Early Colonial Period through 1750
American Puritanism
I. Basic Puritan Beliefs[1]
1. Total Depravity -- through Adam's fall, every human is born sinful -- concept of Original Sin.
2. Unconditional Election -- God "saves" those he wishes -- only a few are selected for salvation -- concept of predestination.
3. Limited Atonement -- Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.
4. Irresistible 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" -- 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.
II. 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.
III. 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.
IV. 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," giving them a drive and a purpose to writing
V. Common Themes in Early Puritan Writing
1. Idealism -- both religious and political.
2. Pragmaticism -- practicality and purposiveness.
VI. 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.
VII. 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, slavery, etc.
9. No disposition to reform.
10. Lacking in social behavior.
VIII. Some Aspects of the Puritan Legacy: each has positive and negative implications.
1. The need for moral justification for private, public, and governmental acts.
2. The Questing for Freedom -- personal, political, economic, and social.
3. The Puritan work ethic.
4. Elegiac verse -- morbid fascination with death.
5. "The city upon the hill" -- concept of manifest destiny.
[1] Puritan beliefs were based upon Protestant theologies of Martin Luther and especially John Calvin.
(based on Shucard, Alan. American Poetry: The Puritans through Walt Whitman. Amherst: U. of Massachusetts P, 1988. Print.)
I. Basic Puritan Beliefs[1]
1. Total Depravity -- through Adam's fall, every human is born sinful -- concept of Original Sin.
2. Unconditional Election -- God "saves" those he wishes -- only a few are selected for salvation -- concept of predestination.
3. Limited Atonement -- Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.
4. Irresistible 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" -- 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.
II. 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.
III. 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.
IV. 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," giving them a drive and a purpose to writing
V. Common Themes in Early Puritan Writing
1. Idealism -- both religious and political.
2. Pragmaticism -- practicality and purposiveness.
VI. 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.
VII. 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, slavery, etc.
9. No disposition to reform.
10. Lacking in social behavior.
VIII. Some Aspects of the Puritan Legacy: each has positive and negative implications.
1. The need for moral justification for private, public, and governmental acts.
2. The Questing for Freedom -- personal, political, economic, and social.
3. The Puritan work ethic.
4. Elegiac verse -- morbid fascination with death.
5. "The city upon the hill" -- concept of manifest destiny.
[1] Puritan beliefs were based upon Protestant theologies of Martin Luther and especially John Calvin.
(based on Shucard, Alan. American Poetry: The Puritans through Walt Whitman. Amherst: U. of Massachusetts P, 1988. Print.)