The Puritans

MAP 3.3 European Colonies of the Atlantic Coast, 1607–39 Virginia, on Chesapeake Bay, was the first English colony in North America, but by the mid-seventeenth century, Virginia was joined by settlements of Scandinavians on the Delaware River and Dutch on the Hudson River, as well as English religious dissenters in New England. The territories indicated here reflect the vague boundaries of the early colonies.

2© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

What is Puritanism?

• The fear that someone, somewhere might be happy”

• -H.L. Mencken• The term "puritan" was used in Elizabethan and

Jacobean England (originally as an epithet of abuse) to refer to those Protestants who sought to institute further reforms of the Anglican Church, and emphasized the central importance of preaching, and committed themselves to the values of a "godly" life

THE REFORMATION

• Began in 1517 with the criticisms of Martin Luther, specifically indulgences

• Various groups of former Catholics would break away from the Church

• Individualism

REFORMATION IN ENGLAND

• Reformation at first seemed to pass England by

• Situation changed during the reign of Henry VIII– Pulled England out of Catholic

Church when pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn

– Declared himself head of an independent Church of England and confiscated all property of Catholic Church

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PURITANS

• Small but influential group became increasingly critical of the strong Catholic flavor within the Church of England– Began towards the end of

the reign of Henry VIII– Known as “puritans”

• Because they wanted to “purify” the Church of England of all vestiges of Catholicism

John Milton, Puritan poet

"Some I have chosen of peculiar grace Elect above the rest; so is my will: The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warnd Thir sinful state, and to appease betimes Th' incensed Deitie while offerd grace Invites; for I will cleer thir senses dark, What may suffice, and soft'n stonie hearts To pray, repent, and bring obedience due.”

JOHN MILTON from Areopagitica

JOHN CALVIN

• French-born Protestant leader who made his headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland

• His doctrine, Calvinism, was a harsh, stern, and intolerant brand of Protestantism

CALVINISMPredestination

• Calvin’s God was stern, angry, and unforgiving– Saw man has

hopelessly corrupt and sinful

– Nothing could appease him and nothing could help man achieve salvation

PREDESTINATION

• Does God decide who is saved?

SALVATION AND BEHAVIOR• people should prepare

themselves for this notification by behaving in such a way as to demonstrate that they are worthy of this divine favor

– Read the Bible, attend church, work hard, exercise severe self-discipline

CONGREGATIONALISTS• Puritans were English Calvinists

– Belonged to the Church but believed it was impure and purged of all surviving Catholic customs

• Most Puritans were also Congregationalists– Wanted to get rid of centralized

structure of the Church of England– Make each congregation independent– Only wanted people who had been

marked for salvation and lived accordingly to be full, voting congregation members

• The “godly”

Congregationalist Church

CHARLES I AND PURITANISM

• During the reigns of James I and especially Charles I, sporadic persecution of leaders changed to a policy of persecution and harassment of all Puritans– Because Charles I was

sympathetic to Catholicism and even wanted to make Church of England more, not less, Catholic

THE PILGRIMS

– Separatists who had left Church of England

• Persecuted heavily in England so they moved to the Netherlands in 1609

• Forced to leave Netherlands in 1619 when war looked likely with England

• Decided at that point to go to North America

These men are full of the spirit," he said; "these are precise fellows, these are holy saints, these think themselves God's fellows, these think themselves better than other men."

But they would drive men to despair, and bring them out of belief with the fear of dam nation."

THE MAYFLOWER

• Received financing from friendly English Puritans and bought one ship– the Mayflower.

• 101 passengers• Landed at Cape

Cod on November 11, 1620

A LITTLE PROTO-DEMOCRACY

• Because the area where they landed was outside jurisdiction of Virginia, colonists signed a contract and agreed to be governed by majority rule until a permanent colonial government could be established– The Mayflower

Compact

• Elected William Bradford to serve as their first governor

FIRST WINTER• Named area where they landed

Plymouth

• Arrived weakened by poor food and close confinement just as harsh winter hit– 50% died during first winter from

starvation, exposure, and, perhaps, suicide

– All probably would have died if it had not been for the help provided by Squanto

• Lonely tribeless Indian• Acted as interpreter and go-

between with local Indians

PILGRIM LEGACY

• Pilgrims did manage to establish a viable little colony at Plymouth

– Supported by farming, fishing, and fur trading

Life in general could be grim to the Puritans and they seldom lost complete sight of the pain, unhappiness and harsh circumstances of the world. Yet they believed that lives on earth should have, as the minister Samuel Willard wrote, "sometimes their exstasies."

