John Josselyn's Account of Two Voyages to New-England : Made during the Years 1638, 1663: http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/aj/id/9153
Travis Northern
English 327
Dr. Coronado
25 March 2016
An Informative Account
Early Puritan and
colonial literature constitutes some of what we consider to be official
American history of the time. In almost
all academic courses related to the early history of the American colonies,
multiple literary accounts of specific events are strung together within the
curriculum to establish a baseline of historical events. This tactic is the optimal way to teach
information to students and historians, as the comparison and contrast of information and
perspectives gives well-rounded insight into the people of the time. In regard to relevant perspective and
informational data, there are multiple works of literature from the 17th
and 18th centuries that deserve to be recognized and integrated within
the academic curriculum and historical societies that have not been published
widely. Namely, John Josselyn’s Account
of Two Voyages to New-England : Made during the Years 1638, 1663 is an obscure public journal that could contribute
greatly to a student’s understanding of the American colonies through
literature. John Josselyn’s Account deserves to be recognized amongst the canon of early
American literature because it contains a massive amount of information about
the people, the nature, and the history of the American colonies, as well as
providing a view of the information from a unique perspective of the time.
John Josselyn was born
in Essex, England in 1608. He was born
into a family with substantial income, and was able to indulge in medicine and
botany as a result of his fortunate circumstances (Background 1). Though the reason why he visited the New
World is not officially known, his first trip in 1638 involved making contact
with his brother, who was an influential member of the colonial government in
Maine. Josselyn’s stay only lasted a few
months before he returned to England.
During his travels, he recorded information regarding the day-to-day
events that occurred during the sailing trip, such as the aquatic life they
encountered, the weather they endured, and the diseases they overcame. After about two months of sailing, they
finally arrived at the New World, where Josselyn was intrigued by the nature he
encountered. The first recorded instance
where this becomes apparent is when Josselyn encounters a wolf early during his
stay. Some of their goats had fallen
prey to the beast, so he followed the wolf’s path to gain “further discovery,”
remarking that it was “very observable, that when the wolves have killed a
beast, or a hog, not a dog-wolf amongst them offers to eat any of it, till the
she-wolves have filled their paunches” (Josselyn 21). In this endeavor, Josselyn notes an
interesting hunting dynamic in which the male wolves will prioritize the female
wolves and allow them to eat first. His
commentary over the incident shows just how much the observation piqued his
interest, and this study of nature is something that he developed much further
during his second journey.
He embarked on his
second journey in 1663. Over the course
of eight years, his desire to learn information about the New World led him to
observe and record great amounts of information about a variety of subjects. Much of his writing during the second journey
is focused on the flora and fauna of the New World, as this was his primary
subject of expertise as a naturalist. While
recording the first voyage, he only mentions the aquatic life in passing. Here he provides a list of all the documented
types of aquatic creatures he could discover, and goes into detail of his
knowledge of each animal. Additionally,
he elaborates on the different land creatures and plant life he encountered
during his time spent in the New World. He
even clarifies that creatures such as mice were native to the land while rats
were a foreign species brought over by the Europeans (Josselyn 94). This book is full of observations of the
flora and fauna residing in the American colonies, providing some insight into
how people treated and used different plants and animals to improve their living
conditions. This could greatly benefit
any scholar’s education because it provides a host of information on the
relationship between the colonists and nature.
Including it within an anthology of early American literature regarding biology
would help play a role in providing data to be compared and contrasted with
different explorer’s accounts and records, and students could draw from the
comparisons to make conclusions about the relationship between humans and
nature during the early 17th century.
Not only is John
Josselyn’s Account of Two Voyages to New
England full of information on the natural environment of the New World, it
also provides observations Josselyn noted about the culture of the Native
Americans and the European colonists.
Josselyn records his
observations of multiple facets of the Native American tribes. Some of the information he learned through
the stories of other colonists, but some he learned by witnessing their
behavior himself. He writes about their attire,
housing, diets, hunting methods, lifespan, religion, and economy. He writes about specific instances of torture
methods, such as when he describes the treatment of Mohawk prisoners of war by
their opponents, which Josselyn calls "the Eastern Indians":
They bind him to a tree and make a great fire before
him, then with sharp knives
they cut off the first joints
of his fingers and toes…so they
cut him to pieces joint
after joint. (Josselyn 114)
Josselyn’s use of graphic detail helps place the reader in the moment and
aids them in their understanding of the situation through gripping
description. Writing strategies such as these combined with the presentation of information would enhance any readers’ education of the Native American
culture during the time of the American colonies. The detailed socio-political notes and
observations on the people’s lifestyles could broaden the painting of the
Native Americans for modern scholars and historians while the interesting
description and broad, overarching information make the work accessible to
students. There’s plenty to learn within
this piece of work for almost any reader, and its addition to the canon of
early American literature would help expand the material’s distribution.
During the time of Josselyn’s second voyage
to the Americas, a new religious and political system had established itself
within the colonies. The Puritans, a
sect of English protestants who left Europe because they considered the church
reformations to be inadequate and underdeveloped, set sail for the Americas in
the 1620’s and 1630’s (Puritans 2). When
Josselyn spent eight years in the colonies in 1663, he experienced many facets
of the Puritan culture. He recounts the history of John Winthrop and his
Puritan followers settling within the Massachusetts Bay colony. He discusses topics including their government, laws, ethnic
backgrounds, diseases, and physical features.
Being the naturalist he is, he even provides detail about the
domesticated animals and medicinal plants, both of which the colonists have
symbiotic relationships with. However, some
of his most significant notes focus on the relationship between the church and government.
