In the New World, colonies of Europeans were forming rapidly across the east coast. These colonies were seemingly founded on the ideas of oppression as well as dreams of wealth and glory, except for one particular group of religious colonists who dreamed of creating“the city upon the hill”. But who were these people and how did their ideas and beliefs affect Early America? In England a religious group of people known as the Puritans were finding themselves unhappy with the Anglican Church. The Puritans, numbered 102 men women and children, found themselves relocating to America and settling near Cape Cod in southeastern Massachusetts to escape the church and practice their own religion. Their mission was to build a society of independent farm …show more content…
They were congregationalists, meaning they believed that every local church was independent or autonomous. Their first influential leader was John Winthrop. His ideal Puritan colony was to be one that resembled “a city upon the hill”, one in which all others would look to for guidance. The Puritans believed in model religious communities, where all was good and pure. Unlike Catholicism, the Puritans believed in The Doctrine of Elect, a predetermined list of souls to be eternally saved or eternally damned. Although the Puritans believed that souls had been chosen long before, it was still status quo to act as if you were one of the divine chosen. Those who did not abide by social standards were more often than not judge for their differences. To be a misfit was to be almost exiled. Those who did not fit the status quo or maintain a positive character were deemed odd and foreign. Social life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony revolved around church. Puritans were some of the most intolerant people around. Puritans believed in religious freedom for those who fit their mold, those who were their idea of a godly citizen. The Puritans also believed highly in a strong work ethic. To be lazy was to be sloth like, one of the deadly sins. To be sinful was to invite the devil and the wrath of God into the land, and those who did so were punished with great severity. The Puritans believed that through a strict religious lifestyle and a strong hardworking colony they could influence other communities and colonies to establish and abide by their laws and their
The puritans traveled from England on the Arabella in January of 1630 to escape to a place where they could instill their own religious and political values into their society; Stephen Foster writes about the puritans in the narrative entitled Puritanism and Democracy: A mixed Legacy. Stephen grants the puritans with creating a society based off of religious freedom and reformation of the English church. Their social constructs consisted of hierarchies and accepted inequality. The puritans are credited with laying the foundation to the democratic system of America along with early aspects of political and social constructs found in current day America.
Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England settled New England. They were a highly religious people. Document A, John Winthrop’s “ City on a hill” speech, shows how they lived according to God’s will and were very community oriented. Their towns were very planned out with a town/ church meetinghouse in the centre, and land plots for everyone in the community. This is shown in Document D, Articles of Agreement in Springfield Massachusetts 1636. Family was also very important. Since they were very religious and family is highly regarded in the Bible, marriage was advocated and adultery was a huge crime. Adulterers were made to wear the letter A on their clothing. Since they were a very close-knit people, they travelled as big families and sometimes as communities. This mass travel is depicted in document B that is a ship’s list of emigrants bound for New Engla...
8.Puritans— ‘Followers' of Puritanism, a movement for reform in the Church of England that had a profound influence on the social, political, ethical, and theological ideas in England and America. In America the early New England settlements were Puritan in origin and theocratic in nature. The spirit of Puritanism long persisted there, and the idea of congregational democratic government was carried into the political life of the state as one source of modern democracy.
While residing in England, the Puritans and faithful Catholics faced prosecution, which led to their immigration to the New World. Most left England to avoid further harassment. Many groups and parishes applied for charters to America and, led by faithful ministers, the Pilgrims and Puritans made the long voyage to North America. Their religion became a unique element in the New England colonies by 1700. Before landing, the groups settled on agreements, signing laws and compacts to ensure a community effort towards survival when they came to shore, settling in New England. Their strong sense of community and faith in God led them to develop a hardworking society by year 1700, which Documents A and D express through the explanation of how the Pilgrims and Puritans plan to develop...
The puritans had many religious beliefs. The religious beliefs they held were strong and they were extremely devoted to serving their Lord. Puritans believed that people of God had a teetotal lifestyle, worked hard and were responsible. They also believed that anything and everything that happens on earth is already predestined by God. People would not earn salvation with works of righteousness but through God’s grace. The congregation would make all of the decisions in the church and they would not acknowledge any other religions. When Puritans worshipped, it was very simple and only focused on God. There was no music, stained glass windows or art.
