An Overview of the Puritans

1
An Overview of the Puritans
2
Puritans vs. Pilgrims

• Both groups believed that the Church of England
  had become corrupt
• Puritans wanted to reform or purify the church
• Pilgrims believed the Church was beyond saving
  and therefore wanted to separate from it
  completely

3
Persecution

• The King was the head of the Church
• Saying the Church was corrupt and in need of
  reform was a direct assault on the King
• Rebelling against the Church was often seen as
  treason

4
Religious Beliefs

• Predestination
• Although everyone wants to go to heaven, only a
  small number will
• God knows who will go to heaven and who will go
  to hell
• We can only guess who is predestined by their
  behaviors

5
Religious Beliefs

• A person who is obviously predestined for heaven
  will act in a way that proves it
• People who deliberately sin are not necessarily
  predestined for hell, they can and should be
  taught to change their ways.
• This is why punishment becomes so important to
  Puritans

6
Sin Crime

• The church is the state
• Any sin is views as a crime and is subject to
  public prosecution
• Sin is also seen as a social problem and could
  result in the culprit being shunned by the
  community

7
The Puritan Work Ethic

• Possibly the Puritans most important
  contribution to America
• Puritans believed that any work you had to do was
  given to you by God
• So, you had to do your best to accomplish that
  task
• They were extremely hard workers and endured
  great hardship without complaint

8
The Puritan Lifestyle

• Characterized by simplicity
• Puritans should not do anything to draw attention
  to themselves (all attention should go to God)
• Clothing was plain and usually dark colored
• Their goal was to always be honest and
  straightforward

9
Puritan Poetry

• The literature of the Puritans reflects their
  simple, straightforward approach to life
• It is simple, direct, and meant to focus
  attention on God rather than the writer
• To accomplish this, there are some very strict
  rules Puritan poetry follows

10
Puritan Plain Style

• The characteristics of Puritan poetry are
• expression of religious ideas
• short words
• direct language (no figurative language)
• references to ordinary objects
• absence of emotion or sensory experiences