Puritanism had a major influence
on colonial American culture, as it was the northern colonies’ most predominant
religious power throughout the 17th and 18th centuries (Kang
148). By 1640, “Ministers had great
political influence, and civil authorities exercised a large measure of control
over church affairs” (Kang 148). The political
power of Puritan ministers signifies how politics and religion were tightly interwoven,
and the importance of civil authority demonstrates how values of the majority influenced
the values of the ruling power. The colonies’
cultures were a product of Puritan rule, and Josselyn’s perspective of the Puritan
rule in his Account was taken to be quite
controversial in Europe. Josselyn’s work
wasn’t well-received by his target audience due to his criticism of the Puritan
society overseas, and knowledge of the writing was kept minimal throughout
history as a result (Background 2).
Josselyn shows how harshly
the Puritans rule when he outlines the crime and punishment laws enforced in the
colonies. He says “For being drunk, they
either whip or impose a fine of five shillings; [this is also the case] for swearing and cursing, or
boring through the tongue with a hot iron” (Josselyn 137). He also mentions that whipping can be a possible
punishment for kissing a woman in the street, and that the punishment for adultery is
death (Josselyn 137). These harsh punishments
would normally be admissible and insignificant notes at the time, but Josselyn states
other examples that call the Puritan values into question. For example, he says that Quakers, Anabaptists,
and suspected witches are all punished, either by death, physical brutality, banishment,
or imprisonment (Josselyn 138). These people
are harshly punished because their beliefs differ with those of the dominant religion,
and making mention of that in Europe could cast a negative light on both the Puritans who
ruled the colonies and the Puritans who remained in Europe. Josselyn does not explicitly state that he disapproves
of the Puritan rule, but he mentions many issues that would imply a critique and
spark questioning amongst his audience. On
top of the crime and punishment, he also mentions that many of the colonists are
denied religious privileges if they can’t afford the hefty prices of joining the
church gatherings (Josselyn 138). Later in
the document, he points out the ludicrous pricing of goods for the working class
and how the economic system coerces the poor into excessive labor and forces them
to embrace alcoholism to cope with the pressure. These instances are examples Josselyn uses to implicitly
criticize the Puritan culture by showing examples of its flaws. It provides a new analysis from the mind of a minority thinker,
but it was repressed as a result. Students
and scholars would benefit from reading a perspective that was critical of the culture written
at the time when the Puritans were at their strongest.
Historically, the book provides
quite a bit of information for the modern reader as well. Not only does Josselyn describe the history and
geography of the specific towns and colonies within the text, but he also provides
a timeline of relevant events to punctuate his work. Occupying almost 50 pages, the timeline spans from
1320 to 1674, and includes information such as the rise of certain monarchs, the
discoveries of select countries, and the establishment of world orders that influenced
the formation of the American colonies. By
comparing this timeline to other historical records, readers can make observe what the 17th
century people knew of their own history, and how their beliefs and accounts measured
up against what modern historians know to be fact.
Additionally, readers are
able to intake the eyewitness account of a standard journey to the New World. Josselyn includes plenty of information regarding
the living conditions, required supplies, and travel methodology of the difficult
journey. This type of firsthand writing is
crucial to the integrity of what modern scholars know to be history. Other than archaeology, literature is the most
important key to understanding history. Recognizing
this specific account full of information, perspective, and cultural flavor on the
identity of the New World would greatly benefit the canon of early American literature.
Even though John Josselyn’s Account of Two Voyages to New-England : Made during the Years 1638, 1663 is very obscure, the book is extremely informational regarding multiple facets of colonial
America. It should be recognized within the classroom
because combining the stores of legitimate information with other literary
texts, students can gain a clearer understanding of the time period, naturally,
culturally, and historically.
There are mountains of
information contained within this book. Students
and historians can use many sections of the book to gain insight into
what the colonists knew and how they behaved at the time. One could draw from the naturalistic description
of colonial America to learn of the era’s perspective on biology, zoology, botany,
and medicine. One could draw from the acute
observations of societal patterns, religious structures, or cultural phenomena to
learn of the era’s perspective on morality, spirituality, and socio-economics. One could draw from the eyewitness account of history
in the making or from the recorded timeline of relevant events to learn what the
era’s people believed about their own past, present, and future. Such conclusions, drawn by comparing the individual
account to others in the canon of early American literature, could serve as interesting
or even invaluable pieces of school curriculum or scholarly databases. Partnering the information and perspectives with
other documents from the time can clear up inconsistencies and match facts in
order to gain a better understanding.
This is why it should be accepted with the canon of early American
literature, because pairing it with other works in the curriculum can teach
students intriguing and vital information about colonial America and its
people. John Josselyn’s Account deserves to be recognized
in this way because it contains a massive
amount of information about the people, the nature, and the history of the
American colonies, as well as providing a view of the information from a unique
perspective of the time. If historical literature
constitutes our official history, then this account should be included within that
realm of literature.
Works
Cited
"American
Journeys Background on An Account of Two Voyages to New-England Made during the
Years 1638, 1663." American Journeys Background on An Account of
Two Voyages to New-England. © 2016 Wisconsin Historical Society, n.d. Web.
07 Mar. 2016. <http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-107/summary/>.
Josselyn,
John, and William Veazie, Publisher. An Account of Two Voyages to
New-England : Made during the Years 1638, 1663 / by John Josselyn, Gent. Boston:
William Veazie, 1865. Print.
Kang,
Ning. "Puritanism and Its Impact upon American Values." Review
of European Studies 1.2 (2009): 148-51. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.
"People
& Ideas: The Puritans." PBS. PBS, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 26
Mar. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/puritans.html>.
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