They believed they had the right to worship and govern themselves in whatever manner they pleased. Puritan freedom did not include religious tolerance or individualism. John Winthrop 's speech highlighted the concept of what Puritan freedom was. He believed in a civil society where through God 's path stability would be found. Socially, it can be summarized to two ideas, natural liberty vs. moral liberty. Natural liberty was said to be corrupt because it meant doing what you pleased, whereas moral liberty meant only doing what was right. One actions were reflected based upon their position in society. The higher up one was ranked social the more "moral" their actions were and vice versa for actions defined as
The Puritans believed in punishing sin. When someone was caught in sin they were publicly punished. Puritans believed strongly in humiliation. They locked the guilty people in the stocks or the pillory (a frame with holes for head and hands) with a sign on them describing the sin--where everyone could see it. This was a big event. Schools were let out and people came from all around to see such sights. They would also dunk a person who was a gossip (or guilty of other such sins) from the end of a long log into a pond or lake.
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
Puritans believed in strict religious dedications, by trying to follow the holy commandment. “The discipline of the family, in those days, was of a far more rigid kind than now.”(Hawthorne 9). They wanted to be considered the holiest of all people because they try to reflect a world of perfection in the sight of God. While they where trying to portray a holy life; however, they where also living a sinful life because they have been judgmental, slandering, uncompassionate, resentment, and forbearing, which are all sinful acts of the bible.
For the Puritans in the early New England colonies life was by no means easy, but there was the possibility to expand their beliefs free from the persecution of the Church of England. They had the opportunity to create their ideal society under God with the Bible as their law from which they would define how to live. The Puritans set out to create a model society which could spread and cull the impurities from the church. But how did these beliefs and goals ultimately affect their society? In the book Give Me Liberty:
They believed they must live every moment in a god fearing manner. The puritans were expected to attend church with men on one side and women on the other and if they did not read the bible it was thought that they were worshipping the devil. Puritans were intolerant of people with different views.
When facing fear, the human race is more predictable than it would like to think. People act irrationally when confronted with threats from an unknown enemy, and quickly try to identify the source of their fear, by blaming others. These others are often outcasts, or people that are different than the norm, which is defined by society. The reaction to these adversaries is quick, and often very harsh. This type of intolerance has occurred throughout history, first in the Salem witch trials, then the Red Scare and McCarthyism, and most recently, the war on terror.
Areesh Areesh 23) Puritans: A group of Protestants, of the late 16th and 17th century, who wanted to purify the church. The Protestant Reformation was initiated by Martin Luther, who challenged the teachings and adulterated practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Puritans didn’t agree with the reformations of the Church of England under Elizabeth and demanded the simplification of doctrine and worship, and greater strictness in religious discipline. They believed education to be of the utmost importance as it meant being able to read the bible and receive salvation, as did the Protestant Reformers. Beginning in 1630, Puritan leaders were threatened with “extirpation from the earth" if they did not conform to religious practices, by leaders
In the beginning of the colonial period were the Puritans. They were in the 18th century and were agricultural and lived in villages and went to church twice a day. They believed “Puritans were chosen people that the devil would do anything to destroy”(Nature of Puritans theocracy). Puritans did not believe in celebrations or dancing. The thought of rationalism came into the thoughts of scientists and people questioning the church's ways and questioning everything and finding reason for things.
According the seventeenth century Puritan leader, John Winthrop, “wee must entertaine each other in brotherly Affection, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities. for the supply of others necessities… make others Condicions our owne rejoice together, mourne together labour and suffer together. ” (Winthrop 5) Winthrop was referring to the ideal of a “City upon a Hill” in which he wrote while the first group of immigrants were still on the ship, waiting to travel to what would later become New England. Winthrop’s City upon a Hill is the Christian based, model society, which he wanted to create so every surrounding colony could look up to. The Puritans had a vision of the new world, and they set out to make it happen. America