Puritans Test

🕰️ Historical Context

The Puritans (1620–1720s) were Protestant reformers who wanted to purify the Church of England of corruption.

They believed religion was a personal experience and rejected clergy as intermediaries between God and people.

Led by figures like William Bradford, they came to America seeking religious freedom and to build a “City on a Hill” — a model Christian society.

⚖️ Puritan Beliefs & Society

Theocracy: No separation between church and state; laws were based on the Bible.

Human Nature: All people are born sinful due to Original Sin (“The Fall” of Adam and Eve).

Predestination: God already chose who would be saved (“the elect”); actions couldn’t change fate.

Moral Code: Sobriety, self-control, modesty, simplicity, hard work, and devotion were highly valued.

Sin = Crime: Moral sins like adultery, dancing, or showing too much joy were punishable by law.

Community vs. Nature: They viewed nature as wild, evil, and a place of temptation, while the community enforced moral order.

📚 Puritan Literature

Focused on religious writing, not creativity or beauty.

Common forms: sermons, histories, journals, and religious poetry.

Themes: devotion to God, morality, salvation, and the afterlife.

✍️ Key Authors & Works

Anne Bradstreet – “Verses Upon the Burning of Our House”

America’s first published poet.

Shows deep faith and acceptance of God’s will but subtly questions strict Puritan limits, especially on women.

Uses tone, biblical allusions, and personal reflection to convey faith over material loss.

Jonathan Edwards – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

A fiery sermon from the First Great Awakening (1741).

Uses imagery, metaphors, and emotional appeals to warn sinners of God’s wrath and inspire repentance.

Example: compares sinners to a spider dangling over the pit of hell.

Mary Rowlandson – “The Sovereignty and Goodness of God”

A captivity narrative recounting her capture during King Philip’s War (1675–1676).

Interprets her suffering as a test of faith and proof of God’s providence.

Reinforces Puritan ideas of divine purpose and the “chosen people.”

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (modern connection)

A play about the Salem witch trials, used to explore Puritanism’s dark side: fear, hysteria, and abuse of power.

Serves as an allegory for McCarthyism in the 1950s.

Themes: fear, reputation, authority, and individual conscience.

💡 Major Themes

The tension between faith and fear, individual and community, sin and salvation.

Puritan values still visible today in American ideas about work ethic, moral judgment, and individual responsibility.

However, modern America has largely abandoned their strict moral and religious conformity.