Comprehensive Study Notes on 17th-Century Calvinism, Plymouth, and Massachusetts Bay

Spectrum of 17th-Century Calvinism and Puritanism

• Origins and Core Beliefs:

  • Calvinism originated with John Calvin in Geneva, which served as the central hub for the Calvinist movement.
  • Calvinist theology is characterized by strict religious adherence and a central belief in predestination.
  • The terms "Calvinist" and "Puritan" refer to the exact same religious group. "Puritan" was originally a derogatory nickname or "cut" coined by non-Puritans to mock religious individuals who constantly complained that the Church of England (Anglican Church) was insufficiently pure and required correction.
  • All Puritans were followers of John Calvin and shared a strong hostility toward the Church of England because it retained Catholic practices and remnants dating back to the reigns of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I.

• The Three Factions of Calvinism (Left, Center, Right):

  • Left Wing (Separatists / Pilgrims):
  • Represented a small minority group within the broader Puritan movement.
  • Demanded complete separation from the Church of England, holding that the Anglican Church was irredeemable.
  • Despite their small numbers, they were radical, highly influential ("rocked the boat"), and produced prominent historic figures.
  • Founded Plymouth Rock in 1620.
  • Center Wing (Congregationalists):
  • Constituted the largest and most dominant group within Puritanism.
  • Believed that the Church of England could be saved and reformed over time, but concluded that reform was impossible within England itself due to extreme political tensions, social degradation, and an impending divine judgment coming "like a storm."
  • Faced heightened persecution when the King appointed a new Archbishop of Canterbury who explicitly vowed to eliminate the Puritans.
  • Decided to emigrate to New England to construct a model reformed church—first settling in Salem, then Boston, and eventually expanding throughout New England—with the long-term goal of returning to reform England once successful.
  • Emigrated in large numbers starting in 1630, a decade after the Separatists.
  • Right Wing (Presbyterians):
  • Formed the conservative faction of Calvinism.
  • Primarily relevant to American history from the late 18th century (late 1700s and 1800s) onward.
  • Associated predominantly with Northern Ireland; played a significant role in the later history of the United States rather than the initial 17th-century settlement of English America.

• Broader Religious Context:

  • All Calvinist factions splintered off from the Roman Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther.

The Separatist Movement and the Settlement of Plymouth Colony (1620)

• Mythic Status vs. Historical Reality:

  • Pilgrims hold a mythic status in American national tradition, largely constructed by early 19th-century historians like George Bancroft (who grouped them with figures like Christopher Columbus) and reinforced through grade school Thanksgiving plays and paper turkey crafts.
  • Etymology of "Pilgrim": The word refers to an individual embarking on a physical mission of penance to God (historically illustrated in the Middle East by penitents strapping heavy rocks to their backs and walking hundreds of miles). The term was originally applied to the Separatists as a jab by English Anglicans.
  • Timeline distinction: The Separatist Pilgrims settled Plymouth in 1620, precisely ten years before the Congregationalists settled Massachusetts Bay in 1630.

• Flight to Holland and Decision to Emigrate:

  • The Separatists were primarily humble, poor farmers.
  • During the first decade of the reign of King James I (who became king in 1633), a small congregation of fewer than 100 Separatists secretly fled England without royal permission (violating crown authority).
  • Between 1608 and 1609, they moved to Holland (Netherlands), where religious tolerance was significantly higher.
  • Although tolerated, the Separatists grew concerned that they were losing their cultural identity and that their children were becoming assimilationist or "Dutchified."
  • In 1617, the Holland congregation resolved to emigrate to North America, securing a land patent to settle in Virginia.

• Key Leaders and Voyage of the Mayflower:

  • William Bradford: A highly literate, deeply religious lawyer who helped organize the transatlantic expedition. He served as governor of Plymouth until his death and authored Of Plymouth Plantation, an eyewitness account that stands as one of the earliest official histories of American settlement.
  • Miles Standish: A non-Separatist mercenary and soldier of fortune hired to provide military leadership and defense. He utilized aggressive leadership tactics similar to Captain John Smith of Jamestown.
  • Voyage: In 1620, the group sailed aboard the Mayflower after stopping in England to gather supplies, non-Separatist laborers, and military personnel.
  • Navigation and Arrival: Intending to land north of existing settlements in Virginia to seek colonist assistance, Atlantic storms blew the ship off course to Plymouth, Massachusetts (south of Boston).
  • Map History: The region had been mapped around 1612 by Captain John Smith, who officially named it "New England." The crown had previously granted this territory to commercial entities such as the Newfoundland Company.

