Defoe

Defoe describes England’s success solely on the trade system.” it is very well known that, besides the benefit which we reap by being a trading nation, which is our principal glory, trade is a very different thing in England than it is in many other countries and is carried on by persons who, both in their education and descent, are far from being the dregs of the people” He believes that trade is the most noble profession in England and that being a tradesman is more noble than that of a family with an estate and lineage.

Many aspect of his argument I tend to agree with. I agree with Defoe when he states that it is the trade business, not the victories of war, that make his nation great. “These things prove abundantly that the greatness of the British nation is not owing to war and conquests, to enlarging its dominions by the sword, or subjecting the people of other countries to our power; but it is allowing to trade, to the increase of our commerce at home, and the extending it abroad.” I believe that Defoe has every right to be proud of England in this aspect. It does in fact make England much different than other nations during that time period. England was the first country to reach high amounts of successes in Imperialism. I agree with Defoe hen he states that trading with other nations and colonizing is a much greater accomplishment that controlling and taking over another nation.

I also agree with Defoe when he discusses how England’s trade has not only helped the wealthy, but has benefited the poor.” What is it but trade, the increase of business at home, and the employment of the poor in the business and manufactures of this kingdom, by which the poor get so good wages, and live so well.” The poor now have jobs as well as the rich and everyman has the opportunity to become a wealthy tradesman, no matter what their class is or what family they were born into.

Defoe

To answer the question I would have to say Daniel Defoe was right about most of his claims regarding trade but some stuff about England was hyped up to be more than what he said it was. Not everything he said was false but seemed to have been stretched here and there. Daniel Defoe stresses England’s trade system is one of the best which is very true. You can also see Defoe as someone who is very patriotic to their homeland which is why it would make sense that Defoe hyped up his sayings.

Daniel Defoe said that England was a great place to live and offered great trade. He said, “We are the greatest trading country in the world” and he was correct about that. England had a powerful trade system setup that was very good to them however he hyped it up big time. He also said, “The same trade that keeps our people at home is the cause of the living of the people here." This shows that their wealth and success of the people was from the trade system he speaks so greatly of.

Defoe believed that trade was a gentleman’s job and was considered a high class. He even spoke of how people would want to marry their daughters off to tradesmen because of how successful it was. I do not believe this at all. I believe that they are no different than a person who comes from a wealthy background or has a high status in some government.

Defoe made other claims as well that were not related to Trade but England itself. For example he said that the weather is better than most other places in the world. We all know this is not true and England had lots of trouble with farming due to the cold. He seems to compare England to other nations but shows no evidence for his beliefs in the success of other nations versus his own.

Defoe seemed a bit stubborn and bias of his own country England. He spoke and supported the Trade system of England and was very correct about what he spoke of. His side comments to hype up England were not completely true. A lot of his comparisons of other nations verses England had no evidence to support his views. England was different in its trade but was not as great as it was said to be.

What does Rainborow want? Why does Ireton disagree with him?

What Does Rainborow want? Why does Ireton disagree with him?


Rainborow wants one major change brought to England and that is introducing democracy. The reason Ireton disagreed with Rainborow is because he felt that the system was fine just the way it was. He felt the change was unnecessary. Ireton mentions how it is not right for someone who is not in the kingdom to say what the kingdom does. Ireton saying, “no person has a right to an interest or share in disposing or determining of the affairs of the kingdom, and in choosing those that shall determine what laws we shall be ruled by here, no person has a right to this that has not a permanent fixed interest in the Kingdom” shows proof of his disagreement. I believe that Rainbrows decision would bring peace amount the people but Ireton has good points.

Rome and Tacitus

Tacitus once wrote sharp criticism of the Germanic tribes. However, deeply disguised within is actually a criticism of the Roman government, beliefs, and way of life. Tacitus believed that the Romans could learn from their enemies. For example, Tacitus points out that the German’s had a real justice system, where justice was blind and fair, opposed to the corruption that lay deep within the Roman government. Furthermore, he pointed out the fact that German kings were by blood, but their generals were determined by merit. The German kings also had limited power, as they had exercised a primitive form of democracy. The Roman Emperor had unlimited power and were determined by an asinine way.

