In John Winthrop’s “Speech to the General Court,” he addresses a political mistake that he and some of his fellow magistrates committed while he was deputy-governor of Massachusetts. His political mistake was interfering in a local election of a militia officer, for which he was later acquitted after facing impeachment charges. The speech addresses several key topics: authority originates from God, human leaders are not perfect, government as a covenant, and finally, liberty. However, liberty, from John Winthrop’s lens, is not the freedom to act without restraint but to live morally under legitimate authority, in which he uses religious doctrine, theology, and analogies to justify the power of Puritan government.

Winthrop suggests that government officials derive their authority from God, even if they’re elected by the people: “Being called by you, we have our authority from God” (Winthrop), which reflects the Puritan belief that a portion of political authority is derived from God’s divine order. The speech emphasizes that human leaders are not perfect and therefore, elected leaders reflect those who elected them in the first place: “when you take magistrates, you take them from among yourselves” (Winthrop), and Winthrop proceeds to ask the public to have patience, sympathize with the legislators, and reflect on how they would want the public to respond had the tables been turned. However, as long as those mistakes are not made in ill faith or corruption. In addition, Winthrop reinforces the Puritan idea of covenant, illustrating a sacred agreement between people and God: “We shall govern you and judge your causes by the rules of God’s laws and our own” (Winthrop), and describes government as a covenant: people elect their legislators and promise to govern according to God’s divine law, with obligations for both people and government officials. Aside from being human, Winthrop asks the public to understand that legislators come from diverse backgrounds and skill sets and, therefore, must bear the errors they make during their terms.

Liberty, as defined by Winthrop, comprises two forms: Natural liberty and Civil liberty. He differentiates between the two to justify government authority. Natural liberty is defined as the freedom to do whatever one wants, “liberty to do what he lists” (Winthrop). Winthrop knows that humans are sinful by nature and that natural liberty also opens the door to both evil and good. Furthermore, Winthrop argues that natural liberty is incompatible with authority and thus, when not controlled, will lead to more evil and disorder. Winthrop takes it a step further by comparing liberty of this sort to a wild beast that goes against God’s divine order and therefore should be restrained. However, based on Winthrop’s religious worldview, he favors a different version of liberty: Civil (federal) liberty. A type of liberty that consists of submitting to authority and conforming to Puritan values. He repeatedly highlights the need for authority for social order: “It is a liberty to that only which is good, just, and honest”(Winthrop). Winthrop argues that natural liberty permits people to pursue what is good and to depend on authority rather than oppose it. Freedom, for Winthrop, is not without restraint but the ability to live according to God’s law.

Ultimately, Winthrop’s view of natural and civil liberty demonstrates the distinction in freedom within the Puritan conception, which markedly differs from the modern understanding of individual rights. Instead, Winthrop presents freedom as a willingness to submit to the moral order set forth by God.