1. The Puritans history in England begins when King Henry VIII wants to divorce his
wife, Catherine of Aragon (who as of yet had not born him a male heir to the
throne, in order to marry Anne Boylen. In order to get this divorce, he needs an
annulment from the Pope, who happens to be Catherine's cousin; needles to
say, the Pope does not grant him the divorce, so Henry decides to break from
Papal authority and creates the Church of England (Anglicans) of which he is
the leader. (Henry moves through many other wives in the process of having
one boy, who dies young.)

2. Puritans are a radical offshoot of the Protestants (Anglicans) in England.
They believe that too much Catholic corruption remains in the Church. They
desire ministers to preach purer and more energetic gospels in churches
stripped of statues, tapestry, and color. Puritans believe that people have
been debilitated by original sin and place a special emphasis on
conversion. To become a true or genuine believer would normally entail an
intense period of introspection and repentance followed by the experience
of liberating faith. The
converted individual would then have to stand
up and share their conversion experience with the
congregation in order to take communion and be
considered a member of the congregation.

3.  humans exist for the glory of God
 the bible is the sole expression of God's will
 predestination: John Calvin's doctrine that God has already decided who will
achieve salvation and who will not before the individual is born.
 the elect or saints cannot take salvation for granted.
 the devout will search their souls with frequently and with great rigor for signs
of grace.
 each individual is depraved because of original sin
 good is accomplished only through continual hard work and self-discipline:
"The Puritan Work Ethic"

4. The first Puritans who came to Massachusetts were actually Pilgrims, an even
more radical offshoot of the Puritans who decided that the Church of England
was to corrupt to be saved, so they wanted to separate from the Church and
start all over again. The Pilgrims sailed in the Mayflower from September
through November 1620 to arrive at Cape Cod at the onset of winter. They
signed a compact between believers and non-believer aboard the Mayflower,
pledging to share responsibility and help one another in times of need; this
first legal document in the Massachusetts Colony is known as the Mayflower
Compact. The first winter, known as the starving time, saw half of the original
settlers die. The Pilgrims stern manner and incredible work ethic help them
to survive, however, as by the end of the 1630's, over 20,000 people had
come to the colony.

5. The PlymouTh Colony
Flagship Mayflower arrives – 1620
Leader - William Bradford
Settlers known as Pilgrims and Separatists
"The Mayflower Compact" provides for
social, religious, and economic freedom,
while still maintaining ties to Great Britain.
The massaChuseTTs Bay Colony
Flagship Arbella arrives – 1630
Leader - John Winthrop
Settlers are mostly Puritans or Congregational
Puritans
"The Arbella Covenant" clearly establishes
a religious and theocratic settlement,
free of ties to Great Britain.

6. Puritans made a lasting impact on American attitudes: their ideals of
hard work, frugality, self-improvement, and self-reliance are still
regarded as basic American virtues.
Do you believe these ideals are
presented in North American society
up to the present days?
How much has it changed? In what
aspects has it changed?
Do you know what WASP is?

7. 1. Total DepravityTotal Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful -
concept of Original Sin.
2. Unconditional ElectionUnconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are
selected for salvation - concept of predestination.
3. Limited AtonementLimited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.
4. Irresistible GraceIrresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or
denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God.
5. Perseverance of the "saints"Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have full power to
interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If anyone rejects grace after
feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God - something
impossible in Puritanism.

8. Typology: The belief that God's intentions are present in human action and in natural
phenomenon. Failure to understand these intentions are human limitations. Puritans
believed in cyclical or repetitive history; they use "types" - Moses prefigures Jesus, Jonah's
patience is reflected in Jesus' ordeal on the cross, and Moses' journey out of Egypt is
played out in the Pilgrims' crossing of the Atlantic. God's wrath and reward are also present
in natural phenomena like flooding, bountiful harvest, the invasion of locusts, and the
lightening striking a home.
Manifest Destiny: The concept of manifest destiny is as old as the first New England
settlements. Without using the words, John Winthrop articulated the concept in his famous
sermon, the Arbella Covenant (1630), when he said: " ... for we must consider that we shall
be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; ..." Winthrop exhorts his listeners
to carry on God's mission and to set a shining example for the rest of the world. From this
beginning, the concept has had religious, social, economic, and political consequences.
The words manifest destiny were first used by editor John L. O'Sullivan in 1845.
Backsliding: The belief that "saved" believers, those with visible signs of grace, can fall
into temptation and become sinners. To prevent this, believers were expected not to
become smug, do constant soul-searching, be introspective, and pray constantly. Satan
was particularly interested in snaring such believers.

9. The Function of Puritan Writers
1. To transform a mysterious God - mysterious because he is separate
from the world.
2. To make him more relevant to the universe.
3. To glorify God.
The Style of Puritan Writing
1. Protestant - against ornateness; reverence for the Bible.
2. Purposiveness - there was a purpose to Puritan writing - described in
Part II above.
3. Puritan writing reflected the character and scope of the reading public,
which was literate and well-grounded in religion.

10. Reasons for Puritan Literary Dominance over the Virginians
1. Puritans were basically middle class and fairly well-educated.
2. Virginians were tradesmen and separated from English writing.
3. Puritans were children of the covenant; gave them a drive and a purpose to
write.
Common Themes in Early Puritan Writing
1. Idealism - both religious and political.
2. Pragmaticism - practicality and purposiveness.

11. Forces Undermining Puritanism
1. A person's natural desire to do good - this works against predestination.
2. Dislike of a "closed" life.
3. Resentment of the power of the few over many.
4. Change in economic conditions - growth of fishery, farms, etc.
5. Presence of the leaders of dissent - Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams.
6. The presence of the frontier - concept of self-reliance, individualism, and
optimism.
7. Change in political conditions - Massachusetts became a Crown colony.
8. Theocracy suffered from a lack of flexibility.
9. Growth of rationality - use of the mind to know God - less dependence on
the Bible.
10. Cosmopolitanism of the new immigrants.

12. Visible Signs of Puritan Decay
1. Visible decay of godliness.
2. Manifestations of pride - especially among the new rich.
3. Presence of "heretics" - Quakers and Anabaptists.
4. Violations of the Sabbath and swearing and sleeping during sermons.
5. Decay in family government.
6. People full of contention - rise in lawsuits and lawyers.
7. Sins of sex and alcohol on the increase.
8. Decay in business morality - lying, laborers underpaid, etc.
9. No disposition to reform.
10. Lacking in social behavior.

13. Some Aspects of the Puritan Legacy:
each has positive and negative implications
a.The need for moral justification for private, public, and governmental
acts.
b. The Questing for Freedom - personal, political, economic, and social.
c. The Puritan work ethic.
d. Elegiac verse - morbid fascination with death.
e. The city upon the hill - concept of manifest destiny.