Summary
Highlights
Only church members could vote or hold office. The Puritans established a theocracy where religion deeply influenced politics and laws, all based on biblical interpretation. Though under English rule, they were largely self-governing. They were deeply intolerant of other religions, famously banning and even executing Quakers.
The Puritans are considered the founders of American literature, being the first to settle in America and establish their own voice. They were English Protestants who fled religious persecution, disagreeing with the Church of England's Catholic practices, and settled in Massachusetts to practice religious freedom. They were distinct from the Pilgrims, arriving about 10 years later and aiming to create a model colony.
The Puritans were highly intellectual, valuing education for both men and women to ensure religious literacy. They founded Harvard in 1636 as a seminary and established the first printing press in the colonies, which was crucial for distributing their literature, such as the Bay Psalm Hymnal. They also established free public schools in 1647, primarily for religious education, with standardized texts like the New England Primer.
Key tenets of Puritanism included total depravity (original sin), unconditional election (predestination, where God saves only a select few), limited atonement (Jesus died only for the chosen), and irresistible grace (God's grace is freely given but cannot be earned). They also believed in the perseverance of the saints, where the elect had the power to interpret God's will and could not go against it. The Bible was their supreme authority.
Puritan piety meant that every aspect of life, public or private, was scrutinized by God and focused on spiritual improvement. They engaged in constant religious practices like fasting, prayer, singing, and scripture reading. While the ideal was 100% devotion, many Puritans faced peer pressure to appear more pious than they truly were.
Puritan literature was typically pious, gloomy, unimaginative, and utilitarian, solely intended to inform, instruct, and provide spiritual insight. Entertainment was considered sinful. It consisted mainly of theological studies, hymns, histories, biographies, journals, and diaries, with no fiction or drama. Good writing emphasized worshiping God. Two consistent themes were that life is a test, and life is a constant battle between good and evil.
Puritans sought inner grace, aiming to cleanse themselves of earthly desires to prioritize God. They valued plainness in religion and all aspects of life, believing they were establishing true Christianity in the New World. Their society was a Christian commonwealth where the group's good superseded individual concerns. They established a strict 'Puritan ethic' and saw a connection between their values and capitalism, believing wealth accumulated for the community was God's will.
The video will cover three Puritan pieces: "To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet, one of the few published female authors, whose poetry reflected everyday life and religious beliefs; "Huswifery" by Edward Taylor, a minister whose personal poetry was not intended for publication during his lifetime; and Jonathan Edwards' sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," a fire-and-brimstone sermon aimed at scaring people back to religious devotion during the Great Awakening.
The Puritans significantly shaped American culture. Their work ethic and pursuit of wealth laid the foundation for the 'American Dream.' Their stubbornness in values, emphasis on 'pure living' (influencing attitudes towards entertainment, marriage, and public decency), and commitment to education (establishing the first public schools) have had a lasting impact. Their literature represents the earliest examples of American literary expression.