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Religion in American colonies
Religion in American colonies
The rise of puritans
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In general, all colonies had their own individual challenges as they adjust to the New World. In general the first people who came to the new world were known as pilgrims, but then later they were followed by a group call Puritans. The Puritans were a group of Christians, who wanted the Church of England to alleviate certain ceremonious celebrations that were not found in the scriptures because they believe the bible as their sole authority (Who Were the Puritans, “n.d.”). They settle in the Massachusetts Bay and they were more religious conscience than most of the other colonies. In 1623, the Council of New England granted land to the Dorchester Company to plant a colony of fishermen in what is now Massachusetts (Reich, 2011, p. 71). Some
of the problems the Puritan encounters were political, economical and religious. First, Charles I claimed to be in charge, but he encounters some disagreements from other religious leaders. As we learned that, “Archbishop Laud insisted that Anglican practices be followed to the letter in every church, and ministers with Puritan leanings are dismissed (Reich, 2011, p. 71). Therefore, the parliament was dissolved by King Charles I and to show his authority to rule, he levy taxes and conduct what the Puritans considered a pro-Catholic foreign policy without interference (Reich, 20111, p. 71). Secondly, economics played a key role as during the 1620s there was an economic distress in the land where the majority of the Puritans lived (Reich, 2011). In conclusion, the settlers of Massachusetts were different from other colonies because of their strong religious background, as Puritans and they formed their government in aligning with Puritans teaching which Church and state were partners (Reich, 2011, p. 73).
In the provocative article, Were the Puritans Puritanical?, Carl Degler seeks to clarify the many misconceptions surrounding the Puritan lifestyle. He reveals his opinions on this seventeenth century living style, arguing that the Puritans were not dull and ultra-conservative, but rather enjoyed things in moderation. They had pleasures, but not in excess. The Puritans could engage in many pleasurable and leisurely activities so long as they did not lead to sin. According to the article, the Puritans believed that too much of anything is a sin. Degler writes about the misconceptions of Puritan dress, saying that it was the “opposite of severe”, and describing it as rather the English Renaissance style. Not all members of Puritan society
The English Settlement in the New World was largely the result of the Age of Exploration. The English started emigrated to the New World around the early 1600s; they settles in regions including the New England and the Chesapeake region and by the 18th century these two regions had developed their own society. These two regions had developed different political, economic and social system in their regions. The political differences were due to who governs the colony. The economic differences were due to the motives of the settlement. The social differences were due to the people who settled there, while the New England emigrated as a family, the Chesapeake emigrated with mostly male.
During colonial times, European nations quickly colonized the New World years after Columbus’ so called discovery. England in particular sent out a number of groups to the east coast of the New World to two regions. These areas were the New England and the Chesapeake regions. Later in the late 1700s, these two regions would go though many conflicts to come together as one nation. Yet, way before that would occur; these two areas developed into two distinct societies. These differences affected the colonies socially, economically, and politically.
The English had two main colonies in the new world, Jamestown and Plymouth. The first colony was Jamestown, established in Virginia in 1607. Jamestown was settled by Captain John Smith, and was named after King James I. Tobacco was the main export of Jamestown, and became the basis of the Jamestown economy, sending more than 50,000 lbs of the plan back to Europe by 1618 (textbook 46). Jamestown had a very rocky start, many colonists dying in the first few years of the settlement, and the settlers had many problems with natives. Shortly after the arrival of English colonists the Natives attacked them, and were finally forced back by a canon from the English. A very uneasy truce was finally settled between the natives, called the Powhatans, and the English (textbook 44-5). Economic growth and expanding their territories were the main priorities of the English in the Jamestown colonies.
In 1608, a group of Christian separatists from the Church of England fled to the Netherlands and then to the "New World" in search of the freedom to practice their fundamentalist form of Christianity (dubbed Puritanism). The group of people known as the Native Americans (or American Indians) are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Northern and Southern American continents who are believed to have migrated across the Bering land bridge from Asia around 30,000 years ago. When these two societies collided, years of enforced ideology, oppression and guerrilla warfare were begun. The great barriers of religion, ethics and world-views are the three largest factors which lead to the culture clash between the Puritans and the Native Americans.
Edmund S. Morgan's book, "The Puritan Dilemma", is an account of the events encountered by John Winthrop's mission of creating a city on a hill. Winthrop leads and directs the Massachusetts Bay Company, to the new world, while trying to find a solution to the Puritan dilemma, which was how they were going to live in the world while trying to live up to the ideals in the Bible. These ideals lead John Winthrop to propose the creation of a “city on a hill”. His proposition involves reforming the Church of England, in the new world, by purifying the church of all its flaws. It would create a citadel of God’s chosen people, the kind of society that God demanded of all His servants. According to Winthrop, "They should be purified of their unregenerate members, their heretical clergymen, their unwarranted ceremonies, their bishops, and archbishops, but they were nevertheless churches and must be embraced as churches". (Morgan, 27) Winthrop continues to emphasize that they have been selected by God, like Israel of old, to serve as a model society to others; they would be a “city on a hill” for everyone to see and observe.
