puritans, their beliefs, and their “american dream”

Puritans, their Beliefs, and their “American Dream”An introduction to Puritan beliefs and values as context to The Scarlett Letter.Ms. WakeAP Literature Fall 2013

A Truncated HistoryBegan in the late-1500s in England; a form of Protestantism Grew out of a growing dissatisfaction with the Church of England They longed for a stricter (purer) sect of Biblically based Protestantism–hence the root of their name, "Puritan" They believed that the government should crack down on ostentatious dress, Sabbath breaking, and other crimes of “moral virtue”

Why did they head to America?

Common European belief that the government must forcibly enforce uniformity of religion in the interest of saving the souls of all of its citizensDissenters could be punished (executed) for BlasphemyPuritans were considered outside of both Catholicism and The Church of England, therefore at riskLeft England circa 1617 for the Americas

Puritan Beliefs and Values: A Contrast to

Our Own…

What do YOU think of when you think of a newborn baby?

Puritan Beliefs and Values: A Contrast to

Our Own…

Original Sin• One of the most

influential stories in Western Civilization

• Adam and Eve defy God’s Will

• Leads to the Fall from Grace, (the Fall of Man)

• For Puritans, the belief that Man could discern good and evil is the greatest sin of all: PRIDE

Today’s Christian View of Original Sin…

• Jesus died so that Man might be forgiven for the Original Sin• Results in all

being born innocent

The Puritan Remedy to Original Sin: The New

EdenPuritans wanted to return to the pastCalled themselves the “New Israelites” and believed it was their responsibility to establish a New Eden in the New WorldWanted to reenact Biblical History

Today’s Christian View of Hell

Puritan View

How to Get to Heaven or Hell?Today’s View:

Predestination and The Elect

Guess: How many people out of 100 do you think the Puritans believed were predestined to go to heaven?

Why would God do that?

Judo-Christian View of God today Versus

The Puritan View of God

Living in a TheocracyBelieved that the government should be ruled by religious leaders

The very American, democratic ideal of Separation of Church and State? –Nope! Blasphemy!

BIBLICAL COMMONWELTHIdea that the laws of the colony should reflect the laws of the Old TestamentTen Commandments

How might all of this connect to our novel?

CW: In your NB’s…1.Synthesize the

main ideas and key points of this lecture

2.Predict how the beliefs and values of the Puritans will play a major role in our next novel and in the Fate of its characters

Homework Due: ______Read and annotate the background information on Jonathon Edwards and his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”As you read, choose a literature circle role to fulfill:

Literary Luminary: identify at least 3 quotes as evidence in his speech, which connects to the beliefs and values you learned about today

S/M/M: try to choose quotes, which contain imagery/fig. lang., interesting diction (look up a word or two!), and/or which reflect a specific tone that you could discuss

Vocabulary Visionary: Choose 4 words, which you feel are worth mastering, and be ready to teach them to your classmatesDiscussion Director: Write tiered questions, which your group will discuss at the end of the conversation

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON YOUR HANDOUT!!!

AcknowledgementsInformation for this PPT was collected from a variety of sources, primarily including:

Building Educator Skills for Today. http://www.synthesizingeducation.net/2013/08/puritan-literature-unit-plan-plymouth.html Retrieved September 6, 2013.

The Beginnings of Puritanism. “John Winthrop.” http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/winthrop/section2.rhtml. Retrieved September 6, 2013.

The Library of Congress. Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html Retrieved September 6, 2013.

• And Google Images