Defining Historical Terms: From Washington to Puritanism - Essay Example

Hamilton eventually rose to the position of Secretary of the Treasury under President Washington, influencing Congressional action with his authorship of the Federalist Papers and his stern belief in a more balanced and financially fair system of government expenditures.

George Washington
An early and notable military leader during the war for American independence, Washington eventually rose to become the first president of the United States. A devout American patriot, Washington was respected by many citizens at that time as both a strong military might and a fair potential president. Despite Washington's retirement to Mount Vernon before being elected the first American president, he remained influential in many governmental matters until he died in 1797, supporting the idea that Congress should fund the debt of the nation.

Anne Hutchinson
An early puritanical leader, Hutchinson maintained somewhat radical religious beliefs for that time, eventually establishing a bible study lesson for citizens who had migrated to the New World in the 1600s. Her viewpoints on religion eventually caused her to be banished from the early colonial society, however, her progressive thinking about religion serves, today, as a map for the evolution of religious beliefs in early colonial America.

The Boston Tea Party
Angry over Britain's imposition of excessive taxation, colonial Americans opened up crates of tea, which was set for exportation to other nations, and dumped it into the harbor to prevent England from receiving profit and taxes on the tea. The colonists were also angry that imported tea distributors/manufacturers were not paying import taxes, which could have assisted the economy of early America. This act enraged England and is noted as the starting point for the Revolutionary War.

No Taxation without Representation
Angry over Britain's constant imposition of taxes on the colonists without their approval, the term no taxation without representation involved the early colonial American belief that taxes cannot and should not be expected to be paid (or acknowledged) without some form of governmental representation that speaks on behalf of citizens. While England maintained its grip tightly on the colonists in the mid to late 1700s, colonists argued that they did not influence the British Parliament, therefore they were merely victims of

England's tyrannical imposition of excess taxes. This phrase represented the stern desire of the colonists to have governmental influence before accepting new taxation.

Puritanism
This represents a religious movement by which individuals wished to become separate from the church of England, believing in a new sanctity of religious worship and religious scriptures. During this period, the Catholic church in Europe was considerably strong and influential, and the Puritans believed in a different set of religious doctrines than the church of that time. To escape persecution for not accepting the English church, many of these brave individuals came to the New World to establish a more pure system of religious devotion. This movement built much of the beliefs of the early American colonists during the late 1600s and most of the 1700s. Read More