American Quotations by William J. Federer 2024

Hugo Grotius (April 10, 1583-August 28, 1645) was a Dutch jurist, theologian and statesman, who was considered the founder of the science of International Law. In 1607, being 24 years old, he was appointed Advocate General for the provinces of Holland and Zealand. In 1613, at the age of 30, he became the Chief Magistrate of Rotterdam. In 1619, Prince Maurice of Nassau sentenced him to life imprisonment for his support of the Arminian faith. Three years later, with his wife's help, he escaped to France hidden in a linen chest. Hugo Grotius (or Huig de Groot in the Dutch...

Peter Bulkeley (January 31, 1583-March 9, 1659) was the Puritan leader who established the city of Concord, Massachusetts, 1636. In his only publication, The Gospel Covenant; or the Covenant of Grace Opened, published in London, 1646; 1651, Peter Bulkeley stated: <We are as a city set upon a hill, in the open view of all the earth....We profess ourselves to be a people in covenant with God, and therefore...the Lord our God...will cry shame upon us if we walk contrary to the covenant which we have promised to walk in. If we open the mouths of men against our profession, by reason of...

Captain John Smith (c. January 1580-June 21, 1631) was an English sailor, soldier and author. He helped found the English colony of Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay beginning in 1607. He was rescued from being killed by Indian Chief Powhatan by the intercession his daughter, the young Indian princess, Pocahontas. Captain John Smith had earlier fought the Muslims who were invading Europe. After the battles against the Muslims in the Mediterranean, Spain turned its attention to stopping the spread of the Protestant Reformation by sending its Armada to capture England and Holland in 1588. With 130 ships, 18,000 soldiers, 7,000...

Samuel de Champlain (c.1580-December 25, 1635) was a French navigator, explorer and soldier who was referred to as the "Father of New France." He was the first European to explore and describe the Great Lakes. He founded Quebec City on July 3, 1608, and served as governor of New France till his death. Lake Champlain, which borders Canada and the United States, was named for him. Champlain's travels are documented in The Voyages and Explorations of Samuel de Champlain (1604-1616), narrated by himself, translated by Annie Nettleton Bourne, together with the Voyage of 1603, Reprinted from Purchas His Pilgrimes, edited...

John Robinson (c.1575-March 1, 1625) was the pastor of the Pilgrim fathers in England and Holland, before their departure to America. He wrote several tracts on the Separatist movement, for which he was persecuted. He had fled with the Separatists, or Nonconformists, to Amsterdam in 1608, then to Leiden, Holland in 1609. His congregation grew to 300 members, and he wrote many works, including: A Justification of Separation from the Church of England, 1610; Of Religious Communion, Public and Private, 1614; and On the Lawfulness of Hearing Ministers in the Church of England, 1634. He actively encouraged the Pilgrims to...