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Early americans writing in religion
Anne bradstreet poem about anne hutchinson
In what ways were ideas and values held by Puritans
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Religion in Early American Society Early American society revolved around religion. Your destination was predetermined before you were even born. Whether you did good works or bad works on this earth it did not change the outcome of someone going to heaven or hell. The works by Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, and Jonathan Edwards show us the religion in early American culture. No matter how hard life gets you down these people never let that bother them, and they realized that God has a plan for everything. One’s past does not determine ones future and we learned that through the readings by Bradstreet, Taylor, and Wheatley.
Anne Bradstreet’s poem Upon the Burning of our House teaches us that our temporary home on earth and what we have
Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards were both Christians who had great faith in God and put Him first in their lives. They were both aware of God’s almighty power and that God had greater plans for mankind than what was visible on Earth. Their core way of thinking was similar but their personal understanding of God’s nature was strikingly different. Bradstreet saw a kind and compassionate God and Edwards saw a harsh and jealous God. However, both knew that eternal life awaited those who accepted God into their hearts.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus came across North America accidentally during his voyage to the East Indies. Columbus’s discovery marked the beginning of a new era; with it the Europeans became aware of the opportunities the New World offered. This encouraged others to set out and explore the North and South America in the 1500s. Although colonial America was governed under the British rule, it developed differently than Britain. Since Colonial America was diversified, it offered new opportunities, different religions, and different political views than Britain.
Religion and government in England had always gone hand in hand, and if one group’s ideas did not coincide with England’s laws controlling the practice of religion they would be denied. The unification of church and state within European countries led to many wars, resulting in massive debt. As England declared themselves a Catholic country, Protestants who did not hold the same beliefs needed a new homeland where they could be free to worship in their own way. This new homeland was America, and it allowed Protestants, now calling themselves Puritans, to practice Christianity without government interference. While original settlers came to America to create a Christian homeland where they could practice their faith how they wanted, America quickly became a homeland for religious freedom through a mixing pot of differing religions, cultures, and ethnicities, enough open land for them to exist together, and the key idea of the separation of Church and State.
Anne Bradstreet’s poetry resembles a quiet pond. Her quiet puritan thinking acts as the calm surface that bears a resemblance to her natural values and religious beliefs. Underneath the pond there is an abundance of activity comparable to her becoming the first notable poet in American Literature. Anne Bradstreet did not obtain the first notable poet’s title very easily; she endured sickness, lack of food, and primitive living conditions during her time in the New World. Despite these misfortunes she used her emotions and strong educational background to write extraordinarily well for a woman in that time.
Anne Bradstreet, whom most critics consider America’s first “authentic poet”, was born and raised as a Puritan. Bradstreet married her husband Simon at the tender age of eighteen. She wrote her poems while rearing eight children and performing other domestic duties. In her poem “Upon The Burning Of Our House, July 10th, 1666”, Bradstreet tells of three valuable lessons she learned from the fire that destroyed her home.
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
Anne Bradstreet is seen as a true poetic writer for the seventeenth century. She exhibits a strong Puritan voice and is one of the first notable poets to write English verse in the American colonies. Bradstreet’s work symbolizes both her Puritan and feminine ideals and appeals to a wide audience of readers. American Puritan culture was basically unstable, with various inchoate formations of social, political, and religious powers competing publicly. Her thoughts are usually on the reality surrounding her or images from the Bible. Bradstreet’s writing is that of her personal and Puritan life. Anne Bradstreet’s individualism lies in her choice of material rather than in her style.
When the English came to America they brought many bright ideas that would later affect the colonies.There were also different types of religions that impacted all the colonies such as puritanism, Lutheran's, Catholics Etc. Religion had an important role in establishing the colonies, however different areas of the colonies were affected differently. Religion was differ in each of the following places the England , middle, and the southern colonies.
Religion in the New World exploded into the land with the colonization of thousands of immigrants. It played an important role in the development of thought in the West. Religion was one of the first concepts to spark the desires of people from other countries to emigrate to the new lands. While many religions blossomed on the American shores of the Atlantic, a basic structure held for most of them, being predominantly derived from Puritanism. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, showed the link the new settlers had to God when Sir Thomas Dale said the following in 1610:
The extreme crisis that Bradstreet goes through in losing her house and of her possessions would be detrimental to any human being. The content in this poem reflects the doubts, thought process, and battle Bradstreet had with her faith during this crisis. An example of Bradstreet showing her grief throughout the poem would be as followed: “Then, coming out, beheld a space/The flame consume my dwelling place/and when I could no longer look,/I blest His name that gave and took,” (Bradstreet 11-14). This quote exemplifies Bradstreet’s loss especially with the line “and when I could no longer look” (14). This quote indicates Bradstreet’s immense grief to the point where her eyes cannot bare to look at what causes her pain. Another example of the grief Bradstreet is going through is as followed: “Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,/There lay that store I...
The latter half of the 19th century marked a time of major changes that sweep the American landscape. Changes included: the second industrial revolution, the third great awakening, abolitionism, immigration, and new religious movements (NRMs). This time period is referred to as the “Gilded Age”; there was rapid economic growth which spurred wage increases, immigration, and technological advances.
Religious toleration in the British colonies was more limits than it was expansion. When there was "religious toleration", it had to go based on some rules that were put by the main church or by the royal Supremacy. Elizabeth the first is an adequate example of this. The Quakers were also limited by the church of England. Puritans along with the Quakers were pushed out of the colony and very badly tortured if they were caught going against the word of the Book of Prayer. Every time that a colony was able to practice their own religion, they would have to go by the rules and guidelines set by those with higher authority and power. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania were two colonies that were known to be religiously free. They were thought to be havens for fleeing religious parties from England.
When Bradstreet’s next grandchild, Anne, passed away, she was unable to resist it. She lost her control and become disappointed. She wrote a poem under “In Memory of My dear Grandchild Anne Bradstreet, Who Deceased June 20, 1669.”5 The poem starts with the speaker
Anne Bradstreet wrote poetry in a time when only Puritan men were publishing writing, mostly about their faith and religion. Thus, she was the first woman in the colonies to be published and received a lot of criticism for it. At this time, there were roles that women were expected to fill, specifically wife and mother roles, and going against these roles could have grand consequences. While her poems may seem simple and domestic, they contain a more complex meaning when looked at closely. Through many of her poems, Bradstreet expressed her frustration towards her society’s gender norms and went against the Patriarchal ideas of the Puritan society.
The poem begins with a normal night for Bradstreet; she goes to bed not expecting anything to happen. Surprisingly she is mistaken when she wakes up to her house in flames. I experienced this as well only I was coming home from school to find our home on fire. Although her home was up in flames, rather to mourn over her lost possessions she gives thanks to God and believes that she will receive them all back in heaven. The following quote exemplifies Anne Bradstreet strength in faith; “And when I could no longer look, I blest His name that gave and took.” (Vol A page 232) Throughout this poem Anne expresses her trust in God and she also expresses her humbleness and humility, she dedicates her trust to God and realizes that at any time material things can be taken away. Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House did not necessarily teach me anything, but it did reiterate to me what my mother taught me when I was younger; that is to be thankful for whatever you have and never take things for granted because it can be gone in a blink of an eye. Also, this poem reiterated that no matter what you may go through in life if you have Faith in God you will always get through those tough