...the settlers who had came there to seek new opportunities and find religious freedom. Puritans were among the first of many to settle in the New England regions, and they brought with them their ideas and values. For the Puritans, life revolved around religion, and their religious beliefs influenced how they viewed politics, the economy, and the social aspects of their lives. Politically, the Puritans believed in liberty and that every man is equal if they put forth labor and hard work. Governmental ideas and values that were brought to New England by the Puritans came from England, which was one of the only government styles they knew. Those who worked hard and cared about the community as a whole were...
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...others, has called Puritan society a culture based on the principle of exclusion. With particular references to Winthrop, Edwards and historical events, discuss the evidence of this principle in Puritan life and culture. ______________________________________________ One may hear or read that the people who founded the early United States of America came to the “New World” in order to practice their religious convictions in peace and freedom, without being persecuted. They are often cited as examples. John Winthrop for instance, who was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, has been quoted as a source of inspiration by numerous US presidents such as John Fitzgerald Kennedy or Ronald Reagan. Yet, one may consider that John Winthrop and Puritans in general are far from representing a tradition of tolerance and freedom. Looking at history and core principles of Puritanism, it cannot be denied that the puritans’ “city upon a hill” had more in common with a totalitarian regime than with the spirit of the Bill of Rights passed in 1789, which embodies far better the values of the United States of America. Puritans were definitely not tolerant. Their culture was based on the principle of exclusion as they did not accept any religious belief that differed from theirs, and rejected and even persecuted people who dared think and act differently from them. The Puritans’ texts available today can make one understand how intolerant Puritans were. In his famous...
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...These acts were highly against Puritan beliefs and caused an overwhelming amount of fear within Salem. While over 200 people were accused of being witches during the trials, a much smaller amount was executed for the crime. According to the scholarly journal titled, “The Aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials in Colonial America”, written by researcher Mark Callis, “The effects of the Salem Village witch trials were devastating: 141 people imprisoned, 19 people executed, and two more died from other causes directly related to the investigations” (187). Considering the population of 16th century Salem was likely to have been much smaller than Salem’s modern population, the amount of people brought to court for witchery was overwhelmingly high and made people feel that at any moment they might be accused. As also claimed by Callis, the executions specifically consisted of hangings (187). Puritans targeted women who were deviant, outcasts, and heretics during the trials due to their fear of Satan. Considering their view on the fragility of women’s souls, any woman who had a negative impact on Salem and did not adhere to the common structure of Puritan life was often mistaken for being involved with the Devil. By executing the women involved with Satan, Puritans believed they would keep their society pure and safe from...
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...Many Puritans, or Separatists, from England came to the Americas because they wanted religious freedom and the ability to express their views freely. Two important figures of the 16th and 17th century are William Bradford who wrote Of Plymouth Plantation and Jonathan Edwards who wrote Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Bradford’s piece is a Separatist’s interpretation of the Reformation in England and the early years of the newly founded Plymouth colony. Edward’s piece touches upon the topic of the seriousness of sin in his Puritan congregation. One common theme among the pieces, Of Plymouth Plantation and the Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is that Puritan faith, beliefs, attitudes, and values is based on charity and hard work involving...
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...Puritan doctrine taught that all men are totally depraved and require constant self-examination to see that they are sinners and unworthy of God's Grace. Because man had broken the Covenant of Works when Adam had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, God offered a new covenant to Abraham's people which held that election to Heaven was merely a possibility. In the Puritan religion, believers dutifully recognized the negative aspects of their humanity rather than the gifts they possessed. This shadow of distrust would have a direct influence on early American New England and on many of its historians and writers, one of which was Nathaniel Hawthorne. The influence of Puritan religion, culture and education along with the setting of his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, is a common topic in Nathaniel Hawthorne's works. In particular, Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" allows the writer to examine and perhaps provide commentary on not only the Salem of his own time but also the Salem of his ancestors. Growing up Hawthorne could not escape the influence of Puritan society, not only from residing with his father's devout Puritan family as a child but also due to Hawthorne's study of his own family history. The first of his ancestors, William Hathorne, is described in Hawthorne's "The Custom House" as arriving with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 "with his Bible and his sword" (26). A further connection can also be seen in his more notable ancestor John Hathorne, who exemplified...
