Some of the first colonists in America were puritan. Before setting foot on land the puritan already knew that everyone, from England to the world, would be watching. If they failed, their religion would be mocked. If they failed, the none believers would have all the more reason to shame them. Worst of all, if they failed, their failure would be remembered throughout the ages as idiotic and full of incompetent people. John Winthrop, one of the first puritan, uses the fear of the colonists failure to motivate them to be "good" and succeed.
Throughout the text, John Winthrop tells the colonists that they are being used as an example by God. He says that God has gifted them with this opportunity to prove themselves. He then says that if they do something wrong God will withdraw that gift and let them rot to show everyone else that they were wrong. He lets everyone in the boat now that if they fail, their country, their enemies, and God himself will laugh at them and shame them to the end of time.
What John Winthrop is doing in this speech is what many parents do to their kids: scare them into behaving. Instead of using the threat of getting beat though he instead uses their worst fear: going to hell. Another way this could be seen is that Winthrop is making them nervous by letting them now that they are being watched, which should make them behave as their best self. John is trying to make them be an example through their fear and it worked.
Many people rule others in many ways. Some people rile through the love of their people, others rule through shear power, and John Winthrop choose to rule through fear. The reason many people use these methods is because they work, however, other methods are sometimes more or equally effective. Sometimes it is better to treat your people well and have them listen to you than to scare them into listening.
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