Massachusetts's inhabitants were Puritans who believed in predestination and the ideal that God is perfect. Many Puritans in England were persecuted for their nihilist beliefs in England because they felt that the Church of England, led by the Kind, did not enforce a literal enough interpretation of the Bible. Persecution punishment included jail and even execution. To seek refuge, they separated to go to Holland because of its proximity, lower cost, and safer passage. However, their lives in Holland were much different than that of England. The Separatists did not rebel against but rather preferred the English culture. They did not want their children to be raised Dutch. Also, they felt that Holland was too liberal. Although they enjoyed the freedom of religion, they decided to leave for America. Pilgrims, or sojourners, left for America on The Mayflower and landed in Cape Cod in 1626. They had missed their destination, Jamestown. Although the climate was extremely rocky, they did not want to move south because of their Puritan beliefs. They thought that everything was predestined, and that they must have landed on this rocky place for a reason. They moved slightly north to Plymouth Rock in order to survive more comfortably. Also because of their Puritan beliefs, they had good relations with the Native Americans. Their pacifist nature led the Indians to help with their crops. In thanks, the Pilgrims celebrated the first thanksgiving in 1621. A second group of Puritans in England, the Massachusetts Bay Company, came to Massachusetts for more economically motivated purposes due to their non-minimalist beliefs.
During the 17th century, many Puritans set sail for New England in order to escape religious persecution and re-create an English society that was accepting of the Puritan faith. John Winthrop, an educated lawyer from England who later became governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was one of the first in North America to advocate Puritan ideals and lifestyle. Winthrop delivered his sermon A Model of Christian Charity, in hopes of encouraging his shipmates to establish a truly spiritual community abroad. Almost fifty years later, a Puritan named Mary Rowlandson, daughter of a wealthy landowner and wife of a minister, wrote A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, describing her 11-week captivity by native Indians after an attack on Lancaster. Rowlandson recounts her story with heroism and appreciation for God. Although John Winthrop and Mary Rowlandson were in entirely different situations when composing their literary works, both writings reflect many of the same ideals that characterize the Puritan mind, such as the belief in God's mercy, the acceptance of one's condition in life, and the importance of a strong community.
Cults can be anywhere, especially where you least expect them to be: from inside one of the first great American novels to the small town of Wells, Texas. According to The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Puritan society is essentially a cult.
Woman and family roles are considerably different today than they were back in Puritan times. Puritans thought that the public’s foundation rested on the “little commonwealth”, and not merely on the individual. The “little commonwealth” meant that a father’s rule over his family mirrored God’s rule over creation or a king over his subjects. John Winthrop believed that a “true wife” thought of herself “in [weakness] to her husband’s authority.” As ludicrous as this idea may appeal to women and others in today’s society, this idea was truly necessary for colonies to be able to thrive and maintain social order.
The Colonial Period writing in American Literature really showed the values of the time. Whether it was being a Puritan or a Rationalist, many stood forward to share their strong actions, thoughts, and goals. America was just beginning and a great divide stood between Rationalism and Puritanism. Puritans followed God and surrounded their day with work, prayer, and overall restriction of any activity that is for entertainment purposes. The Rationalists questioned human behavior and constantly searched for answers, they listened to their curiosities, but also tried to be their best self. Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages, or goods and bads, but together they stood in strength. People stood strong on their side of the Puritan/Rationalist scale.
While the current child considers their life to be stressful and busy, the children of the Puritan religion had much more to be worried about, on top of all of their daily activities. The adults in the community looked down upon the children that represented the devil and his works. Children were born with the burden of Adam’s sin, and they must be broken from sinning. By the time that the children were five, they were put to work, to contribute to the family. Most children were small, and able to help with the weeding of plants and house work. After an early morning work session, most children would attend school. Schooling was very important to the Puritans because they believed that the devil would influence anyone you was easy enough to trick. Schooling was not available for everyone, and only taught the basic skills needed, reading and writing. Since schooling was a privilege, it was much more strict. Meaning that if a child were to mess around, they would be humiliated in front of the class. Even after a long day of; work, bible lessons, and schooling, the children were still allowed a small amount of play time. Once they had learned these basic skills, it was off to work and to follow in their parents tracks. There was no middle stage between being a child and adult, they were forced right into the adult life. This would force the children into a miserable life, that many would hate living. Most children did not want to follow in their parents footsteps, so there was another burden put onto the small shoulders an innocent child. And thus, the tragedies of Salem, in 1692, were caused by the strict rules of the Puritan Religion.
regard to its beliefs and ideology. Both past and present day beliefs make Puritanism a challenge
There were many devastating events that took place in the year of 1692, however the occasion that arouse in colonial Massachusetts, between February of 1692 and May of 1693, were unfortunate incidents. The lives of nineteen people were taken all because of Puritan Religious Beliefs. Assumptions of these people resulted in not only suffrage in jail but the possibility of death. The mania that outburst was superintended by a thoracic governance, whether than the natural right to a impartial trial.
It was summer when we arrived so the weather was very cooperative. The first order of business for us was to build shelters and find a fresh water source. Luckily for us there was a stream near by. I being a carpenter helped build makeshift homes out of wood and rope. Farmer’s tilled fields and fisherman found the best spots to throw their lines. By fall the colony was up and running relatively smoothly. Everybody did their share of work except for the people from aristocratic people from England. There were fights almost daily about the laziness of these people. They took far more from the colony than they put back in. On the other hand they were the ones who financed our trip to this beautiful new world.