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...The Puritans The Puritans once held a position of power among the religious world. Their beliefs were strict and they did not compromise their morals or standards for any outside individual. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Puritan religion reflects the attitude and values of the common man during that particular time period. The main belief among the Puritans was that they were God’s chosen people. In their eyes, they held supremacy over the average man. They believed in Pelagianism based on the Doctrine of Elect. This was the belief that man could redeem himself through acts of charity, religious devotion, and by living an unselfish life. Many of these strict beliefs were based on John Calvin’s principle of predestination. Predestination was that through God’s grace, one would reach heaven and that this special grace could not be earned; it was predetermined at birth. This principle of predestination forced Puritans to truly believe that their actions did not matter and their devotion to God had no bearing over their destiny. Puritans also believed in the degradation of one’s self, which meant that they had to make themselves worthy to God so that he would not instill his wrath on the Puritan community. They feared God and his special power, but considered themselves God’s special elects. Basically, they felt they had the right to perform any necessary deeds that would satisfy God’s will. Sin was thought of as an unavoidable element of human nature...
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...and without, all was gone except my life and I knew not but the next moment might go too.”(Edmund, 19) These were the words of Mary Rowlandson, a woman taken into captivity after Native Americans raided her colony, tortured and murdered the people of the land, and took Mary and a few others and turned them into slaves. Mary’s life was spared because she possessed the skill of sewing, and often sewed and knitted the Indians clothing. During her captivity she analyzed the way the Native Americans socialized and lived their everyday lives. The two worlds were polar opposites, and the way Native American women were treated was much different to the beliefs of Puritan ideology. Indian women even led army groups as large as 300 people; they were considered very strong. The women considered Mary to be weak, and treated her as such. In the Puritan world woman’s power was non-existent, and believes the women were around to serve the man, and their opinions and thoughts were not valued. “It was a solemn sight to see so many Christians lying in their blood, some here and some there, like a company of sheep torn by wolves. All of them striped naked by a company of hell-hounds, roaring, singing, ranting, and insulting, as if they would have torn our hearts out.”(Rowlandson, 9-10) While many of her townspeople were tortured and slaughtered, Mary was one of the few who survived and taken into captivity. Forced to be a slave to the Indians, she spent most of her time sewing clothing for them...
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...Literature Before 1865 14 February 2012 Puritan Ideology: Irresistible Grace Puritanism was a group of practices and principles that created reforms in doctrine and religion. The basic Puritan beliefs were founded on the TULIP concept. It is an acronym that stands for: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints. There are also other beliefs outside of TULIP, such as typology, manifest destiny, and backsliding. However, a principle that was focused on by John Winthrop and Jonathan Edwards is irresistible grace. It makes the assertion that God’s grace is freely given; it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is recognized as the saving and transfiguring power of God. Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” and Edward’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” are effective examples of literature that shows irresistible grace. John Winthrop, along with many other people from Europe, came to America to establish the “city on the hill” idea of religion. While being the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he felt that it was his duty to remind the people of their purpose for coming to America. He envisioned a society that practiced God’s teaching and that was based on His ideas. By creating this religious community, the Puritans would be an illustration showing everyone else how to live the way that God wanted. In his sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity,” he tells the Puritans that their success would greatly depend...
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...performing witchcraft and were jailed, nineteen people were executed . The accusations that led to the Salem Witch Trials were brought on by a combination of preconceived knowledge on the topic, religious beliefs, and precocious imaginations. These accusations shed light on the natural human need to find explanations for misfortunes occurring during the time period and to justify themselves in a Puritan dominated society. In 1689, only three years before the events that occurred in Salem, a similar case of possession happened to the four children of John Goodwin of Boston. The children, the oldest aged thirteen and the youngest five, began displaying symptoms of a diabolical illness and caused the adults in the community to gather together to not only pray for the health of the children but to determine the cause of their illness. It was soon discovered that the eldest Goodwin child had an argument with the elderly women who did the family’s laundry and received harsh words and insults from the laundress . The accused was Mary Glover, a single woman who had emigrated from Ireland to New England. During her trial, Glover spoke in her native tongue, Gaelic and often whispered words. This was seen as characteristics of a witch in the eyes of the court. Soon after her execution Puritan minister Cotton Mather, who questioned Glover before and during the trial, wrote a report that depicted the symptoms of the Goodwin children and his views on witchcraft, called Wonder of the Invisible...
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...Lincolnshire, England. Her actual birthdate is unknown, but she was baptized Anne Marbury on July 20, 1591. She was the daughter of Francis Marbury, a minister, and Bridgette Dryden-Marbury. She moved to London as a teenager, but returned to Alford when she married William Hutchinson at the age of twenty-one in 1612. Anne and William had fifteen children by 1630, losing three as infants. Women, during this time, usually didn’t have access to a formal education, but Anne was homeschooled because her parents believed their daughter should have an education. She was a natural thinker and loved to read. During her time, intellectualism was mainly theology and religion. Anne and her husband became followers of a puritan minister named John Cotton. Like many puritans, Cotton migrated to America and settled in Massachusetts. In 1634, The Hutchisons sailed to America, following Cotton. Francis Marbury, Anne’s father was a deacon at Christ Church in Cambridge. He despised the political aspects of the church and was not shy about stating his opinion at their lack of competence....