• The Mayflower Compact:

  • Because the settlers landed outside their granted legal jurisdiction without a valid patent, 41 adult males aboard the ship drafted and signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620 to prevent social anarchy.
  • The compact served as a combined civil and religious covenant, binding signatories to form a functioning government, obey enacted laws, work collectively, and freely practice radical Calvinist Puritanism.

Indigenous Interactions, Tisquantum (Squanto), and Early Survival

• Context of Enslavement and Epidemics:

  • Between 1492 and 1880, an estimated $2 \times 10^6$ to $5 \times 10^6$ Native Americans were enslaved by European traders.
  • The Wampanoag (or Wampanoags) were the dominant Native American tribal confederacy in New England, which included regional subgroups such as the Narragansett.
  • Tisquantum (Squanto):
  • Member of the Patuxet tribe of the Wampanoag people.
  • Kidnapped by Captain John Smith and sold into slavery in Spain.
  • Rescued by Spanish Catholic priests, he escaped to London and entered the service of John Slaney, treasurer of the Newfoundland Company (responsible for colonizing Copper's Cove in 1610).
  • Slaney taught Squanto English so he could serve as a company interpreter, making him one of only two Native Americans to successfully return to his homeland.
  • Upon returning to Patuxet, Squanto discovered his entire village destroyed by smallpox ("the Great Dying"), which killed approximately $90\%$ (nearly two-thirds) of the local indigenous population.

• Survival Assistance and the First Thanksgiving:

  • Squanto met the struggling Pilgrims and communicated in English.
  • He taught the settlers crucial survival techniques: hunting local game, harvesting shellfish, fertilizing crops, and cultivating native corn in New England soil.
  • The Pilgrims inhabited cleared farmland and structures left behind by the deceased Patuxet population.
  • Squanto negotiated a military and diplomatic alliance between Plymouth Colony and Wampanoag leader Osamaquin, providing the Wampanoag with a useful ally against the rival Narragansett tribe.
  • First Harvest Celebration (November 1621):
  • The celebration was triggered when Pilgrims fired celebratory volleys of gunfire, attracting a tense gathering of approximately 90 armed Wampanoag warriors responding to potential conflict.
  • Once the Wampanoag verified the gunfire was non-hostile, they contributed 5 deer to the feast, celebrating their joint survival.

• Subsequent Deterioration and Merger:

  • Relations between European settlers and Native Americans deteriorated rapidly in subsequent years as treaties resulted in land loss and subjugation.
  • Historical evidence suggests Squanto may have been poisoned to death by his own people in late 1622.
  • Plymouth Colony grew very slowly, reaching a population of only about 600 by 1690.
  • By contrast, the neighboring Massachusetts Bay Colony grew to roughly 30,000 residents by 1690.
  • In 1691, King William of Orange (reigning with Queen Mary) issued a new royal charter establishing the Province of Massachusetts Bay, absorbing Plymouth Colony into Massachusetts.

The Congregationalists and the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)

• Demographics and Socioeconomic Status:

  • Unlike the poor, agrarian Separatists of Plymouth, Congregationalists were wealthy, well-educated, middle-class to upper-middle-class professionals.
  • Their population included university professors from Cambridge, lawyers, crown officials, shopkeepers, and successful merchants.

• Puritan Stereotypes vs. Historical Reality:

  • Historical misconceptions depict 17th-century Puritans as drab-clothed, anti-alcohol, anti-sex busybodies.
  • This description actually applies to the 1680s Quakers of Pennsylvania (a different Calvinist offshoot that was strictly banned and subject to execution in Puritan New England).
  • Congregationalists consumed alcohol, engaged in normal marital relations, and wore standard period attire.

• Motivations for Settlement and the "City upon a Hill":

  • Congregationalists functioned as committed political and religious radicals who vehemently opposed the social decay, economic depression, lack of employment, and widespread political corruption in Anglican England.
  • John Winthrop:
  • Cambridge-educated lawyer who worked in King Charles's Court of Wards (the orphan's court managing property inherited by minors).
  • Served as governor and principal founder of the Massachusetts Bay enterprise.
  • Recorded in his personal diary his severe distress over social corruption, noting an incident where his son, Henry Winthrop, returned home intoxicated after drinking and dancing—attributing this moral breakdown to the crown's failure to enforce laws.
  • Viewed England's socio-economic state as facing imminent ruin, describing coming divine retribution like dark storm clouds.
  • Emigration of 1630:
  • Fleeing persecution from King Charles I and his Archbishop of Canterbury, Congregationalists launched a massive migration in 1630.
  • Their objective was to construct a perfectly ordered, highly visible Christian society ("a city upon a hill") in the New World to demonstrate proper governance and church structure, planning to return to reform England once stability was restored.
  • They established settlements at Salem and Boston, rapidly expanding across New England from Connecticut to Maine and establishing a dominant Puritan culture across the region.