Sunday, September 18, 2011
Crèvecoeur vs. Winthrop
Crèvecoeur and Winthrop clearly have very different views of the New World, and of what distinguishes it from Europe. However, I'd argue that both of their visions of America/Americans are still alive in our time/our culture. So, I'm curious: which vision do you think is closer to the way we think of ourselves now and how so/why?
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I think Crevecoeur's vision of the American is a bit closer to how we think of ourselves now. His vision includes opportunity to leave behind old traditions and embraces new ones. Crevecoeur sees a vision in which Americans' prosperity and successes will change the world in a positive way. Also, he sees the hard working laborers in America and that they will eventually be very successful. Now, most Americans seek prosperity and I think this had made a large impact in the world as a whole. He also sees that individuals from different countries melt together here in America, to create a new one. This new country and its individuals are made up of the cultures of different countries, which is what America still stands as today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jayme that Crevecoeur's vision is closer to the way we think of ourselves now than Winthrop's. Winthrop based his vision of America on religion and a perfect "city on a hill". He had an idealized view of an American society that would be based on love and serve as an example for Britain. Crevecoeur was not as focused on religion and instead explained that America was a place that people who were poor or oppressed in Europe could come to create a better life. I think that the idea is still very much present in our culure today and America still serves as a new beginning for immigrints. Crevecoeur also defined an American as someone who can follow thier self-interest and be independent. These ideas continue today and a main part of our culture is still focused on individual power and freedom.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that you all seem to see yourselves/us more in Crevecoeur's vision of America. At the same time, it might be important to remember that a large portion of Americans think of the U.S. as a "Christian nation," and for these people Winthrop's vision of America is very much alive and well. This tells us that we still deal with the same tension between competing ideas of our nation. I also think Winthrop's vision is alive in a secularized version (through Reagan's speech on American exceptionalism, for example).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jayme and Katie that Crevecouer's vision of America is closer to the way we think about our country now. Winthrop's vision was that the people work together for the common good and set an example for England and future colonies. The community would come together because of their love of God. Crevecoeur, on the other hand, was focused on the power of hard work and how anyone could achieve success through hard work. He talks about all the different nationalities from Europe coming together in the new world. Crevecoeur was not focused on religion as Winthrop was, and he saw that religion did not play as much of a role in peoples day to day lives, the emphasis was more on work and independence. I think Crevecoeur's vision is more consistent with the way Americans feel about our country today.
ReplyDeleteI like what Ms. Stuart said about Winthrops ideas being alive in a secularized version. Winthrop talked about god, but also addressed other issues, like loving each other and working for the good of your community. These ideas have remained as important parts and values of our culture. And Winthrop can still be referred to when discussing these issues
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