Imagery and Exceptionalism in New England :: American History Essays

Imagery and Exceptionalism in New England Jonas Clarke, the minister of the Congregational church in Lexington, Massachusetts, entertain guests at his home the evening of April 18, 1775. The two guests that Clarke hosted were seeking a safe haven from British authorities. His guests, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, discussed strategy with Clarke concerning the conflict with Britain as they attempted to take note their location secret from the British. Supposedly, Great Britain planned to capture these two radicals in hopes of terminating the colonial confrontation. A messenger on horseback interrupted their meeting, writes Clarke. Then came an present in writing stating that eight or nine officers of the kings troops were seen just before night passing the road toward Lexington, in a musing, contemplative posture, and it was suspected they were out on some evil design. Adams and Hancock took heed of this advanced warning and escaped Lexington before the redcoats appeared in t he town. Clarke knew they would be arriving soon, and headed to the hamlet green to help assemble the townspeople for the expected confrontation. As the clock struck 200 A.M., the minister helped order the villagers into position. Many on the green were members of his church, and he knew that they were prepared to fight if violence broke out. For weeks, Clarke had groomed his congregation with images of the hardships of their forefathers, and their hopes of a land of freedom, and he was certain that the residents of Lexington would hold fast against the British forces if necessary. After the modify between the colonists and the redcoats the morning of the nineteenth, seven lay dead on the town square, some of whom were his parishioners. However, Clarke remained positive that this fight was an important one, and that his congregation wouldcontinue to support resistance to the British tyranny that now was endemic within the colonies.Jonas Clarke used his sermon as a method of persua sion to garner support for the resistance lawsuit against Great Britain. During his orations, he hoped to invoke a feeling of duty within his congregation. Clarke intended that the sense of duty, in turn, would provoke his listeners to defend Americas rebellion. He used vivid images of the ancient Israelites and the colonists ancestors to depict the struggles they encountered in the past. By doing so, Clarke hoped to show his worshippers the exceptionalism of America.