Explain how systems of hierarchy and assumptions about social status inform and support Winthrop’s conception of a “Christian community” in Puritan New England
The Communitarian Dream
The earliest ideal of life in North America was that of creating a community worth living in. Echoes of this ideal continue to be heard even today in the 21st century.
a) Explain how systems of hierarchy and assumptions about social status inform and support Winthrop’s conception of a “Christian community” in Puritan New England. How do underlying systems of hierarchy effect his moral argument? In other words, is his moral argument still compelling or workable when hierarchy is accounted for?