Jamestown was on the verge of collapse following an inability to control freedom of the incoming settlers
Multiple scientific, political, intellectual and cultural changes happened during the renaissance period (between 14th and 17th century) in Europe. Classical learning, for example, was reborn to become a vital tool in informing the growth of arts and literature in Europe in addition to pioneering the innovations of the printing press and gunpowder that would be widely used in future generations. Politically, the intellectual and scientific inventions realized during this period played a crucial role in facilitating the English government to extend its territories by conquering new lands abroad. In the current United States territory, the British` first permanent settlement happened in Jamestown VA, courtesy of James Smith who led the government to the new land. Despite being previously being imprisoned for allegations of attempting to overthrow the king, Smith`s arrival in Jamestown would transform the area into an economically viable locality where both the settlers and residents felt secure.
The realization of new lands where people could exercise their freedom greatly appealed to the victims of religious and political persecutions in England. The puritans who had led distension from the Church of England and pioneered the formation of the Anglican Church, for example, felt highly threatened following a series of persecutions from the Church of England. For this reason, the puritans and the pilgrims took advantage of Smith`s success in Jamestown to escape in search of a place where they could enjoy their freedom of worship. With the two religious groups struggling for dominance in the new region, they had to find a solution that would define their co-existence in Jamestown. Inspired by Calvinism, the two religions sought to understand the law after which they would later result in covenants that would guide their presence in the new land.
By 1620, the once prosperous Jamestown was on the verge of collapse following an inability to control freedom of the incoming settlers. Both religions had understood that the fall of the previously prosperous Jamestown colony had been inspired by the unrestricted freedom and hence feared a repeat of the situation they had escaped in Europe. For this reason, they came up with the Mayflower compact in a bid to protect their Biblical beliefs as well as ensuring that people with different beliefs lived coexisted in peace (Bradford). The 1620 Mayflower compact was not only the first covenant that linked politics and religion but also established the law that would guide the new settlement in Virginia after the unexpected fall of Jamestown colony. The document, primarily aimed at promoting civil adherence, also ensured that old ideologies such as the observance of Biblical directions were maintained. Being the earliest covenant document in the United States, the document would later become an essential pillar to Americans in affirming the belief that governments are covenants that require support and validation for effectiveness.
The renaissance era also affirmed the need for defining liberty from the perspective of God-given freedoms as well as the limitations created by the civil and moral law. John Winthrop, a magistrate accused of misuse of authority and later acquitted of the charges, delivered a historic speech in 1645 to the general court that would completely distinguish between the two confusing aspects (Winthrop 280-81). He argued that human beings have a natural freedom that is inherently blessed by God, but the application of the liberty is self-centred and self-driven. He believed that magistrates and the country at large need to have specific civil/moral laws that guide their actions and behavior. Such legislation would allow the citizens and magistrates and citizens to become obedient without being overcome by natural liberties and self-centeredness. On the matter of the relationship between a state and religion; however, he argued that the relationship between the natural and federal law does not warrant the democratic separation of a state from the church.
In the 17th century, however, different leaders and scholars would come up with different opinions that would oppose Winthrop`s arguments. One of such leaders, for example, is Roger Williams, who argued in favor of civil obedience alongside religious tolerance. He used a metaphor of the Jews, Turks, papists and Protestants to note that an ideal society is created when all religious groups are allowed to freely perform their sacred rituals while being excused from performing worship rites belonging to other sects. Despite his arguments for religious tolerance, Williams still believed on the need for order attainable through the enforcement of civil laws.
The three colonial writers, Williams Bradford, Rodger Williams and John Winthrop, contributed significantly to the modern political ideologies adopted in America. The doctrine of separating the church and the state envisioned by Williams, for example, is the cornerstone to the current American Democracy. The proposal to use moral and civil regulations for the moderation of natural liberties, on the other hand, forms the basis of judicial proceedings in America today. Finally, the example of the 1620 Mayflower compact under John Smith`s leadership has been followed in the creation of peaceful relations between different religious and political fronts in the Modern USA.