Introduction Exercise
Practice Writing an Introduction
Preliminary Questions
(Answer AFTER reading the short essay and BEFORE writing the introduction)
1) What are the three main points? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2) Where in the intro should you summarize these three main points? ___________________________________________________________
3) In what order should the three main points be in this sentence? __________________________________________________________________
Introduction: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Thesis Statement: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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One reason that many Pilgrims left their homes in England was to search for employment in the New World. Jobs were scarce in England and land was becoming very expensive, so Pilgrims flocked to the Americas searching to become farmers or tradesmen. Still mostly a wild frontier, the New World offered plenty of work to any who were willing to brave the rough and primitive conditions of early settlements. In the New World, men worked as farmers and in trades such as blacksmithing, tanning, carpentry, and gunsmithing. After the Colonies became a more settled and established society, trades also branched out to include printing, tailoring, gold-smithing, and wig-making. The diligent work-ethic and environment of the New World was quickly established and is described well in the words of Captain John Smith, "Here every man may be master and owner of his owne labour and land...If he have nothing but his hands, he may...by industrie quickly grow rich."
However, many men did not seek work and employment in the New World, but sought instead the adventures that a wild and untamed land might provide. Many veterans of the British Army and Navy with few family ties in England sought to escape the mundane life in the Mother Country and find excitement in a land of wild animals and unknown peoples. One well-known colonial adventurer was Captain John Smith who used his military background and daring spirit to forge the way for future colonists. However, many other adventurous men made up the exploring parties that paved the road for the colonizing of America.
But, perhaps the most significant and well-known motivation for braving the wilderness and difficulties of the New World was to escape the religious persecution of Europe and England and to worship God freely. With the invention of movable type printing in 1455, and the translation of the Bible into English, people were learning for themselves the truth of God’s Word and rejecting the doctrines of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. The new call for religious freedom and a desire to understand God’s Truth caused increased religious persecution in Europe and individuals began seeking escape. The wide open land of the New World was beckoning and the Puritans and Separatists sought passage to a new life and a place where they could build communities and raise their children under the teaching of God’s Word.