Feudal Tradition Essay, Research Paper
America had skip the feudal stage, she never had a feudal system. Unlike the
European countries, struggle many centries with the old feudal system. Many
European countries had to had revolutions to overturn the old feudal system.
Louis Hartz pointed out that liberalism seemed natural to America. The lack of a
feudal tradition in United States affected American life in many ways. The
system of feudalism was developed gradually between the eighth and eleventh
centuries. In the early feudal stage, when a freeman gave up his title to his
land he became the lord’s "man" and promised him his loyalty.
Officially the serfs were "unfree". However, they were not the
property of other people, like slaves. Serfs were bound to the land and not to
any particular lord who held it in fief. They could not leave the place where
they were born, but neither could the lord send them away. It was an obligation
between the lords and serfs. In the beginning of America, those men who settled
in the new world were the men who fled from the feudal system in Europe. United
States was created without any revolutions and without any kings. Liberalism was
so natural to American. Without feudalism, American believed they could do
whatever occupations if they wanted. They didn’t had to follow the same
occupations passed by generations and generations, like the feudalism. American
also believed they had to be independent, and they had take care themselves.
They had to worried about their own livings. In feudal system, the serfs were
taken care by their lords. The lords had to provided the housing, food,
clothing?to their serfs. Also, without feudalism American could believed in
whatever religions they wanted. In feudal system, people only could believed in
one religion. Enrico Augell and Craig Murphy pointed out, denominational
religion, liberalism and a faith in science were the "common sense" to
American. Without any revolutions in America, the liberalism was so natural to
American. Therefore, American thought God had chosen them to be the best one.