The Germans were also perceived by Tacitus as being pure people, and had inhabited plenty of land to live on. Compared to Rome, he thought the Romans were impure as a race of people, and lived in a very dense population center, in other words the city of Rome was their boundaries. Tacitus also believes that according to the Romans, God’s were confined to walls, but yet to the Germans the God’s were always with them, and they were always mindful of them. This also helps justify the German’s constant use of human sacrifices to their Gods, compared to the Romans who had many less sacrifices. Overall, Tacitus was a proud Roman, but like all good citizens, always urged for higher standards as a people.

Paul's movement

The Christian movement in Paul’s time was unorganized. Paul had left that it was his reason for living, and proclaimed by god himself that Paul spread Christianity to the Jews and the Pagans. In order for Paul to mobilize and take control of the organization, he had to rework certain belief sets and ways of life. Paul thought that in order to have the movement grow he would have to try and recruit the lower members of society. He had converted many poor people and women, which was unheard of before because back in Paul’s time it was outrageous to speak to, and interact with those types of people.

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” As seen in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, not making a distinction between people was the easiest and fastest way to unite people of very different backgrounds and nationalities. The most pertinent group that joined Paul’s movement were women and those who lived in large population centers, such as cities. Paul did an amazing job unifying these people under one church, and had sparked a movement for centuries to come.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther argued that each person had two parts to them, the inner man and the outer man. The outer man was the physical form of a man, including clothes, social status, and their job. The outer man was completely material, and of this physical world. Luther argued that the outer man thought he was saved from constant praying to make up for previous sins, and that he could purchase certain relics from the church that would ensure his salvation. He continued to argue that the outer man thought that god cared about this characteristics and that god will lead him to salvation when it is time for him to die. The inner man is the spiritual man, or the soul and just the body of the man. Luther argued that one must be true to god to be legitimate. Luther believed that the real believers were only those who viewed themselves as the inner person, and he urged them to join in his revolution and his new religion.

With this Luther had made society better people because no one could buy their salvation anymore. This is important to people because bettering people means a higher overall welfare of the community. Furthermore, it gives the poorer members of the society a chance at being religious, as they do not have the money to buy their own salvations. This bridges the economic gaps in the church and helps bring more people together. The closer tied together a community it is, the stronger and better off they are.

Luther

First of all Martin Luther’s speaking come from faith and views in Christianity. Martin Luther felt that there were many differences between the outer and inner man. The outside of a man is what others see in the world and is not important to God. The inner person is the soul and sprit of the person which is connected or the link to God. Luther felt that the most important was the inner man and not the outer man. He felt it was what made one an individual. The outer man was sinful and the importance of it did not matter. He said, “One thing, and one alone, is necessary for life, justification, Christian liberty; and that is the most holy word of God.” (Luther p2) Since he feels that the word of God is connected to the inner man it is more important. He also said, “Since then this faith can reign only in the inward man, as it is said, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Rom. x. 10); and since it alone justifies, it is evident that by no outward work or labour can the inward man be at all justified, made free, and saved; and that no works whatever have anyrelation to him” (Luther p3) again showing that the inner man is more important. This should matter to people because this is what caused reformation of the church. I believe it made people less materialistic and allowed them to start having more faith in their religion and God. Everyone has to start from their inner self and that inner self will create the outer man. If you do not have a clean inner self then you will become a bad outer man.

Middle Ages

Between the years of 1000 and 1300 A.D., there was indeed much change. During this time change was not limited to one area, but spanned from political changes to cultural and economic changes. It is believed that there was more change during Middle Ages than there was continuity. Although during this time people had digressed to a more barbaric, warrior centric lifestyles, where the knights were glorified. The feudal system had been used all across Europe during this time as well. Religion was also greatly impacted by the Middle Ages, as Christianity had spread wildly, and the Roman Catholic churches were restructured to the system we know today, with the pope on top, with cardinal’s right below him.

