THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN

FOUNDING THE NEW ENGLAND

COLONIESChapter 3- America Pageant

M. Carter

“Choose not that in which you may be mostRich or honorable in the world, but that inWhich you may do most good…”

(Richard Baxter)

CALVINISM John Calvin Predestination

Stemmed from the idea of God as all-knowing Lives were pre- destined or pre- determined

for heaven or hell Your life on earth could not alter the outcome

Conversion The experience that was God’s way of telling

you that you were saved or a “visible saint” Expectations

“visible saints” must exemplify holy living

CONFLICT IN ENGLAND Church of England (Anglican)

All Englishmen must attend churchNot all Englishmen believed in the doctrine

of the Church Puritans

Wanted to “purify” the ChurchBelieved in the doctrineDisliked attending church with those

hellbound James I

If Puritans will argue over church matters, it was only a matter of time before it became political

SEPARATISTS V NON-SEP. Separatists

The Church of England was beyond repair Believed they needed to SEPARATE from the

Church and start again Generally, had the same doctrine but was

“purified” PILGRIMS were the “purest Puritans”

Non-Separatists Church needed to be “purified” but this could

be done from within the Church = Reform Remained members Puritans

WHO WERE THE PILGRIMS? Holland Separatists William Bradford Mayflower Compact Squanto Plymouth Rock Work ethic 102 How did their colony compare to

Jamestown?

WHO WERE THE PURITANS? Non-Separatists Massachusetts Bay Colony 1630s Population

How did MBC compare to previous colonies? Governance

Direct democracyGeneral Court“freemen”

John Winthrop- “ A Model on Christian Charity” (1630)“City Upon a Hill”

"We may not aim only at our own, but atthe public good. Therefore, faith will

not think it hath a comfortable callingunless it will serve, not only its own turn,

but the turn of other men.”

Cotton Mather—(1663-1728)

Does this sound familiar, in concept?

COVENANT COMMUNITIES What is a “covenant”?

1. A binding agreement; a compact.2. Law

a. A formal sealed agreement or contract. b. A suit to recover damages for violation of

such a contract.3. In the Bible, God's promise to the human

race.(taken from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/covenant )

So…. What is a covenant community? What covenant communities have we

encountered thus far?

RELIGIOUS DISSIDENTS Puritans sought religious freedom for

themselves- NOT for all. They did NOT believe in religious

tolerance.

Those with different beliefs were jailed, exiled or executed.

EXILED FROM MBC Anne Hutchinson

Roger Williams

Thomas Hookers

….these are only the most well-known.

Let’s check your chart now!

ROGER WILLIAMSDissenter/ Where From

Reason for Exile

Beliefs Colony Established

Roger Williams/Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan

Believed individual’s conscience was beyond the control of any civil or church authority

1. Recognized the rights of Native Americans and paid them for the use of the land.

2. Provided for complete religious toleration by allowing Catholics, Quakers, Jews to worship freely

3. Separation of church and state

Providence

Later Rhode Island

ANNE HUTCHINSONDissenter/ Where From

Reason for Exile Beliefs Colony Established

MBColony

Puritan

Led discussion groups that criticized religious leaders

Disagreed with their focus on good works- people can’t earn their way into heaven

Female criticizing male elect

Claimed direct “revelation”

Believed in antinomianism- faith alone is necessary for salvation

Portsmouth

(Rhode Island)

THOMAS HOOKER, REVDissenter/ Where From

Reason for Exile

Beliefs Colony Established

MBC

Puritan

Disagreed with church leaders

Authority extended too far

Limited suffrage to men church members

** chose to leave

Established a representative gov’t

Popular vote

Governor chosen by legislature

1st Constitution: Fundamental Orders of Conn.

Hartford

Conn. River Valley

NATIVE AMERICANS IN NEW ENGLANDPicture:Jean Louis Gerome Ferris “The First Thanksgiving” (1915)

PURITAN THOUGHTS deep-seeded

fears of witchcraft

Puritans believed that since America was first introduced to Christianity by colonists, it was the Devil’s homeland

“It was a rousing alarm to the Devil, when a great company of English Protestants and Puritans came to erect evangelical churches in a corner of the world where he had reigned without any control for many ages.”

-- Cotton MatherUltimately, Puritans believed the surrounding natives were an “army of devils.” They feared the strange rituals and languages, believing it was devil worship.

PURITAN FEARS “nature and the wilderness, which

represented the dark evil in human life, became the transplanted Puritans enemy.”

The wilderness = side of human character that Puritans feared and rejected

“The harshness of the surrounding area outside the town itself meant that the punishment of banishment was often a death sentence– survival was psychologically and physically impossible.”

 http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/page/11467/

OLD DELUDER SATAN LAW

An attempt to fight against the devil by educating the children. If they could read the Bible, they could defend themselves.

PEQUOT WAR- CAUSES Puritan fears Encroachment of

land Interference in

tradeWampum

“WE MUST BURN THEM!”

TREATY OF HARTFORD September 1638 No Pequot may inhabit former Pequot

territory Name Pequot was expunged from New

England. Pequot slaves took on the name of the

tribe they were enslaved within

Surviving Pequots were divided up amongst Indian allies as slaves.

PEQUOT WAR- EFFECT"The effect of the Pequot War was profound.

Overnight the balance of power had shifted from the populous but unorganized natives to the English colonies. Henceforth [until King Philip's War] there was no combination of Indian tribes that could seriously threaten the English. The destruction of the Pequots cleared away the only major obstacle to Puritan expansion. And the thoroughness of that destruction made a deep impression on the other tribes."

(taken from: http://www.colonialwarsct.org/1637.htm)

“KING PHILIP” Metacomet Wampanoag

chief Recognized

importance of unity among tribes

Unified attacks on colonists in New England

1675-76

LONDON REPORTS ON KING PHILIP’S WARThe first time an English paper devotes such attention to the reporting of colonial events- ¾ of the front page.

THE LONDON GAZETTEDATED: From Monday, August 16 to Thursday, August 19, 1675

“In their journey they had seen lying the bodies of several English without heads, who had been murthered by the Indians…”

“We had advice, that 16 English were killed in skirmishing and 7 Indians…”

“And that 14 houses belonging to the English near Swansey, had been burnt…”

“An Indian Spy had been executed at Plymouth…”

“Having only seen ten Indians together, of whom they killed four; they found 6 English heads, and twice as many hands, being of those the Indians had murthered…”

Early success Ended in disaster

Wife and son killedMetacomet- beheadedTribes were disbanded and decimated

Lacked leadership, numbers and unity for decades

Few threats remained toward New England colonists