All of the following got Thomas Morton into trouble with his Puritan pilgrim neighbors in Colonial New England EXCEPT ___?

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Understanding the question helps us focus on Morton’s conflicts with the Puritan neighbors in Colonial New England. Each option represents a claim about Morton’s actions or writings, and we’ll evaluate how likely each would have provoked the Puritans.
Option 1: 'He had a dance party with the Native Americans.' Hosting social or festive gatherings with Native Americans at Merrymount was seen by the Puritans as a challenge to their stricter social and spiritual norms. This kind of behavior would plausibly draw the ire of Puritan authorities who favored orderly, church-centered life and were wary of intermingling that defied their standards. Therefore, this could have contributed to trouble with the neighbors.
Option 2: 'He wrote a scathing history and satire that was sympathetic to the Native Americans.' Morton’s New English Canaan presented a narrative in which Native Americans were depicted with sympathy and critique of English colonization from a native-friendly perspective. Writing such a work could be perceived as subversive or dissident by the Puritan leadership, who promoted a narrative favorable to their mission and suspicious of critiques that undermined their authority. Hence, this would be a source of tension.
Option 3: 'He erected an 80 foot May Pole.' The May Pole at Merrymount was a highly visible, ceremonial symbol associated with festivity and a challenge to Plymouth’s religious and cultural norms. Erecting such a prominent pole would certainly draw Puritan attention and disapproval, making it a clear trigger for conflict.
Option 4: 'He covered a cross in buffalo hides and deer antlers.' This specific detail involves altering or obscuring a Christian cross with animal hides and antlers. Puritans were especially vigilant about religious symbols and the treatment of crosses; if Morton engaged in desecrating or mocking Christian symbols, it would be seen as a direct affront to their beliefs, likely provoking immediate censure or action. Whether this exact act occurred historically is less certain, but it aligns with behaviors that would alarm Puritans.
Option 5: 'He supplied arms to Native Americans.' Providing arms to Native Americans would be interpreted by the Puritans as potentially dangerous arming of groups that might resist colonial authority or threaten the settlement’s peace. This would be a serious spark for conflict with the Puritan neighbors, making it a credible cause of trouble.
In evaluating which item is the exception, consider which action is least documented or least consistent with the historical record of Morton’s provocations. The episodes most commonly cited as provoking the Puritans are the Merrymount celebrations, the pole, and his sympathetic writings about Native Americans, all of which challenged Puritan norms and authority. Supplying arms to Native Americans, while plausible in other contexts, is less consistently cited as a direct cause of Morton’s trouble in popular historical accounts. The specific claim about covering a cross with buffalo hides and deer antlers, while thematically related to religious symbolism, is not a standard, well-attested feature of the Merrymount episodes and therefore stands out as the least substantiated in traditional narratives.

Su25 EWRT D001B 50Z, 51Z Readng, Wrtng & Resrch Week 1 Quiz

All of the following got Thomas Morton into trouble with his Puritan pilgrim neighbors in Colonial New England EXCEPT ___?

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