simultaneously outlining the benefits to potential settlers. First, he engages in an extensive discussion to the effect that individuals of all social classes will be able to prosper in ways that might not be possible in England. The rich and the powerful can extend their trading empires while the lower classes can build new lives and perhaps improve their standard of living and offer better prospects for their own children. Smith is thus characterizing a new type of social equality as a major benefit and advantage this advantage, to be sure, is one of the fundamental pillars of the American Dream. Equality of opportunity, the idea that everyone will be provided an equal opportunity to prosper, is perhaps the most important tenet of the American Dream. Second, there would exist less oversight, more independence, and individuals would be encouraged rather than discouraged from taking risks. The natural environment was rough, conquering it demanded hardy rather than timid settlers, and this would confer a greater degree of self-determination than was allowed in England or Europe at the time. Finally, Smith explicitly linked the notion of individual liberty with commercial profit and prosperity. (pdf, pp. 60-61) He felt that liberty was an intangible benefit that would be mutually beneficial to both England and the local settlers. He has therefore outlined the origins of the modern American Dream by presenting equality of opportunity for all social classes, a tolerance and encouragement of risk-taking and new ways of doing things, and an emphasis on the causative relationships between liberty, economic prosperity, and individual success and happiness.
In conclusion, a careful reading of Smiths work supports an interpretation to the effect that he had unintentionally created the framework for the American Dream. In order to conquer the rugged environment with so many riches a new type of philosophical mindset need to be instilled in individuals. This mindset is akin to what is known as the American work ethic and it functioned to mold and to create new types of individuals who did not conform to British expectations and demand for very long.
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