Passion

• “Let thy lustful body be everlasting fuel for the unquenchable fire ; let thy lascivious soul be eternal food for the never-dying worm. Hell from beneath is moved to meet thee. "

• -Samuel Danforth

GREAT MIGRATIONMainstream

Puritans who settle

Massachusetts Bay Colony

north of Plymouth

during late 1620s and

1630s

Over 20,000 moderate

Congregationalists who fled

persecution in England under

Charles I

Goal was to set up “city upon a hill” to serve as model that would show English how their “sinful lande” could be transformed and purified

MASSACHUSETTS BAY COMPANY

• In 1628, well-off Puritans bought shares in New England Company– Had authorization to settle and

govern area known as Massachusetts Bay, north of Plymouth

• Company reorganized in 1629 into Massachusetts Bay Company– Puritan shareholders gained

majority control of company• Thereby gained power to

govern themselves in Massachusetts Bay

Seal of Massachusetts Bay Company

PURITAN SETTLEMENT• Shareholders elected John Winthrop as

their first governor

• Winthrop and 1000 other Puritans landed in Massachusetts Bay in 1630– Within a year they had founded

settlements at Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Watertown, Cambridge, and Charlestown

• All parts of metropolitan Boston today

• Within ten years, 20,000 more Puritans would come over, making Massachusetts Bay the largest English colony in North America

John Winthrop

RELIGION AND POLITICS

• Church became foundation of colony

– Everyone require to attend church services

– Full church membership limited to “saints”

• People who had passed test and proven they were marked for salvation

– Only full church members could participate in politics

THE GENERAL COURT

• Vote granted only to male, adult, full church members– Called “freemen”

• Originally, all freemen met together four times a year in the “General Court: to make laws– In between meetings, Winthrop and 18 elected assistants managed the colony

• General Court became too large and cumbersome in time and was transformed into a representative assembly– Two representatives elected from each settlement– Executive branch made up of governor, a deputy, and council of assistants—all

elected by freemen in the colony at large

THE PURITAN REPUBLIC• Puritan republic had problems in

early years– Anne Hutchinson– Roger Williams

• But the colony hung together because colonists agreed on basic issues– Wanted congregational churches– Wanted government that enforced

Ten Commandments and supported their “true religion”

• But, contrary to legend, they never allowed clergymen to hold public office

Anne Hutchinson

Roger Williams

ECONOMY• Colony developed thriving

economy based on selling supplies to new settlers

• English Civil War cut off flow of immigrants to colony and plunged it into a depression

• As a way out, colonists found they could sell fish, grain, and timber to Spain, Portugal, and Caribbean islands– Created solid and diversified

economic foundation based on international trade, shipbuilding, and shipping

GROWTH OF NEW ENGLAND• Population grew rapidly after 1650,

reaching 100,000 by the 1690s– Began to spill over into

neighboring areas• Connecticut (founded by

Thomas Hooker)• Rhode Island (founded by

Roger Williams)• Southern New Hampshire

– All these new colonies retained the Massachusetts form of government and had diversified economies based on international trade

REASONS FOR POPULATION GROWTH

• Population growth helped by lower death rate than in Virginia– Caused by brisk climate– Safe and abundant drinking

water– Strength of family units and

evenly balanced gender ration

• More stable family life and less carousing and drinking

– Puritan values

CONCLUSION

• Population growth and economic development eventually undermined the Puritan principles upon which Massachusetts Bay had been founded– Evolved into a secular and materialistic state

• But some of its traditions would live on to have a massive impact on the future of this new land– Most importantly, the tradition of self-

government