Puritans and Pilgrims

History The Pilgrims (1620) and the Puritans (1630) came and settled in Massachusetts. The Puritans wanted to build the “New Jerusalem” or Boston as it came to be known.

**Map of the first colonies settled during the time of the puritans and pilgrims.

History Important Events:

The most famous, or infamous, event of this time was the Salem witch hunt and trials. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex counties of colony Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693.

Pilgrims vs. Puritans… The "Pilgrim Fathers" who fled to the Netherlands, and then

to New England on the Mayflower, were Puritans. "Pilgrims" is the name that has stuck for this particular group of English Separatists. Their beliefs, however, were not materially different from those of the Puritans settlers who followed them to New England in the 1630s.

Religious views of the Pilgrims The pilgrims shared the views of the

Separatists: they believed that the reforms of the Anglican Church had gone far enough.

To establish themselves as rightful interpreters of the Bible, they removed from the Anglican Church in order to re-establish it as they believed it should be. Such an idea reflects the one that would be

expressed by the Puritan John Winthrop, where the New World would become a beacon of religious light, a model of spiritual promise, and a “city upon a hill”

Religious views of the Puritans The most obvious difference between the Pilgrims and the

Puritans is that the Puritans had no intention of breaking with the Anglican Church.

The Puritans had suffered repeatedly under a society which had seemed to demonstrate the potentially ominous side of the relation of church and state. The king was the leader of the church, and the state

decided how the church was to function The removal to Massachusetts was a way to gain a

political voice, to create a state that would develop according to their own beliefs and fashion itself harmoniously with the church

Religious views (continued) Puritans and Pilgrims were

nonconformists; both of which refused to accept an authority beyond that of the revealed word (the Bible).

The Puritans were ardent reformers, seeking to bring the Church to a state of “purity” (as NAAL states) This reform involved varying degrees of

stripping away practices seen as residual “popery” – vestments, ceremony, etc.

Knowledge of Scripture and divinity, for the Puritans, was essential.

Philosophy

Religious beliefs were the basis of their outlook on life

Legal documents influenced by the Bible and English common law

Puritans held education in high esteem

Authors

William Bradford (1590-1657) After the Mayflower anchored, his wife fell/jumped

overboard and drowned Was elected Governor of Plymouth in April of 1621

and started to write the history of Plymouth Plantation.

Was re-elected 30 times.

William Bradford (continued) Of Plymouth Plantation (1620-1637)

Portrays suffering of early settlers and their trip across the sea to the New World.

Upon landing, they had neither shelter nor knowledge of how to survive.

Settlers set out to look for supplies Found corn buried by Indians Some went off to sail around Cape Cod and were attacked by

Native Americans during their exploration. The explorers later found cornfields and fresh water during

their searches through the wilderness. Half the people died in the first few months of landing. Portrayed the suffering of the Pilgrims as they attempted to

survive the new landscape. Recordings serve as a historical log of the everyday struggles

the men and women faced as they built the foundations of a new society.

Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) Was born in 1612 Received education superior to

most women of her time Married Simon Bradstreet when

she was 16 Did not have healthy disposition,

was frail and weak She had 8 children Both her husband and father

became Governors of Massachusetts

Died in 1672

Anne Bradstreet (continued) “ “To My Dear and Loving Husband” (1678)

Displayed her love and devotion to her husband, Simon Bradstreet

Simon is represented as the center of her world Depicted the Puritan life in the home

Spoke of the simplistic home life of a Puritan wife. Men and women each had duties to perform. Fulfilled herself by being a good wife, mother, and poet. Depicted the small joys in life even as everyone continued to

struggle to survive in the colonies.

John Edward (1703-1758) Born at East Windsor,

Connecticut in 1703 Entered Yale University at the

age of 13 Married Sarah Pierrepont of

New Haven, in his early 20’s Began preaching at one of the

leading American Churches in Northampton, Massachusetts

He was dismissed from his Church in 1750 for his insistence that only those who had experienced “Grace” should be allowed to be members of the Church.

Became President of Princeton University in 1757

Died in of smallpox inoculation in 1758

John Edward (continued)

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Sinners have a possibility of facing destruction at any moment and are

already condemned to hell no matter how much they attempt to avoid it.

God can send sinners to hell whenever he desires and does not lack the power to do so.

God’s wrath is expressed in the fiery tortures of hell. This is a warning to everyone to avoid sin and others to convert and

turn towards God to be saved. God shows no mercy in exacting his justice and should be feared.

Reveals unforgiving Puritan views of religion Religion is all encompassing of life and should be used as a set of

guidelines. Every word and action is seen in black and white. God is depicted as a harsh and omnipotent ruler who is always

present. There is no room for negligence. The strict religious codes are

continuously in effect.

Related LiteratureNathaniel Hawthorne (1804-

1864) Was born at Salem, Massachusetts, July 4,

1804 Two of his ancestors served as judges

during the infamous Salem Witch Trials Hawthorne added the “w” to his last name

to distance himself from his ancestors. Is most famous for his novel about the

Puritans “The Scarlet A” The Scarlet Letter (1850) Summary:

Hester Prynne is a woman who committed adultery while her husband, Roger Chillingworth, was absent from the town.

Hester is forced to wear the scarlet “A” on her chest to represent her sin.

Throughout the novel, Hester refuses to reveal the father of her child

Nathaniel Hawthorne (continued)

Promotes the image of Puritan societies as being cold and merciless Depicts the rigid and strict

culture of the Puritans. The scarlet A shows the Puritan

belief of making an example of sinners.

Reveals the restraints placed on the Puritan people and the religious expectations of each person.

Puritans were seen as callous and judgmental men and women who were always ready to condemn any rebellious members of their society.