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Puritan Life. An Introduction to the Puritan Unit. Puritans – The Facts. They didn’t like the Church of England They were a large Protestant group Beginning in 1560, they tried to “purify” themselves and the Church-- hence the name “Puritan”
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Puritan Life An Introduction to the Puritan Unit
Puritans – The Facts • They didn’t like the Church of England • They were a large Protestant group • Beginning in 1560, they tried to “purify” themselves and the Church-- hence the name “Puritan” • Since the time of Henry VIII the church was inseparable from the country’s government • They held strong spiritual beliefs • Puritans suffered persecution in England. They were jailed, whipped, and hanged, so they came to America for freedom of religion.
Puritans The Facts (cont.) • Puritan Life was strict with no margin for error • Their clothing was usually black, white or grey and they lived a simple and religious life. • Sundays and Holy days were strictly observed, with these days being devoted entirely to God.
Settlement • Puritans mostly settled in the New England Colonies • They also immigrated and formed new colonies • Population increased from 17,800 in 1640 to 106,000 in 1700
Settlement • In 1624, they formed the Massachusetts Bay Company and got permission from King Charles I of England to build a colony. • They settled in Massachusetts Bay and called their first settlement Boston.
Puritan Spiritual Beliefs • Believed that religion was a personal, inner experience and that the government and clergy could not act as an intermediary between God and the individual. • Providence-God controls everything that happens on earth and in every aspect of life. • Believed in the concept of Predestination • Elaborated by John Calvin who taught that human beings were inherently sinful and can only be redeemed through God’s graces-depraved by inheriting the original sin of Adam and Eve • The belief was that God predetermined the “elect,” those who were saved, and the “unregenerate,” those who were damned, before the beginning of history. • Even “the elect” were born sinful, the difference is that they are saved at some point in their lives.
Puritan Spiritual Beliefs (cont.) • Two indications that you were an “elect”: • #1-you were saved by the grace of God and you could feel the grace arriving in an emotional fashion • #2-the inner arrival of God’s grace was demonstrated in your outward behavior—the effect was that you behaved like a saint • The American Puritans came to value self-reliance, industriousness, temperance, and simplicity • No “extra credit” was given for hard workers
Puritan Spiritual Beliefs (cont.) • It was against the Puritan law not to attend church—where men and women sat on opposite sides through long services. • The Puritan lifestyle was restrained and rigid: People were expected to work hard and repress their emotions or opinions. Individual differences were frowned upon. • Since Puritans were expected to live by a rigid moral code, they believed that all sins—from sleeping in church to stealing food—should be punished. They also believed God would punish sinful behavior. • When a neighbor would suffer misfortune, such as a sick child or a failed crop, Puritans saw it as God’s will and did not help.
The Differences between Puritanism (Calvinism) and Catholicism • Calvin : God's rule determines the will.Catholic : God's rule includes free will. • Calvin : God desires only the salvation of the elect.Catholic : God desires the salvation of all. • Calvin : God provides grace only to the elect.Catholic : God provides grace to all, though not all accept it. • Calvin : Christ died only for the elect.Catholic : Christ died for all men. • Calvin : God predetermines some for hell.Catholic : Men merit hell by their own wickedness. • Calvin : Those in grace (the elect) can't fall away.Catholic : Those in grace can freely sin and lose grace.
Puritan Religion and Witchcraft • Puritans also believed the Devil was as real as God. • Everyone was faced with the struggle between the powers of good and evil, but Satan would select the weakest individuals—women, children, the insane—to carry out his work. • Those who followed Satan were considered witches. Witchcraft was one of the greatest crimes a person could commit, punishable by death. • In keeping with the Puritan code of conformity, the first women to be accused of witchcraft in Salem were seen as different and as social outcasts: Tituba, a slave; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne, a sickly old woman who married her servant.
Puritan Education • Reading the Bible was required-it was believed to be the literal word of God • The Bible provided a model for Puritan writing. The Puritans viewed each individual life as a journey toward salvation and the afterlife • Puritans looked for connections between biblical events and the events in their own lives. • Education was important to “purify” the new generation • Harvard College was originally established in 1636 to train Puritan ministers • Puritans favored a plain style of writing. They admired clarity of expression and avoided complicated figures of speech.
Puritan Politics • The Puritans believed that the “elect” should exert great influence on the government, thus their views tended to be rather undemocratic. • The Puritans also believed in the concept of Theocracy, or government ruled by God. • The contract, or covenant, with God enjoined them to create a society governed by the Bible. • Puritans demanded strict conformity: Dissenters were often beaten or in the worst cases, killed.
Why was Puritanism so Successful? • The desire to separate from the Church of England was strong enough to sway people to convert to Puritanism. • In a state of uncertainty in a strange land, a sense of belonging was valued. • Events were unsettling at the time and people needed to believe that they played a predestined role. • Those who believed themselves to be the “elect” took solace in the idea that strivings and sufferings on Earth would secure a place in Heaven.
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) • Found in Shakespeare, and in other great English poets, sources of inspiration and technique. • Was born into a family of Puritans and accepted their reformist views • 1628—Bradstreet marries Simon Bradstreet. • 1650--Bradstreet’s poems were published, unbeknownst to her, by her brother-in-law John Woodbridge, a minister in Andover. • - Published in London under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America. • To learn that her poems were published was embarrassing for Bradstreet because the Puritans believed that women were created as man’s “helpmate” and subordinate; a good wife was thus expected to be compliant and self-effacing. • The poems were a success, even with the strict Puritan Minister Cotton Mather • ~Bradstreet is remembered for her simple personal lyrics on such topics as the birth of children, the death of grandchildren, the love for her husband, etc.
