Colonial And Puritans Who Lived In Old And In New England

Colonial and Puritanism

The Puritans, who lived in "Old" and in New England, had many strong and powerful beliefs. The reason the Puritans left "Old" England was because their belief system was becoming jeopardized. Colonial and Puritan time periods didn’t have a very elaborate way of writing. They wrote a lot of diaries and histories. They believed a lot in religion they saw it as a very personal experience. Colonial and Puritanism, 1492-1800, has four distinct beliefs; The Bible is the literal word of God, there is an “elect” who are saved from hell and damnation and those who are not saved will end up going to hell, they believed God was everywhere working directly in their lives, Satan is real and always looking to corrupt good, Godly people.

The Salem Witch Trials is a prime example of how the Puritan’s believed that if you didn’t believe or follow their religion you were considered “unholy”.” Evidence admitted in such trials was of five types. First, the accused might be asked to pass a test, like reciting the Lord’s Prayer. This seems simple enough. But young girls who attended the trial were known to scream and writhe on the floor in the middle of the test. It is easy to understand why some could not pass.” (Independence Hall Association) The Bible was the true word of God to the Puritan and Colonial time periods the Salem Witch Trials was based around people they thought did not believe in God. They used to say that most of the girls were possessed by the devil and that they were going to hell anyways. They executed innocent lives of people that just did not believe the exact beliefs of the Puritans. “Anne Bradstreet was the first woman to be recognized as an accomplished New World Poet. Her volume of poetry The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America ... received considerable favorable attention when it was first published in London in 1650. Eight years after it appeared it was listed by William London in his Catalogue of the Most Vendible Books in England, and George III is reported to have had the volume in his library. Bradstreet's work has endured, and she is still considered to be one of the most important early

“A Pilgrim was a member of a distinct group of puritans who were not only against the Anglican church but also called for total separation from the church. The religion practised in New England was strictly Puritan and the Puritans did not tolerate any other religions - refer to Pilgrims and Puritans.” (Puritans) The puritans were not tolerant to any other religion. The Puritans were extremely set in their ways and they did not want anything else getting in their way. William Bradford was an author form this time period and he dealt a lot with the history of the Plymouth Colony. “Beginning in 1630, he started writing a history of the Plymouth Colony, which is now published under the title of Plymouth Plantation. He continued writing his history of Plymouth through about 1651. Bradford's History is one of the primary sources used by historians, and is the only thorough history of Plymouth Colony that was written by a Mayflower passenger.” (Independence Hall Association) Most people believe that if you don’t go to church and you sin then you are going to hell and that is exactly what they used to think back in the day as well. “So, it appears Puritan beliefs aren’t confined to Evangelical churches, or classic novels. That famous scarlet A, and the value system it represents, may be branded on Americans’ brains.” (Mayflower Compact) The Salem Witch Trials was a