Term Papers on Political Morality In Colonial Times

Term Paper Title	Political Morality In Colonial Times
# of Words	848
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.39

Political Morality in Colonial Times

     In Webster's dictionary, morality is defined as "principles of right and
wrong in conduct; ethics." The principles of morality have countless times
evolved over the ages. In earlier times, death was an easy penalty for many
crimes. These crimes today are considered minor and are penalized with a slap
on the hand. Is this considered wrong? Who is the correct authority to consult
on what is right or wrong? In today's society, two major factors concern how
the way members of society act and behave.
     The first is our national government.  Members of our government in positions
of authority decide everything in our lives in the form of laws which
determine our behavior. One of the most important documents written by our
government is the Declaration of Independence. The monarchy was taking away
power from the colonists and putting more demands on. In return, the colonists
declared their freedom from their tyrant. In this document, it states, "All
men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness." The great men who wrote this down had a strong sense of morals.
They believed that men were given rights by God that no one could take away.
This is essential to the issue of morality because it determines the rights-
that are agreed upon all- are wrong.
      This brings us to religion. Religion is a major contributor to how we think
and act because it mirrors our beliefs in what we hold as right or wrong. An
example of this is the native tribes of africa and South America where a
number of tribes practice cannibalism. While this is considered a sin in most
christian religions, the tribes have evolved into cannibalism as a way to
survive in life and have no objections to their eating habits. The problem
arises when the line between government and religion is crossed. While
religion does not have to power to punish one  physically, but rather soulfully of
one has sinned. The  government has the power to sentence punishment, yet should
have no power concerning God.
     Many different religions have evolved all over the world and in the process,
have people have been prosecuted in their faith. The first settlers in the new
world came here to avoid prosecution from the powerful church/government of
that time. Specifically, the Church of England headed by the king. Puritan
leaders led their followers to a place where they could express their religion
with no fear of other faiths. One such leader was John Winthrop.
     John Winthrop was a powerful Puritan governor in the colony of Massachusetts
Bay. He believe...

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