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.