The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America

work by Ward

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July 13, 2026

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The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America is a pamphlet written by Nathaniel Ward, a Puritan minister and writer. Published in 1647, it vigorously defends the status quo and criticizes new ideas. Ward, who had to leave England due to Puritan persecution, settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In his work, he amusingly argued against colonists who promoted novel concepts. The pamphlet is noted for its strong defense of existing norms and its opposition to tolerance.12

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Nathaniel Ward
…with the Mosaic law, and The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America (1647), a vigorously written pamphlet defending the status quo and attacking, among other things, tolerance.
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…with the Mosaic law, and The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America (1647), a vigorously written pamphlet defending the status quo and attacking, among other things, tolerance.
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American literature
The 17th century
…Ward of Massachusetts Bay in The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America (1647). Ward amusingly defended the status quo and railed at colonists who sponsored newfangled notions. A variety of counterarguments to such a conservative view were published. John Winthrop’s Journal (written 1630–49) told sympathetically of the attempt of Massachusetts…
Read More
…Ward of Massachusetts Bay in The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America (1647). Ward amusingly defended the status quo and railed at colonists who sponsored newfangled notions. A variety of counterarguments to such a conservative view were published. John Winthrop’s Journal (written 1630–49) told sympathetically of the attempt of Massachusetts…
Read More