First Day of Lectures

20.6.2018 Amherst. Kirjoitan osan suomeksi ja osan englanniksi.

It is time to show more pictures of our ITD-House. I live here for the next 3 weeks. Tässä kuvia ITD-talosta. Asun täällä 9 muun osallistujan kanssa. Tämän talon rakennutti New Yorkilainen hattutehtailija kesäasunnokseen 1800-luvun puolivälissä. Hän rakennuttiin viereen talon poikansa perheelle.

 

House of the other 10 participants.

Amherst, ITD-House, at 11pm in the night.

Today we had a fieldtrip to historical Deerfield. We started with a lecture of professor Frank Couvares about Puritans and Religious Pluralism in America. Professor Couvares was inspiring lecturer, who could open new visions in our minds of the important historical era of religious settlers moving into new world and starting colonies. Originally English puritans believed that their mission was to create a new commonwealth working hard together. Puritans wanted to create a perfect christian society. In this devotion to perfection they started to argue with each other. This lead to creation of new religious movements, arguments and critical thinking. Individualism started to clearly visible in early american society. In turned the society into mission to work hard together and still fulfill your individual visions of prosperity in life.

Work was the prayer for early puritan settlers. Protestant work ethics became deep into peoples mindset. At the same time there was a huge mix of religions emerging in the U.S. Plurality of religion started to evolve. At the same time puritans who worked hard started to get wealthier. The population of puritans started to grow. Some settlers of poorer locations remained poor. This led to unequal distribution of wealth and conflicts in the society. There were witch hunts and violence. The ideal puritan society actually never existed. The devotion to perfection led to misery and plurality. This conflict of ideas, religions, devotions, political arguments and uneven distribution of wealth lead finally to conflict with Britain and to the Declaration of Independence of the States. Colonies had gained wealth, they had learned to work independently in their remote society.

Mr. Couvares pointed out to us that one religion leads to tyranny, two religions lead to civil war and many religions lead to pluralism. You can not have only one viewpoint, you have to negotiate. By the founding of United States it was impossible to form a society which based the unity of only one religion. In the Declaration of Independence James Madison wrote that God had set our minds free. Freedom became the leading religion in the United States. Freedom of mind led to many religions, people needed to defend their viewpoint and religion. That is why religion is very important for the people today in the U.S.

Barbara Mathews. Native Americans. 

Barbara Mathews told us the native american story when leading us through historical Deerfield. I admire her passion and devotion telling the native american story to the public. We really understood the historical perspectives of both sides. Indians were struggling for their lives and willing to negotiate and make compromises.

Kuvia historiallisesta Deerfieldistä. Deerfield on historiallinen alue, johon siirrettiin rakennuksia, jotta saatiin aikaan autenttinen kuva siirtolaisuudesta. Kaduilla ei ole sähköjohtoja, ne on kaapeloitu. Puustosta pidetään huolta, jotta näkymä on mahdollisimman alkuperäinen. Kaupungissa todella tulee tunne, että kävelee historiallisessa näkymässä.  Viktoriaanisen ajan rakennukset siirrettiin pääkadulta pois (1800-luvun rakennukset). Paikalle siirrettiin 1600-1700-luvun rakennuksia, jotta alkuperäinen tunnelma saatiin aikaan.

 

 Pictures from Mt. Sugerloaf. Connecticut river. We went there for a quick view to this valley where the first early European settlers resided. This is one of those most fertile valleys in the world. In the valley there was a well-to-do Native American population before European population arrived.

Näkymä Mt. Sugerloafin huipulta Connecticut joen laaksoon. Laakso oli yksi parhaista maanviljelysalueista, johon eurooppalaiset asettuivat asumaan. Laaksossa oli hyvin toimeentuleva intiaaniväestö. Intiaanien erilainen maanomistuskäsitys sekä kyvyttömyys kestää eurooppalaisia sairauksia, johtivat väestökatoon sekä kulttuurin ja yhteisön tuhoon. Kohtaaminen johti konflikteihin, toisaalta intiaanit pyrkivät löytämään neuvotteluratkaisuja.

In the evening we had a welcoming party at our ITD-House. The weather was great, we could spent the evening outside on the front balcony. At the end we ended up dancing there! It was so much fun. Before going to sleep I watched a film about the Independece time and finished my readings (Constitution of the U.S, Declaration of Independence, "Individualism" by Torqueville and "Real American: A Memoir" by Julie Lythcott-Haims.) At the final end I tried to write this blog for a while :) It was a long day.. I have the feeling I was here already several weeks, even though it is Wednesday the first week.