Kylie Berko

SLA 201 01

Dr. VonSchlichten

5 February 2022

Reflection

Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries was a time of great social, political, and

religious reformations. At the time, there were religious reformations taking place such as the

Protestant and Counter Reformations and political events such as the African Slave Trade. Some

key figures to focus on from this time period are Jakob Fugger, Aphra Behn, and Phillis

Wheatley. Within all of this, there were numerous controversies of opinions which I feel would

still be an issue today.

Jakob Fugger, also known as “Fugger the Rich,” was a German banker during the 16th

century. He came from a lineage of merchants and miners with textile trade in Italy. His family

financed many political events and transactions, and even eventually held a lead in the copper

industry. He had funded the production of a chapel in Augsburg in the beginning of the 16th

century, which resulted in the creation of Germany’s first renaissance building. The chapel later

turned to Protestant, against Fugger’s wishes, which is why within that chapel today resides only

him alongside his brothers. This chapel could have arguably been one of Fugger’s biggest

contributions to history given its insight into his political beliefs as a Roman Catholic, but also

his assistance with the artistic renaissance.

Fugger’s religious beliefs dominated during the Protestant Reformation where him

alongside his family funded the House of Habsburg. By doing this, the Fugger family was

providing funding to the Counter-Reformation, which was a Catholic movement in response to

the Protestant Reformation. I truly believe that if Fugger lived during this time in the city of

Greensburg, he would try everything in his power to make Roman Catholicism a leading

religion. He would be accepting of the Catholic social teaching model that is implemented at

Seton Hill.

In the near future of my academic career, I need to begin to decide which area related to

accounting I would enjoy the most, and then pursue a career in it. I have deliberated looking into

the banking and finance realm of accounting, which would apply concepts such as marketing and

merchandising into a career dealing with accounting related principles and training. I feel that in

this sense, Jakob Fugger would be an extremely reliable asset to have. I feel that he would take

great pride in the School of business that we have built upon at Seton Hill.

Aphra Behn is known to be the first woman to make a living off of writing. She was an

English poet and playwright who is responsible for composing some of the most influential

pieces in literature during the 17th century. One of her most impactful works, titled Oroonoko,

translated to “the royal slave”, is a novel which depicts the story of an African prince who was

enslaved. The story deals with issued such as race, slavery, and gender within the African Slave

Trade.

Aphra Behn was very progressive in her views, and made it very obvious in her writings.

In the novel, Oroonoko, she made the narrator seem sympathetic, which later turned to the novel

being used as a protest against slavery. If she were alive today to see the advancements that had

been made regarding racial issues, she would be elated. I feel that she would fight strongly for

movements such as the Black Lives Matter and Pro-Choice movements, and would be a leading

supporter. I think that she would continue to publish literary works depicting the struggles

related to race and gender, and less about slavery considering it is uncommon today.
 Phillis Wheatley was an 18th century African American poet, born in West Africa and

sold into slavery during her early childhood. She was transported to North America where she

was purchased by a family in Boston. She is known to be the first African American and the first

slave to have her literary works published. During her youth, she was educated by her master due

to her incredible aptitude for learning and was relieved from the domestic duties. Once she had

tried to publish her work, her master supported her and even rallied for her against those who

were unsupportive.

After the death of her masters, Phillis married a free man and struggled with extreme

poverty, where she wrote and wrote in order to try to provide. Without the funding she had

before due to her masters, she was unable to provide for her family. Common themes in her

works are biblical, race, and slavery.

Phillis was and still would be a strong advocate for progressive movements like Black

Lives Matter, as mentioned above with Aphra Behn. I strongly feel that the two would have been

great companions, and even could have potentially collaborated with each other to publish more

literary works relating to major issues such as this. Phillis Wheatley would be an excellent figure

to have as a key figure for this movement. I feel that she would also play an important role in the

women's rights movements because of her strong will and determination.

I feel that out of these three influential people, the two that I would resonate the most

with would be Aphra Behn and Phillis Wheatley. It is extremely important for young women,

especially students my age, to have strong figures to look up to. These women would advise me

to not lose sight of my visions for my future, and to continue to work hard to get where I need to

be. I feel that even though we might not all share similar values because of differences in time
periods and environmental issues, we may all still utilize one another’s experiences with race,

gender, and religion in order to grow and make advancements.

 Works Cited

Blendinger, Friedrich. “Jakob Fugger II the Rich.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jakob-Fugger-II-the-Rich.

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Aphra Behn.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aphra-Behn.

Sheridan, Stephanie. “Phillis Wheatley: Her Life, Poetry, and Legacy.” National Portrait

Gallery, 27 Mar. 2014, https://npg.si.edu/blog/phillis-wheatley-her-life-poetry-and-

legacy.