Colonial America

First Settlers

1620 - William Bradford came with a group of individuals from Europe and formed Plymouth Plantation.  In the Fall of 1620 there were 101 men, women, and children present.  By the Spring of 1621 there were only 50 survivors.

1628 - John Winthrop and followers came over from Europe in order to establish a “pure” religious movement

William Bradford

Early Settlements

Puritan Beliefs

The Puritans believed in the innate depravity of man.  Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every

person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin. They also believed that some people were

“predestined” to experience an afterlife with God.  Only the “elect” or “chosen” were in a good relationship with God Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes -

only a few are selected for salvation - concept of predestination.

Puritan Beliefs

Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.

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.

Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly.

Puritan Beliefs

The Puritans believed that God was working in their daily lives.

The Puritans would “search” their daily lives in order to find any symbols from God.

The Puritans were educated and taught their followers to be rational thinkers.

The Puritans believed in effective business practices but they also preached a separation from worldly pleasures. 

Puritan Beliefs

The Puritans feared that humanistic learning would draw people away from the church.  They were right about this

This fundamental Puritan belief became complicated because it had to be determined who belonged to the group of “chosen” people.

How did Puritanism relate to literature? 

Some would argue that American literature simply grew out of changing historical factors that had little or nothing to do with the religious questioning done by the Puritans.

Others argue that the Puritans’ practice of examining their lives for acts of good and evil naturally shifted into creative writing and imaginative expressions. 

Puritanism and Literature

Puritans wrote diaries in which they would often find spiritual meaning in what might be considered simple coincidences.  The poor health of a human's  body may be compared

to bits of broken glass A snake found under a person’s porch may be seen as

the presence of evil. A woman accidentally burning a shirt may represent

the fact that God was preparing her for the future death of her husband

Puritanism and Literature

The Puritans begin to see the Indians as “devils.”

The Puritans’ success at defeating Indians on certain occasions was seen as a justification from God for killing Indians. 

The Salem Witch Trials would become another episode of reading into the “religious meaning” of a situation. 

Puritanism and Literature

The way Puritans express themselves changes as the strict codes of  Puritan behavior changes Anne Bradstreet’s poetry Michael Wigglesworth's poetry Edward Taylor's writing Cotton Mather’s later writings

Assignment

Begin Reading “Of Plymouth Plantation” in your anthologies. Pages 29-33