Humanism and America: An Intellectual History of English Colonisation, 1500–1625 (Ideas in Context, Series Number 67)

Andrew Fitzmaurice reveals that English expansion was profoundly neo-classical in its inspiration, and that humanist traditions were extremely influential in the early development of the American colonies. Until now, accounts of early American colonization, and of European colonization in general, have placed great emphasis upon the links between colonization and the aggressive agendas of modern times claimed by historians and literary scholars. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 11 CHAPTER 1 Introduction......Page 13 CHAPTER 2 The moral philosophy of Tudor colonisation......Page 32 TUDOR MORAL PHILOSOPHY: THE VITA ACTIVA AND CORRUPTION......Page 33 ALEXANDER BARCLAY’S SCEPTICISM......Page 37 JOHN RASTELL’S APOLOGY......Page 40 RICHARD EDEN’S PROJECTIONS......Page 44 THOMAS SMITH AND IRELAND......Page 47 HUMPHREY GILBERT’S PROJECTS......Page 51 THE MORAL PHILOSOPHY OF GILBERT’S PROJECTS......Page 59 WALTER RALEGH’S PROJECTS......Page 62 THE MORAL PHILOSOPHY OF RALEGH’S PROJECTS......Page 65 THE VIRGINIA COMPANY......Page 70 THE PARTICIPANTS......Page 74 THE VITA ACTIVA AND CORRUPTION......Page 79 MORAL PHILOSOPHY AFTER TOBACCO......Page 99 NEWFOUNDLAND AND NOVA SCOTIA......Page 104 NEW ENGLAND......Page 109 THE FOUNDATION OF COMMONWEALTHS......Page 114 LINGUISTIC POSSESSION......Page 123 PLAIN STYLE AND ‘ASIATIC’ CORRUPTION......Page 141 CHAPTER 5 Law and history......Page 149 RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIONS......Page 150 NATURAL LAW: RES NULLIUS, TRADE AND FRIENDSHIP......Page 152 CONQUEST AND JUST WAR......Page 158 LEGAL HUMANISM......Page 160 NOSTALGIA FOR NATIVE VIRTUES......Page 169 THE DENIAL OF DISPOSSESSION......Page 176 CHAPTER 6 The Machiavellian argument for colonial possession......Page 179 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, THE TEMPEST......Page 183 JOHN SMITH......Page 189 CHAPTER 7 Conclusion......Page 199 PRIMARY SOURCES......Page 207 SECONDARY SOURCES......Page 211 Index......Page 220 Humanism and America provides a major study of the impact of the Renaissance and Renaissance humanism upon the English colonization of America. The analysis is conducted through an interdisciplinary examination of a broad spectrum of writings on colonization, ranging from the works of Thomas More to those of the Virginia Company. Andrew Fitzmaurice shows that English expansion was profoundly neo-classical in inspiration, and he excavates the distinctively humanist tradition that informed some central issues of colonization: the motivations of wealth and profit, honour and glory; the nature of and possibilities for liberty; and the problems of just title, including the dispossession of native Americans. Dr Fitzmaurice presents a colonial tradition which, counter to received wisdom, is often hostile to profit, nervous of dispossession and desirous of liberty. Only in the final chapters does he chart the rise of an aggressive, acquisitive and possessive colonial ideology. Humanism and America is the first major study of the impact of Renaissance humanism upon the English colonisation of America. Andrew Fitzmaurice conducts his analysis through an interdisciplinary examination of a broad spectrum of writings, ranging from the works of Thomas More to those of the Virginia Company

a Major Study Of The Impact Of Renaissance Humanism Upon The English Colonization Of America.