{"product_id":"the-puritan-legacy-to-american-politics-von-unknown","title":"The Puritan Legacy to American Politics","description":"\u003cp\u003eSeminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,3, Free University of Berlin, language: English, abstract: Americans express a peculiar fascination with the founding of their country. Both\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecitizens and scholars often disagree over details of the beginnings but many Americans\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edefine themselves in relation to the founding. History inspires them and provides a patriotic\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esense of belonging. It is often debated whether current policies are faithful to the so-called\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003efounding principles, what has stayed the same and what has changed. Though many\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecountries celebrate their birth, only Americans combine so much cultural myths and political\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehistory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlexis de Tocqueville famously said: ¿I think I can see the whole destiny of America\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003econtained in the first Puritan who landed on those shores¿(Tocqueville 1831-32). And\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eindeed, much of American mainstream culture builds on a Puritan legacy. They claim to\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehave inherited it by promoting the idea of religious freedom and equal opportunity, by being\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ea ¿city upon a hill¿, a stronghold for democracy, and much more. However, only by retracing\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe historical development of Puritanism and its roots, it becomes possible to determine what\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esufficiently defines the Puritan legacy and what causes the persistent relevance in American\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epolitics up to this day. As Perry Miller stated, ¿[w]ithout some understanding of Puritanism,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eit may safely be said, there is no understanding of Americä (Miller 1950, 4).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this work I will therefore begin with reviewing the historical background of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePuritan theology and development in North America. Given this as a basis, I intend to trace\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eback political modes of thought and behavior to Puritan roots. I will answer the question in\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehow far Puritanism is still alive today and how its legacy to American politics can be\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edescribed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"aw-variant-hidden-subtitle-div\" id=\"aw-variant-subtitle-9783640661077\"\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Libri","offers":[{"title":"Softcover - 9783640661077","offer_id":39426650243165,"sku":"9783640661077","price":15.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0940\/0622\/files\/19c3c48d-4e92-4f73-9dd2-a502e7d560dd.jpg?v=1777696877","url":"https:\/\/shop.autorenwelt.de\/products\/the-puritan-legacy-to-american-politics-von-unknown","provider":"Autorenwelt Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}