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Impact of religion in colonies
Religion aspect during colonial times
Puritans religious beliefs
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Impact of religion in colonies
Religion aspect during colonial times
Puritans religious beliefs
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
Salem, in the 1600’s was the town of the Puritans. Puritanism is a sect of Christianity that is extremely strict and set in its way. Due to the town being a theocracy of puritanism, it adopted a certain intolerance to anything that went against their beliefs. The puritan ideology was that everyone must completely devout their lives to their faith and nothing else.
In July of 1620 a ship carrying hundreds of puritan pilgrims set sail from England to where these fugitives believed was their Promised Land, The Americas; Another voyage similarly left Africa in approximately 1756 heading to the lands of America but for a very different purpose. Although, this ship was carrying likewise hundreds of people, or what was considered property at the time, overseas it brought these peoples to a land and life very opposite of what the Puritans were seeking. Puritans and Slaves may be very different people in general, but their reasons for their voyages, the conditions of their ships, and the characteristics a passenger would need to survive these arduous journeys oversea are easily compared and contrasted. In the 1600’s religious persecution faced anyone who did not identify with the Church of England, a christian church implemented throughout the
This newly evolved society was cause by the “Religious movement known as ‘Puritanism,’ which arose in England late in the sixteenth century” (Foner 64). Puritans did not refer to themselves as puritans but instead “‘godly’ or ‘true protestants’” (Foner 64). They started this movement because they felt that the protestant reformation was not doing enough and were simply not satisfied. It is commonly believed that Puritanism was “An important thread in the development of American civilization” (Int 25).
The Puritans eventually broke away from the Church of England and there willingness to separate from the church became part of the American character. Americans felt that they could break up from corrupt systems and the Puritan philosophy played a large part in the fight for American Independence. It is no coincidence the struggled for independence started in Massachusetts. God’s role is a Puritans life is vividly expressed in Mary Rowlandson’s, a “Narrative of Captivity Restoration.” Rowlandson, the daughter of a Massachusetts Bay landowner and wife of a minister, describes her life as a captive of the Indians.
The Original Puritan vision of having of doing everything as a collective effort for the eyes of England, with almost no aspect of individualism, as seen with John Winthrop, morphed into the Puritans displaying “The Other” theme through King Phillip’s war and finding an enemy and try to define themselves, away from the church, and also there is change with the Nature theme and the Salem Witch Trials which shows the Puritan Dilemma and how it secularized the second and third generation Puritans. Firstly, the original Puritan Errand had little individualism and called for a collective effort for their society to be an example for England. In John Winthrop’s, A Model of Christian Charity, he explains how the Puritans’ original goal is to be a
During America’s Colonial Period, there were two groups of people, Puritans and non-Puritans. Puritans were the writers that founded America. During this era of time, many writers disagreed on attitudes toward freedom, religion, and the way to live a daily life. The main people who contributed to these beliefs were: Jonathan Edwards, William Bradford Anne Bradstreet. Anne Bradstreet says in her poem, Upon the Burning of Our House, “Yet, by His gift, is made thine own” (handout), this is an example of Irresistible grace.
After the Puritan Religion was formed and split off from the Church of England, they could not fully escape all the “unholy” practices of the Church of England. This led to many different families leaving England to go to America. “The fact that the Puritans had left England to escape religious persecution did not mean that they believed in religious tolerance. Their society was a theocracy that governed every aspect of their lives” (Baracskay). The idea of a theocracy is extremely dangerous because it creates a system without balance.
The Puritans were a strong unified religious community that centered their lives and their community on a specific set of beliefs. They believed that life was a test and those who passed this test would not only be successful, but also be delivered to holy blessedness all their lives and in the next. On the other hand, those who failed this test would face the consequences of a life damned by the devil. Notably in addition to that belief, they were God’s advocates and God’s law were their political laws. One specific facet of the Puritan belief system discussed in this paper is religious exclusiveness.
In New England, there was no such thing as religious tolerance. Everyone was required to be part of the Church of England whether they believed or not. This led to a disagreement among those who believed that those who were not “visible saints” should not be allowed to worship in the same place as those who were. These colonists were referred to as the Separatists because they eventually separated from the Church of England. Those who chose to stay with the church were called Puritans, although that term could technically be used to describe both.
More than 80% of Americans have Puritan ancestors who emigrated to Colonial America on the Mayflower, and other ships, in the 1630’s (“Puritanism”). Puritanism had an early start due to strong main beliefs that, when challenged, caused major conflict like the Salem Witch Trials. Puritanism had an extremely rocky beginning, starting with a separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Starting in 1606, a group of villagers in Scrooby, England left the church of England and formed a congregation called the Separatist Church, and the members were called The puritans (“Pilgrims”).
The Protestant Reformation brought to light a group of individuals in England who fused their religious views with political ideas of freedom. With these views in mind, these people, called Puritans, felt that their liberties were God-given rights and that when their rights were threatened or limited, they were insulting God himself. The colonies in Northern America such as those founded by the Puritans in Plymouth Rock, or for followers of all religions in Rhode Island, were made possible by the endless pursuit of free practicing religion. On Plymouth Rock, in 1620, arrived a small group of especially devout Puritans, Separatists, motivated by the King James I to leave the Church of England as well as the land.
In today’s society, men and women are so obsessed with spending money, gambling, it’s an addiction. This addiction tears families apart. A vicious addiction that will leave victims ‘out in the dark,’ so to speak. Men and women frown upon this, as well as the Puritan group. This goes against moral beliefs and religion.
These two groups originated from the Anglican Church of England. A movement that took place after the English Reformation, known as the Puritanism, advocated strict religious disciplines, religious rituals, the belief of salvation, and Christ as the center of faith. Between the two, the Puritans were the original group who sought the return of a simple and virtual Christianity. The Pilgrims were Separatists who were once Puritans, but were discontent at reforms.
When the Puritans first traveled to America, they dreamt of creating a religious city on a hill with conformity to strict community values, hard-working colonists, educated citizens and a strong theocratic government; however, the end of Puritan dominance led to the creation of a new vision for a “perfect” society with values to fit the growing nation. After the Act of Supremacy in 1534, England became a protestant country united under the Church of England. The Puritans were a sect of Protestants, who believed that the Anglican Church was not yet fully reformed. One especially radical group, the Separatists, believed the Church of England was past reform and desired to separate from the church entirely. These Separatists were persecuted