Blog 2: Early American Settlers

Part 1: Then
I think the primary motivation behind behind the early American settlers' choice to leave their home country and start anew in a foreign land was power. What about fortunes makes people want them badly enough to trade their whole way of life to get them? I would argue that it is more about the power that comes from having a fortune that motivates people than the fortune itself. What about religious beliefs made people want to come to America? Their beliefs didn't dictate immigration to a new land--they wanted power to control their living environment and make it more in harmony with their religious beliefs.

I think that some settlers found what they were looking for, while others didn't. I think a lot of the settlers hoped for upward social mobility and greater power over their lives in the "New World". But social stratification developed here just as it existed in their home countries. So not everyone could have the higher social status and greater power they were looking for. For those in more religiously-centered colonies, those who agreed with the majority of the population probably felt that they did have more power over their religious lives that they did in their home countries. But those who disagreed (for example, Anne Hutchinson) would have recognized that they did not have as much power over their place in society as the early settlers hoped for.

Part 2: Now
I think these early motivations had a huge effect on America. I would like to talk about three ways it has affected our culture (I'm sure there are more):

• Racism/Group Superiority: The thing about the pursuit of power is that it is a very personal goal. Very few people want power for everyone--the majority just want more for themselves. We often do it without even thinking about it as selfish: we just don't realize that the natural consequence of more power for us is less power for someone else.
• Personal Freedoms/Bill of Rights: That desire for power over our own lives is huge for Americans. So huge that many states wouldn't ratify the Constitution until it guaranteed personal freedoms. And today we hold on to those rights more tightly than any other part of the Constitution.
• Capitalism: The idea of capitalism, that we can get more money and move up the social chain, is big for Americans. In the past, people who had other ideas about economy were considered dangerous radicals! We love the idea of trying new or harder things so we can get more power and move up (by way of promotions, higher levels of education, more prestigious job appointments, awards, etc.).

Everywhere you can see people like those early settlers, trying to gain more power. It's part of being American. Look at the aspiring businessman: new ideas are his "New World"; he hopes that by trying something new or different he will make more money, and with that money gain greater opportunities and influence. Look at the activist: she jumps into the "New World" of politics; she hopes that by attending rallies, publishing her views, advertising, basically playing the political game, that she will gain more power for a minority group, more control over her environment to make it more in harmony with her beliefs.