PURITANS AND THE ORIGINS OF DEMOCRACY

1
PURITANS AND THE ORIGINS OF DEMOCRACY

• Religion vs. Reason

2
THE PURITANS STORY

• Believed the Church of England needed to be
  purified from the taint of Catholicism (popery)
• First fled religious persecution in England to
  Holland
• Next fled religious persecution in Holland to the
  New World
• Sought religious freedom

3
The Puritans valued

• God
• Education
• Hard work
• Material success
• Ambition
• Sacrifice

4
THE PURITANS BELIEVED

• Life was a test
• Success meant Heaven
• Failure meant Hell
• Only the Elect went to Heaven
• The Elect were chosen by God at birth.
• Material and earthly wealth indicated that one
  might be elect.
• Personal and communal wealth indicated the
  continuation of Gods chosen path.
• All life was an expression of Gods divine will.

5
THE PURITANS EVIL

• The world was a battle ground between the forces
  of good and evil.
• Evil took many forms and could disguise itself as
  anything.
• Humans were steeped in sin always.

6
PURITAN LITERATURE

• Poetry was only a means of exploring the
  relationship between the individual and God.
• Writing was a useful tool to help readers
  understand the bible and to help them in their
  daily lives.
• Great writing was logical, clear and orderly, not
  beautiful or lyrical.
• The Bible was seen as factual and as a guide for
  daily living.

7
WORK CITED

• Early American and Colonial Period to 1776.
  Outline of American Literature Revised Edition.
  International Information Programs
  USINFO.STATE.GOV. Dec. 2006.