Puritan Synthesis Essay

In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the

The Puritans’ beliefs were a leading role for New England, which evolved into the Settlers having many differences from Chesapeake. John Winthrop dreamed of creating a “city on a hill” so the Church of England would think highly of the colony. The Puritans put in place congregational rule later evolving into town meetings which gave the New England more political control. Additionally, they established

Murrin, Paul E. Johnson, James M. Mcpherson, Alicea Fahs, Gary Gerstle, Emily S. Rosenberg, and Norman L. Rosenberg, “Puritans fleeing to America hoped to escape the divine wrath that threatened england and to create in America the kind of churches that God demanded.” (John et al., 2012). Because the English church was beginning to become “perverted, corrupted, and utterly overthrown by the multitude of evil examples and the licentious government” (John Winthrop) the Puritans feared God’s rage at the Church of England, so therefore they felt they urgently need to flee in order to escape this wrath and please God by creating a “City Upon a Hill”. This means the Puritans had to set an example in Massachusetts because they wanted to spread the gospel and create a government surrounding all of their principles around God’s word and do what they believed would glorify God. There was no where else where an opportunity for a pure church

In the early seventeenth century, the Puritans settled in New England, establishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They had religious reasons for settling, hoping to separate themselves from the English Anglican Church. The Puritans created colonies to serve as their ideal models for other American settlements. As stated by John Winthrop in Document A, their goal was to create a “city upon a hill”, which shows their motivations to build a permanent religious settlement. Although the Puritans did not completely push aside trade, they advised traders and workmen to follow a moral ethical code that would allow them to serve God and their neighbors (Doc E). The Puritans assembled their society based on their religious beliefs of great worship and predestination of the good because of their Covenant of Grace. In addition, they believed that they were all brought together by God to harvest crops and build a quintessential society (Doc D). Because the settlers did not believe in personal profit at the expense of others, they employed a General Court which regulated trade and commerce (Doc E). On the other hand, the settlers of

According to Bradstreet, humanity is on a intimate and personal relationship with a loving God. During our lifetime, God can help us attain the things needed. God can also take those things away, as a test of our faith in him. Bradstreet shows her view when she can believe in the highest faith in God, even while her house is burning down. Anne goes on to say, “Thou hast a house on high erect, Frameed by that mighty Architect, WIth glory richly furnished, Stands permanent though this be fled. It’s purchased and paid for too. By him who hath enough to do. A price so vast as is unknown , Yet by his gift is made thine own; There’s wealth enough, I need no more.” (lines 44-51). This is significant, because though she has last everything in the fire , she is grateful that God allowed her to have such

Puritans live in a life with a life of rules. They live by religious beliefs and literature purposes. The puritans believed in God being all powerful, Bible is God’s true law, success is a sign of improvement, and how education was written to glorify God and for education only not for entertainment.

The puritans go create the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They didn’t have strict rules like England, people were not forced to go to church, it all seems great. However, there were many issues. Puritans believed in Calvinism, or predestination. This was the idea that everything is preset by God and nothing you do can change your fate. “Nothing a person did in his or her lifetime could alter God’s choice or provide assurance that the person was predestined for salvation with the elect or damned to hell with the doomed multitude.” (The American

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

Religion had a powerful impact on Puritans lives. Many Puritan people had faith in a supreme being, God, and the teachings of his Divine Son, Jesus Christ. They’d assume that if you weren’t a good Christian they would suffer in hell, but if you were one would be saved by god. An example would be in the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” the speaker strongly describes about how being a bad Christian has its consequences and the good things that come of being a good Christian. “Many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.”(152)This explains how they had a strong feeling towards god’s ways. By being concerned about their religious life and being good Christians.

In Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House,” she used a calm and relaxing tone. Bradstreet was Puritan so she believed in having eternal life. She believed God would always be there for her, even in the worst of times, she just had to believe. The last line of Anne Bradstreet’s poem reads, “ My home and treasures lie above” (54). This shows that Bradstreet believes in heaven and knows she has a place up there when God is ready for her. Not had faith in God and and never gave up even though times got rough. She also believes in having a strong relationship with God. According to Bradstreet, “ And to my God my heart did cry/ To straighten me in my distress/ And not to leave me succourless” (8-10). This demonstrates Bradstreet is praying to her God asking him to help her not feel down and hopeless even though her house has now been turned into ash. Bradstreet has many religious beliefs and one being that she believed in Jesus and that he was her lord and savior. “It’s purchased and paid for too/ by him who hath enough to do/ A

Puritan life was based off of three main factors: hard work, honesty, and Divine Providence. Along with the hard work of farming and being honest, God played a large role in the everyday lives of the Puritan people. Divine Providence, being God’s intervention of the world has impacted the Puritan culture and their religious beliefs immensely. Puritans used literary works and ideas about Divine Providence to reflect their belief of how they knew they were God’s chosen people.

For Anne Bradstreet, the closeness of God to the soul is essential to not only understanding life, but coming to terms with devastation and loss. Bradstreet’s journey to God is best explained by Job 1:21 which says “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Her belief is exemplified through her poem “Versus upon the Burning of Our House.” One of her first reactions while she is watching her home burn to the ground is look up to the sky and say “strengthen me in my distress and not leave me succorless.” Throughout the entire poem, Bradstreet constantly references how God will help her rebuild her life and strengthen her soul. During the middle of the poem, she talks about all of her lost material things like

Over the years, people broadcast the Puritans as a group of people who were extremely legalistic and against anything that would be considered fun in the modern world. This incorrect broadcast of the Puritans has led to many misconceptions about how they lived when they came to the New World and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans were not legalistic, but rather sought to please God by creating a society that focused on fulfilling their calling through the institutions of family, work, education, and government in a positive environment. This led to a fruitful society when it followed in its original intentions.

These goals that the Puritans strived to achieve both at home and abroad placed a great amount of stress on the people and community. They were always working for their model society and for them their true leader was God. “Puritans believed in the

[This] shall keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace” (Winthrop, 304-307). After this speech the Puritans felt a sort of power to shine and influence the other European nations. In England they felt religious and social restraints which were no longer present in the new settlement so they wanted to share and model this idea and freedom that their “city on a hill” brought. The speech also installed the need for a strong, united community, one in which everyone succeeded and struggled together in hopes that this togetherness would make their city even stronger. They truly believed that they were a model example, and that others should too be like them. Aside from wanting to be an influence on other European nations, Puritan/ Protestant believers also believed in being a model for native communities. However, instead of being a “beacon of light” that the natives would look upon and think “ we should be like them”, they forced certain ideas and thoughts to the natives so that the could reflect and assimilate into their communities.