2.2
Essential Questions:
What role did gender play in the puritan colonies? What was required to be considered a successful woman or man.
In what ways was the Puritan community under stress in the years leading up to the witch trials. Do you think it is fair to find “origins” for the witch trial in this stress? Do people ever do radical things without being provoked by adverse circumstances? If not, what about crimes? Do people just commit crimes, or are they driven to them?
Identification/Key Terms
New England . . 62
- Intro: 1620, English protestants arrived at Plymouth
- Attracted 20,000 migrants
- created communities like Martin Luther’s in Geneva
- Distributed land well, built society of independent farm families, “holy commonwealth” enforced morals
The Pilgrims - 62
Pilgrims - religious seperatists, Protestants who had left the Church of England, after threatened by King James I
traveled abord Mayflower, Mayflower compact used pilgrim self-governing religious congregation as a model for political structure.
Puritan escape to America -didn’t separate from English Church, aimed to purify it.
King Charles I repudiated Protestant doctrines → powerful English puritans accused popery → Charles dissolved parliament → William Laud purged protestant ministers → puritan flee to America
John Winthrop and Massachusetts Bay - 62
(1630) Puritan exodus began, John Winthrop (became 1st gov of Massachusettes) led 900 migrants
Winthrop - “city upon a hill”, “eyes of ppl of us”
“authority in magistrates, liberty in ppl, purity in church”
Massachusetts Bya colony - joint-stock cooperation, like Virginia comp.
representative political system
governor, council, assembly
Only men could vote
rejected plyouth roligous tolerance, Bible was legal guide
magistrates should rule “as near the law of God as they can"
Congregationalist - played pwr in congregation of member for churches
predestination encouraged bible rule follosing
Roger Williams and Rhode Island - 59
Massachusettes Bay magistrates purged society of dissidents
Roger Williams was one, → opposed establishment od official religion & praised pilgrim separation from church
advocated toleration - political magistrates should control men’s spiritual lives
questioned puritan seizure of indan land
Rhode island - William & followers settles south of Boston → town of providince purchased from indians → other dissidents received charter from parliament & self-ruled Rhode island
no legally established church, worshipped gods as pleased
Anne Hutchinson - 63
Held prayer meetings for women, & accused Boston clergymen of placing undue emphasis on good behavior.
denied good deeds earned salvation → “covenant of grace” = God saved those predestined for salvation, revealed divine truth to individual believers
Woman's freedom was restricted, all power laid in men
Accused of teaching inward grace led to freedom from church rules, heretical views → exiled and followed Roger Williams
Puritan-Pequot War - 64
Rival indian groups formed alliances with bordering Dutch & English colonies.
pequot alliance w Dutch → English enemy → Massachusetts, Connecticut & Ntaives attacked Pequot village → drove survivors into oblivion & divided land.
Puritans questioned morals of treatment of Natives
Because smallpox → Natives diminished → Puritans though it was a sign from God to continue.
predestination → caused puritans not to accept Natives into community “savages”
same ministers tried to assimilate natives to christianity
The Puritan Revolution in England - 64
(1637) archbishop Laud → imposed Church of England prayer book on Presbyterian Scotland → rebel Scottish army invaded England
English puritans & American joined scots → demanded religious reform & parliamentary pwr.
Oliver Cromwell led victorious parlimentayr forces → beheaded King Charles I, republicam Commonwealth, banished bishops & elaborate rituals from C.O.E
Cromwell took dictatorial control → less support of commonwealth → protestants & resurgent aristocracy restored monarchy & hierarchy of bishops → gov ended
American Puritans → came to U.S. “errand into the wilderness, ministers created republican societies → stood as outposts of Calvinism & Atlantic republican tradition
Puritanism and Witchcraft 65
Puritan supernatural belief → saw signs of god in unusual events
witchcraft - believed were trying to manipulate supernatural forces
salem witch trials - girls who had seizures framed neighbors → “spectral evidence” spun accusations out of control → 18 hung
causes - subordinate women, rivalries, political instability
officials discouraged legal prosecution for witchcraft.
European Enlightenment - unusual events explained by “natural causes”, not witchcraft
A Yeoman Society, 1630 - 1700 - 67
English puritans denied feudalism → male heads of families owned land
equality not obtained, “will of God”
town meeting - main institution of local gov
independent household & self-gov communities → more political power for commoners
Analyzing Voices (Firsthand Accounts): Susanna Martin, Accused Witch . . . 66
War and Rebellion in N. America - 69) - conflicts arose bc control of resources, legitimacy of colonial leaders pwr, & attempts to define social & cultural norms
Native resistance - prompted by Europ claims to pwr & territory
Indian Europ alliances were unstabe & prone to violence
Metacom’s War 1675-1676 - (69)
English outnumbered natives → Metacom (Wampanoag leader) copied English ways of raising hogs & selling pork→ hog pop decimated & authorities prosecuted Natives for English property rights
Metacom & other neighbors terrorized English town in Massachusettes → ran short of gunpowder, English ally w natives to kill MEtacom
survivors moved west, allied w algoquians, & allied w french Catholics to attack puritan enimies.
The Pueblo Revolt - (70)
Spanish in Peublo country demanded tribute, labor, & forced conversions to christainity
many peublo died of hunger → turned to native beliefs → peublo preists hung & others whipped for “sorcery”
Pueblo Revolt - popé organized military offensive vs Spanish
liberated pueblos and culminated in cupture of Santa fé
(1693) Spanish reclaimed land, but reduced labor demand of Peublo & southwest
Jesuit & Franciscan missionaries - built network of missions Mexico → Lower & upper cali to pacify natives
depopulation of indians → desperate → gravitated towards mission communities