THE PURITANS

PURITANS

• Puritanism began in the 16th and 17th century as a reform movement against the Church of England. The Puritans followed the teachings of ________ ___________, a French Protestant theologian.

• The aim of the early Puritans was to

_________________________________________________________________________________________, not to leave it, but their ideas were too strict and they were forced to practice their beliefs in secret.

Puritans and Massachusetts

• The Massachusetts Colony was very different from the other colonies in that it was a _______________.

• ______________ means that the government that ruled the colony was very religious.

• Since the Puritans escaped their homeland so that they could practice their own religion, they wanted to preserve their religious principles in their new home.

PERSECUTION AND EMIGRATION

• The Puritans were unsuccessful in their attempt to impose their purifying ideas on the established Church. Persecution followed and a group arranged to journey to the wilds of America on The Mayflower.

• In their new society, the ______________ had great political influence, although a group of men of property in the community exercised a measure of control over church affairs.

Artist’s conception of Puritans’ journey to America

Puritans landing in the New World

Puritans in New England

BASIC PURITAN BELIEFS

• _____________________________________.• _____________________________________.

No amount of good behavior or good works can alter God’s plan.

• ____________________________________________________________________________.

• God’s grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. But, it is only given to “the chosen.”

THE PURITAN WAY

• The Puritan Church was an ______________ building. There was no crucifix. There were no statues, music, or stained glass windows.

• The ______________ read a passage from the Bible and then delivered a lesson.

• Men sat on one side on hard benches. Women sat on the other.

• There was no labor on the __________________ (Saturdays): no cooking, cleaning, farming, etc. The day was spent in quiet reflection after the service.

Puritan Oligarchy

• Puritanism in America was an ______________ .

• An oligarchy is a form of government __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

• The Puritans were governed by a group consisting of the minister and select group of men of property.

Puritan Meeting House

Puritans at home.

Education of children

• All children were required to attend school. • Puritan children had to learn to

____________________________________________________________________________.

• Children and adults read the Bible or religious texts. ______________________________________.

• Drama and secular fiction was considered to be inspired by the Devil.

The Hornbook

A Puritan child holding a Hornbook.

A Hornbook was a wooden paddle with a narrow handle. Handwritten lessons on parchment were tacked onto the wood each day.

Page of a Hornbook

A – In Adam’s Fall, We sinned all.

A Puritan Family

The Puritans were a strict society. Sins both social and religious were punished.

• Stocks – A man convicted of public drunkenness would have his head shaved and hands placed in a locked stockade for a day. The community would be invited to pelt the guilty with food.

• A man or woman would be forced to wear a handwritten sign indicating their crime.

• Branding on the cheek, forehead or hand would reveal a more serious crime such as horse thief or adulterer.

Criminals in stockades

Punishments continued

Women only could be dunked into the water on a stool – crime – gossip.

Whipping was a common punishment. Various crimes had a certain number of lashes.

Public shaming – the criminal is pulled by a rope through town while everyone points fingers, throws small objects and laughs.

The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, reveals another method of shaming.

Puritan Influence

• The United States has long had a decency code for films although it has been relaxed a great deal. (PG-13, R, NC 17)

• The American Library Association releases a list of challenged or banned books each year. Titles have included all of the Harry Potter books, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Color Purple.

www.paulsboro.k12.nj.us/hslib/puritans.ppt