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...Laws of Plymouth Colony In the article about laws of Plymouth Colony, the Puritans settled from the native England to the US, immigrated to begin with the new world – civilization. In the new world, I believe the role of the leader was the role model of keeping and maintaining simple life and separation from the world for Puritan societies. What it means to be a Puritan, and how its Puritans lived. The article was written between 1632 and 1682 about the laws about Puritans and a way of life from childbearing to local communities. Some of the laws were omitted. According to the date written, these chapters in the bible reflect upon expectations from communities where sometimes expectations were different. These dates also refer to the chapters...
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...Because Anne Hutchinson rebelled against the Puritan Church, religious freedom later occurred in America. Her birth name was Anne Marbury. She was born in July, 1591 in Alford, Lincolnshire, England. Her father, who was an Anglican cleric and also a school teacher allowed her to gain a complete and private religious education. Anne then married William Hutchinson. He had enough money to allow her to pursue her religious goal. In order to accomplish this goal they moved to Massachusetts. Here she followed the group of John Cotton, but soon she separated because of the differences which emerged between the two. During her stay there she felt that Puritanism was changing. It wasn´t anymore the religion which protested against Anglican authority...
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...How is Religion Presented in The Crucible? Arthur Miller presents religion both through narration, which is examined in this analysis, and through the words of his characters. In the opening to The Crucible, Arthur Miller provides some background insight into the Puritan faith, writing that the Puritans believed that their religion was the only right way in life. In coming to America, the Puritans wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to spread their belief to more people. Miller writes, "They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. We have inherited this belief, and it has helped and hurt us." The Puritans were quite arrogant people. They felt that their faith was "held in their steady hands," implying that Puritanism can bring order and stability to anybody who accepts the religion. They felt that any other religion was wrong and wanted to rid the world of these thoughts. This is paralleled in contemporary American society, seen in the idea that the country has the duty to bring the rest of the world to what they believe is the right way to live. Both the Puritans and contemporary Americans want to change the world by infiltrating their beliefs, shoving them in the faces of everybody, whether the other people are open for change or not. In his account following the entrance of Reverend Hale, Miller argues that the Devil is an essential element of the world because it provides an opposing force to God. The...
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...During the seventeenth and eighteenth century many people emigrated from England settling upon the coast of the new Americas. Throughout many expeditions, colonist have then set their own rules and regulations based on significant dogmas. As people migrated from England to the New World, contrast between the Northern and Chesapeake regions became very prevalent. The founding principles which each of these colonies were founded upon influenced many of the colonies decisions, shaping colonists views by different social, political and economic events. Which led to the cultivation of the tobacco crop, the impact of Puritanism in the Colonial Americas and William Penn. Hundreds of settlers came to the Virginia colony seeking riches. Virginia colonists needed a source of revenue to help in the development of their colony. An Englishmen named John Rolfe booked a voyage to the New World. Rolfe was able to attain seeds of tobacco to bring with him to the colony at Jamestown, where he was planning to begin growing the crop in the English colony. It was with this experiment with tobacco that the first profitable export was developed. Rolfe introduced a new sweeter form of tobacco to the colonies, which is different from the Native American variety planted around Jamestown which he found to be bitter. Virginia’s success grew greatly as Rolfe began exporting more and more tobacco. Tobacco then became the New Worlds first commodity to be internationally traded on the global market. Way before...
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...people of any kind of religion at some point of their lives question or show a level of uncertainty in their faith. Religion is a complex idea to accept and to truly have full belief in. Curiosity surfaces when humans cannot prove or understand something logically or scientifically right away. As individuals, reason and solution is a must and the truth is what keeps life going. This feeling of ambiguity is no different for the Puritans in the sixteen hundreds. In fact, Puritan Anne Bradstreet reveals her struggle in faith within many of her literary works. To readers, the assumption is already made that as a Puritan member and a woman of society Bradstreet would incorporate godly worships in all her pieces of writing. Although that is true to some degree, once readers deeply analyzes her work in poetry they can see that her relationship with God is not always all mighty and secure. There are moments in her poems where she feels a certain disconnect or a sense of disbelief in His power. In rare occasions, she even blames God for her misfortunes. Bradstreet begins to see God differently than how she did when she was raised as a little girl. The mentality of every devoted Puritan man and woman in this New World, now called America, is to be a believer in God and only Him. In fact, it is said that “The [...] Puritan was such as one that honored God above all [...] His first care was to serve God, and therein he did not what was good in his own, but in God's sight, making the word of...
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