LIT 110: American Literature to Mid-1800s
Learning Unit 1: Audio
Why Did They Come?
Speaker: Rhonda Eakins
The Lure of America
There is a region in the southern part of Arizona often called “The Devil’s Highway.” Hundreds of wouldbe emigrants from Mexico, coming into the country illegally, have traveled this “road.” Many have died
of thirst and exposure along the way. They risk their lives – and often the lives of their families – for one
primary reason: to get to America. This country has long been a type of “promised land,” and though the
reality may never live up to the expectations, people keep coming. You’ve seen similar stories on the
news: trucks filled with illegal immigrants, less-than-sea-worthy boats sinking under the weight of
emigrants trying to make it to the American shore—stories that often end in tragedy. So why do they do
it? Why risk everything to get here? Why give up the only life you have previous known for the sake of a
life in a place that you have never been before?
This question could very well have been asked of those people who boarded somewhat rickety ships
hundreds of years ago for the sake of arriving in a “New World.” They came for a variety of reasons from
a variety of places, but all of them had a vision in their minds of what this “New World” would be.
In their book From Puritanism to Postmodernism, Richard Ruland and Malcom Bradbury explain that the
idea of America existed in the European imagination long before any such place was actually
“discovered” by European adventurers. They point out that “the idea of a western land which was terra
incognita, outside and beyond history” was part of the Western imagination. Ruland and Bradbury go on
to say that “the idea of America as an exceptional place somehow different from all others endures to
this day, but it is not a myth of modern American nationalism or recent political rhetoric. It is an
invention of Europe, as old as Western history itself.” (4-5).
A Brief Overview of Motives:
Though people came for a variety of reasons, and often motives were mixed and complex, it is helpful to
look at the primary motivators that brought people to this New World. We will take a very cursory look
at some of the motives, but we will concentrate our examination on those who came primarily for
religious reasons.
1. Economic Motives: Though those who came to seek a profit often espoused more noble reasons
(such as spreading the Gospel). The time period around the 16th and 17th Centuries was a time when
many European countries struck out to conquer other lands, exploiting their riches and establishing a
national foothold. Even if they did so under the guise of spreading Christianity, often this was just a way
of legitimizing their imperialistic motives. A full discussion of this motive will have to be reserved for a
history class, but I do want to touch very briefly on two colonial efforts. In 1594, Sir Walter Raleigh
founded the colony of Roanoke. This effort was part of a somewhat stilted publicity campaign, but the
main motive was quick profit. The colony only lasted about a year, and then it “disappeared.”
Jamestown was founded in 1607, the result of investment by Joint Stock Trading Companies. Individuals
invested and received 100 acres as a fee and another 100 acres when the grant was seated. Individuals
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LIT 110: American Literature to Mid-1800s
Learning Unit 1: Audio
also got 50 acres for each man transported to the new world. The people who came were more
adventurers than farmers, and they lacked a family unit basis. Half died the first year. The colony came
very close to collapse. Those remaining eventually started growing tobacco. The first Africans were sold
in the colony in 1619. The colonists also set up the first Virginia Assembly, a type of representative
government. So this colony embarked down two on two opposing roads: 1 - Representative political
institutions, and 2 - slavery. This obvious moral contradiction remained at the heart of the American
experience.
2. Political Motives: There were obvious political and nationalistic motives in colonizing the New
World. Several European countries were vying for dominance in the global arena, and the New World
was a major piece of that geo-political prize. While world dominance may have motivated the powerful
rulers who encouraged colonization, the individuals who came may have also had some political
motives. Some of the adventurers had read utopian literature and wanted to pattern their societies
accordingly. The New World was a place to “start from scratch” politically. They hoped to “get it right”
this time.
3. Social Motives: For some European powers, the colonies became a convenient way to get rid of
what they considered “human offal.” Some saw the colonies as a way to rid their own countries of
criminals, mentally ill, and the severely impoverished.
4. Involuntary Immigration: We do need to keep in mind that not everyone who came to the New
World did so voluntarily. Enslaved man and women ended up in a world they neither desired nor
understood.
5. Religious Motivation: To have a truly adequate understanding of the religious motivations that
compelled people to leave their civilized lives in England and sail for a totally foreign wilderness, one
would have to go back to the English Reformation. Our purposes here do not allow for such a thorough
examination, so we will just hit the highlights. During the time of the emigration to the New World,
England had an official state church – aptly named the Church of England. (This church was established
under Henry VIII when he broke from Catholicism in order to marry Anne Boleyn – but that’s another
story). The Reformation as a whole, of course, was a break with Roman Catholicism over major doctrinal
and ecclesiastical issues. (This is all very complicated, so we also won’t get into that right now). The two
primary shapers of the Protestant movement as a whole were Martin Luther and John Calvin. With his
emphasis on salvation by faith alone, Luther’s influence on all subsequent Protestant thought is
immeasurable. But it is John Calvin’s theology that we want to examine because the thinking of the
English puritans and separatists (Don’t worry; we’ll define those terms later on) was largely influenced
by Calvinist doctrine. Calvinism is often defined by five major points:
1. Total Depravity of Humanity: This generally means that through the fall of humanity in
the Garden of Eden (i.e. original sin), human beings became totally corrupt (not without value
but totally corrupted from God’s original design and intention). As a result of their sinful nature,
human beings by their nature deserve punishment.
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LIT 110: American Literature to Mid-1800s
Learning Unit 1: Audio
2. Unconditional Election: Salvation is not through human effort or works. God has elected
(chosen) to provide grace to those whom He chooses. Grace is a gift of God rather than a result
of human effort.
3. Limited Atonement: A select number of people receive atonement for sins. Atonement is
through the intercession of Christ. This is also referred to as predestination. (It should be noted
that because the Puritans were constantly looking for evidence of their election, self-analysis
and self-reflection are reflected in much that they wrote, particularly the journals and diaries).
4. Irresistible Grace: Those fortunate enough to be among the elect are subject to god’s grace
in a manner that they cannot resist. Salvation is unaffected by action.
5. Perseverance of the Saints: A person whom God elects cannot then become “unsaved.”
This is a type of “once saved, always saved” idea.
6. The Two Groups: The settlers that came to the New World held a common motivation. Both groups
were dissatisfied with the Church of England. Generally, they felt that the church had drifted away from
truly worshipping God and become too influenced by Catholic practices. Some people wanted to
separate from the Church (“Separatists”), while others wanted to purify it (“Puritans”). Both groups
were subject to persecution within England because to disagree with the official church of the state was
also a political problem. The dissenters wanted to worship God in a right manner, and they decided to
do so in the New World. The first group to land was the Pilgrims. They were a small group of Separatists,
led by William Bradford, who landed in Plymouth, MA in 1620. They were followed a few years later
(1629) by the Puritans, led by John Winthrop, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Between
1629 and 1640, approximately 20,000 Puritans arrived on the shores of New England. They became the
single most influential group in the Colonial Era. It is essential, therefore, to understand their thinking,
and the way their ideas and practices shaped who we are today.
© Rhonda Eakins and Indian Hills Community College
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