Areas also greatly impacted were the fields of economics, science, and technology. One of the finest inventions was the emergence of shipping insurance. The overall idea of actually insurance is revolutionary. With this came our modern day principles of accounting, windmills, and the creation of the eye glass. Furthermore, iron-tipped tools were introduced and had quickly been implemented all across Europe. During this time exploration seeded its roots in civilization and had people start to set their sights on sailing around the world. The Middle Ages were definitely a time of change, refinement, and invention yielding such incredible tools and methods that are still in use today.

Forgot to post... Tacitus and Germans

What would Tacitus like the Romans to learn from the Germans? What do you think he thinks of Roman society?

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Even though Tacitus greatly wanted his people to be more like the Germans more and more everyday there were times where he felt they were superior. The first thing that was admired by Tacitus was the culture of the Germans. Germans did not allow intermarriage of their families thus kept the race “pure.” He believed that since they did not allow this mixing of other cultures the Germans kept their large body frames and looks. The family values of Germans put a great impression on Tacitus. Germany did not care so much about luxury as they did in pride and honor. Tacitus learned that rank should be given by merit and not by being appointed by people who know people. As supportive as Tacitus was he still has his doubts about the council. He felt that they were very slow and could use improvements.

Luther

According to Luther, there are two parts of every one man. There is the inner man and the outer man. The inner man was the most important to Luther and to his ideas tat lead to the reformation of the church. The outer man, according to Luther was not necessary and looked down upon by God.

The inner man is described as, “The spiritual nature, which they name the soul, he is called the spiritual, inward, new man.” The soul is the most valuable of the two “men” because, “Though our outward man perish, yet the inner man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. iv. 16).” According to Luther, a man’s works do not justify their connection with god. These works include using money and gift as a way to gain salvation in the church. Luther claims that the outer body is less important because it is temporary and sinful. But, in contrast, the soul, or inner body never dies and is closely connected to god and his word. Luther believed that faith (the inner body) alone was the way to salvation. He stated that “believing in the soul, by the pledge of its faith in Christ” rather than the outer man, one “becomes free from all sin, fearless of death, safe from hell, and endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of its Husband Christ.”

These ideas of the inner and outer man were important for people to understand, because it was one of the bases for Luther’s 95 Thesis and the reformation of the church. It aloud people to see that they did not need salvation through work or through gifts to the church. All one needed was the faith in God and the word of Christ in order to seek salvation.

high middle ages 1000-1300

Before the high middle ages, Europe left much to be desired. However during the period between 100-1300 changes came about to Europe that would affect the way people thought and lived. There was a religious revival, an intellectual revival and a new respect for the arts.

Before the religious revival, churches were privatized and therefore many people could not partake in religious gathering. There was no centralized church. Also, the monasteries had become “dumping grounds.” The church officials had no power over the churches anymore, and religious institutions became very corrupt. Reforms began to take place in the 900-1300s. There was a need and a want to cleanse the church from corruption and remove power from the rich families to back to the church officials. Reforms including instituting strict codes for papal elections, strict codes that bishops must follow and Kings returning the churches power over to the bishops once again. While many of the reforms were good for the church and its people, the anti-Semitism ideas that people held grew stronger during this time period. Many countries during this period began to put harsh restrictions on Jews.

The Intellectual revival was a result of Europeans beginning to take a liking to classical text and which lead to a rise in literacy and education. Schools began to appear very rapidly during the high middle ages. Almost all schools were run by the church originally until schools began to develop for individual interest in urban areas. This in turn led to the rise of “higher learning” and the development of universities all over Europe. Because the Europeans were able to get access to classical text, they began to expand upon the ideas of philosophy and science that they had read about and studied.

With the intellectual revival taking place, it leads to the expansion of the appreciation of literature, and the arts. Poetry and drama became very popular especially with the increases usage of vernacular languages (French, German, and English). The arts movement also lead to unique and beautiful architecture. The unique form was known as “gothic”, which was used on many cathedrals throughout Europe. There was also a revival of Ancient roman architecture.

It is easy to say that the High Middle ages was a glorious time in European history and will always be remembered for being so. The ideas that developed during this time are still with us today.