John Winthrop, Speech to the Massachusetts General Court PDF

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John Winthrop giving a speech to the General Court of Massachusetts. ...

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Krzysztof Wisniowski 02 May 2020

John Winthrop, Speech to the Massachusetts General Court (1645) Winthrop uses an analogy to the status of women within the family to explain his understanding of liberty because they are making a choice to choose their husband. She chose to be his. Moral liberty, how he understood and explained it with that analogy, meant obeying the government and religion and any higher powers. Why? Because we chose them, therefore we must obey them. It’s the liberty of our choices. In this case, the woman has chosen the husband and now has the liberty to obey her husband that she’s chosen. Winthrop considers "natural" liberty dangerous because natural liberty is act act without any restraints, without any laws or rules so to speak. This natural liberty is described as evil, but also good, but more so evil. The chances are much higher a person will commit evil over good, basically. Winthrop is more than positive that the practice of this “natural” liberty ensures inconsistency with authority figures and the government. An act without any restraints will bring a man to become a beast, as he will be free to do as he desires....