The
Human Tradition in the Atlantic World 1500-1850,
by Karen Racine and Beatrice G. Mamigonian, introduces the reader to fifteen
separate individuals that embodied the nature of the Atlantic World. In order
to fully understand the many theories that abounds about cultural integration
and metamorphosis one must study the individuals that land among these
situations. One of the more intriguing personas that are provided is that of John
Billington and his family[1]. Billington
and his family are prime examples of how the Atlantic drew in the common man
with promises of wealth and prosperity. Although not every man was successful
in his endeavor, with which Billington experienced firsthand, not every man
molded the society with which he lived either.
Billington was not an African, Indian, or
other minority, he was a white man from desperate parts in England. Billington
and his family were, in essence, indentured servants, not to an individual, but
“the Company”[2].
Because opportunities were extremely lacking and overcrowding was pushing the
economic divide further and further apart, he took the only possible path he
believed would provide a way for himself and his family to finally move vertically
within the world: the New World.
The Billington family embodies
the idea of Ethnogenesis described by James Sidbury and Jorge
Canizares-Esguerra in Mapping
Ethnogenesis in the Early Modern Atlantic[3].
Ethnogenesis forms when individuals “reembed[sic] themselves into communities, creating
new identities”[4].
This notion is not overly examined like that of creolization with Africans and Indians,
but native Europeans also experienced similar cultural shock and transformations.
The Billington family
left a mark on the Plymouth Plantation; whether it was good or bad is up to
interpretation. They were stripped of everything they knew and thrust into a
wild country surrounded by a group of people, the Separatists who haled from Holland
and had an opposite belief system, signed a labor contract that would last for seven
years and were considered to be the lowliest of people within the group[5]. Surrounded by everything unknown, Billington
fought to preserve his identity and that of his family as well, mainly by retaining
their loyalty to the Church of England. This loyalty did not sit well with the dominating
religious Separatist conviction, and thus the Billington’s were treated less then
equal. The Seperatist tried to break the Billington family into conforming more
to their liking by excluding Billington from any position of influence and giving
the family the “smallest per capita allotment in the entire colony”[6]. In
essence, the family was being persecuted by those fleeing from persecution. They
were bullied but did not give into the religious stance that surrounded them. They
may have lived among the Separatist people, socialized and followed the laws to
an extent, but they held on to their beliefs.
The Billington family situation
is an example of intra-European ethnogenesis[7], which
developed when separate European nationals came together within the same community.
The Billington’s had to bend within reason to the demands of the larger population
and adapt accordingly, however unwillingly, in order to survive. Although hardship
followed them, they stayed the course, and “despite many setbacks and complaints”[8] , they
never stopped pursuing opportunity. The Billington
family left a mark within the Plymouth community that was sour but may be looked
upon today as a push for true freedom.
[1] Racine,Karen. “Chapter 2: John
Billington and His Family (c. 1582-1630), Doomed “Knave” of Plymouth
Plantation”. The Human Tradition in the Atlantic World, 1500–1850. Rowman
& Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2010.
Pg. 13-26. <http://lib.myilibrary.com?ID=292261> (accessed June
14, 2012).
[2]
Racine, 15.
[3]
Sidbury, James, and Jorge Canizares-Esguerra. "Mapping Ethnogenesis in the
Early Modern Atlantic." The William
and Mary Quarterly, Vol 68, No 2. Pg 181-208. JSTOR. Omohundro
Institute of Early American History and Culture, Apr. 2011. Web. 14 June 2012.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5309/willmaryquar.68.2.0181>.
[4] Sidbury,
185.
[5] Racine,
16.
[6] Racine,
20.
[7] Sidbury,
203.
[8] Racine
20.
Your post was very interesting and informing. I especially liked how you chose a European who moved to the New World as the topic for your essay on Atlantic people. Your quote that John Billington and his family, "“reembed themselves into communities, creating new identities” was interesting because Billington and his family in one way retained their distinct identity as loyalists to the Church of England in the New World, but were still able to adapt to their situation of living near Separatists (Sidbury, 185). As you noted, even though the Europeans moved to the New World to start a new life, they still retained much of their cultural baggage - such as former identity and prejudices. Though I enjoyed your topic, I believe you could have elaborated more on the connection of John Billington and his family to Sidbury's concept - nice job.
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