John Winthrop sailed to America to begin a new form of government and to worship God without persecution. He believed their new government would one day be an example for all other nations. History has shown Winthrop laid the foundation for generations to come.
In 1588 John Winthrop was born in Suffolk, England, the only son of Anne and Adam Winthrop of Groton Manor. He grew up in a rural setting of rolling hills, wheat fields, and ponds. He was privately tutored until he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, at age 14. After two years of study, he returned to Groton estate to learn to run the estate.
His father was a fabric businessman. They lived in the manor because his grandfather had purchased the estate, formerly the Abby of Burt St. Edmunds, when the land came for sale after Henry VIII had taken possession of all the monasteries.
At seventeen Winthrop married Mary Worth, the daughter of an Essex nobleman. Mary birthed six children in ten years and then died suddenly. John married a second wife within six months, and she died on their first anniversary. A year later he married his third wife, Margaret. She has been called “one of the most appealing women in all American history.” She was a woman of faith, as well as beauty and graciousness. John treasured her and their friendship and always wrote her love letters when he was away.
While he oversaw the manor, he studied law in London to give him the expertise to handle landlord-tenant disputes, collect rents, and deal with government authorities.
Winthrops were a strong Puritan family. When the Puritans’ persecution increased, a group (including John Winthrop, age 42) sailed aboard the Arabella to begin a settlement in America: the Massachusetts Bay Company. John’s son Henry had been rebellious, so John thought the new world would be good for him.
Winthrop wrote his sermon, "A Model of Christian Charity," while enroute. "We shall be a city set on a hill," he wrote. He described a harmonious Christian community whose laws and government would progress from a godly and purposeful arrangement.
After a two-month voyage, the Puritans arrived in Salem, Massachusetts (though Winthrop later moved them to Boston harbor). The area was forest wilderness except for small clearings from previous settlers. Many refused to stay. Some arrived with no supplies while others’ supplies had spoiled. Henry drowned in a river within a week. It was a rough beginning many could not handle.
Winthrop took control by example. He built shelters and organized a food supply. He was confident God was with them and would help them succeed in America.
He sent a ship to England for food. During the winter hundreds died. The whole company was on the brink of starvation. In February, John reached into a barrel for the last handful of grain when someone spotted the ship of supplies. That day John proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God.
More died and more returned to England. Even the British investors pulled out.
Winthrop took his own estate-sale money to buy provisions. That next year Winthrop fed the colony, and his wife and children arrived.
During the next ten years, twenty thousand settlers arrived in Massachusetts. Winthrop governed them as his own children. He required they treat the Indians with dignity and respect. Massachusetts existed because of John Winthrop’s courage, faith, and sacrifice. Even secular historians praise his kindness, wisdom, and leadership, and agree John Winthrop was one of the princes of our civilization.
Cotton Mather, an American Puritan, nicknamed John Winthrop “an American Nehemiah.” Winthrop, like Nehemiah, left his home to share the difficulties of his fellow Christians in an ungodly society. Both praying men sought God’s guidance in their lives and thanked Him for their successes.
We Give Thee But Thine Own