John Winthrop John Winthrop could be thought of as the archetypical early American, as he personified many of the qualities the

puritans colonists are known for; strong religious beliefs, an adventurous and pioneering nature, and a drive to capture his life experiences on paper. Winthrop was looked upon to lead the colonists, and this influential role began aboard the Arbella as he delivered his A Model of Christian Charity speech. The speech begins (Vowell, page 37), God Almighty in His most holy and wise providence, hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in subjection. Little did Winthrop or the other colonists know this would be opposite of what would eventually become the American Dream, where all men are created equal. Winthrop, as is also true of the colonists, deeply believed and relied on his faith in God. His conviction was even deeper than many of the colonists, as Winthrop believed that he was one of Gods chosen people, sent to help guide the colonists build a society based on these ideals. Thus, his recipe for a successful society is one with religion and God as the main ingredient. Winthrop, through his role of governor and patriarch of the Massachusetts Bay colony, was instrumental in guiding its formation. He was influential in determining the role the government played in civil matters as well as religious matters, which also defined the expectations for the colonists in these matters all matters being defined by the Bible. This of course becomes an issue for Winthrop and the colonists when Roger Williams arrives and fights for separation of church and state. I think we all know who ultimately wins this battle in the end. It was also important for the puritans to capture the history of their lives on paper, as vowel points out (page 13), the quill crazy New Englanders left behind libraries full of statements of purpose in the form of letters, sermons, court transcripts, and diaries. Winthrop himself played an instrumental role in capturing the details of this time in history with his journal (three books in all). They detailed everything from sketches he made while aboard the Arbella, to his account of events that happened while he was living in the colony, including the arrival of new colonists such as Roger Williams and the colonys encounters with the Indians. His writings were influential in providing a first person account of what it was like to live in the new world. What began as an adventurous endeavor, sailing from England to America, without really knowing what was in store for them on arrival, resulted in John Winthrop and the colonists setting up the foundation for what would eventually become the United States. They as a collective group defined what it was to be

an American even before there was a United States of America. They set the standards for the country to be based on strong religious beliefs, to be guided by strong leaders, and to capture a detailed written history, and defined what an archetypical American was. Winthrop played a lead role in the formation of early America and his vision of the city upon the hill has been one shared generations later, but the likes of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Sarah Palin.

Roger WIlliams Roger Williams can be considered an American archetype by being (Vowell, Page 103) . . . principled, self-confident, forthright, and true to himself. When Williams arrives in the Massachusetts Bay colony, he is already steadfast in those ideals, many of which epitomize what is considered the American archetype. Unlike many of his fellow colonists, Williams was not afraid to take a stand for what he believed in to be right, even if it was not the popular opinion of the rest of the colony and even it would ultimately mean his being banished. This is a characteristic that is often seen in Americans today; having a strong belief in your ideals and not being afraid to stand up for them. Roger Williams was well educated at Cambridge University where he studied theology, and had worked as a minister before his arrival to the colony. You could see how this background would have been very attractive to the colonists who put so much emphasis on the importance of their religious faith. The difficulty here is that Williams held so strongly to his religious principles and had little tolerance for those who did not have his same vision (and werent willing to publically disassociate themselves from the Church of England as Williams wanted). He also believed that there should be separation between church and state, and this unpopular belief is what ultimately resulted in his banishment. Regardless, he stayed true to his beliefs and fought for what he thought was right. This is yet another example of standing up for your principles; a foundation of the American archetype, and Williams was one of the forerunners in establishing that standard. Even upon his banishment, Williams stayed true to his principles and saw the opportunity of his time spent with the Indians as being the destiny of God. That God had put him there to show the Indians the ways of God and become their teacher and advisor on religious matters. Again Williams preserved his integrity and upheld his principles, even though the Indians did not have any interest in these teachings. Williams arrived at the Massachusetts Bay colony with his

integrity and principles and stayed true to himself and to those ideals throughout his life, a truly archetypical American way of living.

Massasoit Massasoit was an Indian chief and proud leader to his Wampanoag tribe, as his predecessors had been before him, and whose son would one day, follow in his footsteps and proudly lead as well. Massasoit, like many of the early American colonists remained true to his beliefs, throughout his lifetime, even after the European settlers had turned on him and his people. Massasoit, much like many of the American settlers, believed that everything happened because it was decided by God (albeit a different God than the settlers worshipped to), and they all believed their survival was due to Gods intervention. To Massasoit, and also to the colonists, survival was especially important, since they had both endured losing many of their people through death from epidemics. The Wampanoag survival was due, at least in part, to the leadership of Massasoit. He was considered a great leader to his people; one who would lead by example and his people respected him and had complete faith in him because of this. Similarly, the colonists had strong leaders they relied on to make decisions for the community, and they maintained their faith in them to do what was best for the community as a whole. It was through Massasoits leadership, that an alliance was made with the settlers for what he thought was reciprocal protection that resulted in the Wampanoag helping the settlers survive by teaching them how to plant corn and become self-sustaining. It is unfortunate that after the colonists became selfsufficient, and their numbers increased, they no longer upheld the agreements they made early on with Massasoit, even though he remained true to his promises. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the different Indian tribes that had inhabited the area had developed ways to live together, respect each others boundaries, practice devotion to their God, have occasional conflict, but ultimately survive. This was not

the case when the Europeans arrived. They wanted to take over the Wampanoag land. This is one area where Massasoit and the colonists differ. Wampanoag see land as their home, their spirit, their history and their identity. It was much more than just land to the Wampanoag. Conversely, the colonists, having come from a place where land was in short supply, saw the land as a way of achieving status and obtaining wealth. Massasoit fought until his dying breath to try to save the Indian land, though did realize he was losing that battle in the end. Massasoits fight to protect his homeland is a longstanding tradition of the American archetype, exemplified in the many wars fought through the years to protect this same land. Fighting to protect your homeland, what could be more archetypical American than that?

Metacom/King Philip Metacom, like his father Massasoit, became a chief to the Wampanoag tribe after his fathers death. Unlike Massasoit who had spent much of his life living without the influence and intrusion of the European settlers, Metacon (also known as King Philip) had grown up in the trail of the European invasion on their land, their livelihood, and their spirituality. Even though Metacom was against what the Europeans represented, he also characterized many of the qualities of an American archetype; he was proud of his heritage, his culture, his religion and his land. Like his father before him, Philip fought to his death to maintain these principles for his people and their survival, just as the colonists fought against him for the same principles and their survival. Philip grew up during a time when the English and the Wampanoag lived side by side. His world was different than the one his father had lived in, and was one that was a mix of both cultures, and one he was completely comfortable in, yet he knew that in order to survive; he would need to make changes. Much like his father, and the colonists, Philip knew he needed to fight for survival of the Wampanoag. It was this same fight for survival and a battle to preserve the Indians religious culture and land that would be the ultimate end for Philip. He died in King Philips war, fighting against the colonists that were trying to preserve what they thought was their right to the very same things. Prior to his death, it had become apparent to Philip that the English did not just want the Wampanoag land; they wanted to convert the Wampanoag to believing in their God, thereby obliterating their spirituality, and making them subordinate to the colonists ways. Just as the colonists saw their religion as being the only true voice of God, so too did Philip and the Wampanoag. Fighting for freedom, freedom from English rule, freedom of religion, freedom to speak and vote, freedom is the basis of

being an American and a key element of the American archetype and one of Philips deep-rooted characteristics as he fought for the freedom of his people to live their lives in their way.