Following a period of religious decline in the early 1700s, the strong emotions that accompanied a revival left Puritans with a longing to “share [their] joy and tell [their] experience to others.” The “individual freedom and fraternal union went hand in hand.” The act of communicating with fellow Puritans compelled the realization of common beliefs between one another. These new conversations allowed personal religion interpretations to form without the worry of being considered a dishonorable Puritan. Additionally, the nature of individual conversions that accompanied the First Great Awakening signified the focus of Puritanism shifting away from “purifying” the Anglican Church and towards establishing a personal relationship with God.
The New England colonies were made with the aspiration to escape commotion and disorder of England, with their sights set to found a formal, clean, Puritan society. Their society was strict conformity, fines were issued for breaking Sabbath by smoking or even stopping by to see friends. Strict dress codes were given, including a ban on wearing flashy ceremonious clothing to your own wedding and a ban was put on all games, such as: cards and dice. The land was distributed between wealthy families and the government was considered to be ruled by the people, well, the men; considering they were the only people allowed to vote. This was called a self government and was managed primarily by the male church members.
Puritans are a people with a very strong belief in both God and the power of God. When people see power, they interpret it in different ways. Some know of power through anger and impulse, while others see power through the goodness the powerful one shows. Although Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are both puritan poets, their writings convey mainly different, though sometimes similar, views on God because they have different perceptions of His will and the use of His power. Anne Bradstreet listens to and accepts anything that God wishes, and that is shown through her poem Upon the Burning of my House.
Puritans such as Jonathan Edwards and Anne Bradstreet would write personal history or diary type of literature to influence men and women across the nation on their strong biblical beliefs. Puritans are known for their wide spread faith on the bible, how they would preach, and the way they showed others the way of life that is suitable to enter to heaven. Many puritans believed there were people who were already chosen called the “selected”. Each puritan writer had their own way of getting others involved in the lifestyle of following the bible. Writers like Edwards and Bradstreet both wrote about God and the impact although they had different notions; from them having different points of view of how God felt, to the way they wrote and made their readers feel throughout their writings.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, in her article “Vertuous Women Found: New England Ministerial Literature, 1668-1735,” argues the ministerial writings of New England during the late seventeenth-early eighteenth century promoted an ideology of gender equality within a larger paradoxical environment. The dominant Puritan culture in which they lived created a separation of status within diverging social and spiritual fields. While legal, economic, and educational opportunities for women were severely limited in society, there existed a pervasive inherent equality among the sexes in regards to godly matters. (Ulrich, 37) To Support her claim, Ulrich relies heavily on ministerial literature, which consisted of marriage sermons, childbirth treatises, and funeral eulogies.
Puritanism, a version of Calvinism, addresses the sinfulness of man and claims that God has predetermined those who will be saved and those who won’t; despite their sins. In the poem “Here Follow Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666,” Anne Bradstreet recounts a tragic accident that occurred and how she used it to glorify God. Jonathan Edwards conducted sermon titled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Connecticut, 1741. In this text he goes in depth into the sinful nature of man, and a just and angry God who doesn’t hesitate. Both passages address the life Puritans should live.
While slavery was a major part of colonial life in the Southern colonies, it was not as prevalent in New England, but that is not to say that it did not exist in New England. Slavery was not as necessary in the New England Colonies as it was in the South, but some in New England did own slaves. The stories of these slaves are few and far between due to the fact that it was not seen as such a major component of the history of New England as it was in the other colonies. The Puritans of New England arrived with a burden that they placed upon themselves to create the perfect colony, that other would have to emulate, has the city upon the hill. This created a stressful situation for the Puritans because they were under the conception that if they
A Burning Devotion to God People want something to look forward to after their lifetime. For the Puritans God is what they look forward to. To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet, Upon the Burning of Our House by Anne Bradstreet, and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards perceive God in different ways. After analysing Bradstreet and Edward’s poems I have found many differences in their styles of writing and views of God, yet they lead to a common conclusion.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was estimated to have a population of 506 in the 1630s. The population then grew quickly, probably because Boston was a popular port city. The population grew to 55,941 between 1630 and 1700. Most of the immigrants that migrated to Massachusetts were from England. The majority of these immigrants were Puritans and their religion meant a lot to them.
The Puritan faith clearly has God as their main focus. But both authors express their view of God in distinct ways. Bradstreet presents a calming space where she believes God and religion are guiding her through life, marriage, troubles, and that she will be rewarded for accepting guidance. For example, in My Dear and Loving Husband
There are many Puritans stories out there, but only so many are popular. Most of the stories are about sin or about events that were unjustful. Injustice has been around for hundreds of years. It has torn families, friendships, and even towns. The theme of injustice is illustrated in Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Margaret Atwood’s “Half-Hanged Mary,” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” through the cruel ways people were being treated by others and themselves.
Puritanism was one of the largest religious group in Colonial America, bringing strong religious views and literature. Anne Bradstreet was a housewife and the first poet to be published in America, showing her religious views and life in poetry. However, there was another Puritan writing and literature. Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan preacher and had emotionally charged sermons meant to terrify and degrade the congregation in hopes of converting them to the extremist view of puritanism. However, despite sharing the same religion, Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards had very different styles of writing and personalities and thoughts of God.
In England, during the 17th century, the groups that didn’t fit in with the religious society and culture of England but wanted to form their own communities. At that time, Jamestown had proven to England that the New world was The Virginia Company gave them charters to colonized Although, Puritans wanted to keep their rigid laws and strict culture based just christianity, the other English colonists who were more tolerant to other religions such the quakers and the Rhode Islanders. The Puritans who colonized the Massachusetts Bay area and the Chesapeake area, influenced the communities in many differents way. In the communities, people lived in the town and kept their farms on the outside to be closer to the church and to watch over each
The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the
During the colonial period many settlers came to the New World to escape persecution for their Puritan beliefs. Writers such as William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Mary Rowlandson all shared their experiences and religious devotion throughout their literature that ultimately inspired and influenced settlers to follow. This essay will discuss the similarities in Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson’s work as they both describe their experiences as signs from God. Anne Bradstreet came to the New World as a devoted Puritan as she repeatedly talked about it in her poetry. In her poems she discusses many tragedies that happened in her life such as; the burning of her house and the death of her two grandchildren all of which she thinks were signs from God.
