Getting to know…

When did they come to America?

• Landed in 1620• Cape Cod, in what

becomes Massachusetts

Where did the name “Puritan” come from?

• Church members sought to “purify” the Church of England. (Anglicans)

• Thought gov’t had too much power in people’s religious lives

• Personal relationship with God

Then why did the Puritans flee England?

Religious persecution!

• Many Puritans were tortured and executed in England

• Flee to Holland, then America

• Looking for a place to practice religion freely

What kind of government did they make when they arrived?• On the trip, they

signed the Mayflower Compact

• Prepared way for Constitutional Democracy

But really…

• Puritans believed that God’s “elect” should have the most say, so effectively things ran as a theocracy.

• Not very democratic in practice

What did the Puritans believe?

???

Puritan beliefs

• All human beings are sinners, even when they’re acting good

• God picked who was saved and who was damned…

• But NOBODY KNEW WHO WAS WHO!

• Only way to try and find out was to closely observe others

• Great emphasis on universal education

• Patience, simplicity, and strong work ethic

Bottom Line

• The Puritans were single-minded visionaries, but they felt that their beliefs alone were correct.

• “They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world.” -Arthur Miller