Beginnings to 1800

Objectives: To understand historical and social forces that shaped culture and society in North America before 1800 To identify the influence of history on the literary works of the Early American period To examine the influence of Puritanism in contemporary American Life To identify the core beliefs of the early Americans and examine the influence the beliefs had in their lives and writing

The First Migration: Ice Age Travelers People first migrated to North America from twenty to forty thousand years ago. When the first Europeans arrived in the fifteenth century, American Indians were living in diverse societies spread across the continent.

The Europeans Arrive: The Explorers The first Europeans to visit the Americas were explorers from Spain and France. These explorers include Christopher Columbus, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. The explorers wrote letters back to Europe describing America as a land of tremendous wealth and beauty. These enthusiastic accounts led increased expeditions from Europe to the “New World.”

The Puritans The first Puritans came to America in 1620 and by 1640, New England held as many as twenty thousand Puritans. The term puritan is a broad term, referring to a number of Protestant groups. The Puritans sought to “purify” the Anglican Church. They felt that Christian worship and church organization should be simplified in order to more closely resemble models from the Bible. Many Puritans were persecuted in Europe. They came to America seeking religious freedom and a chance to build a new society patterned after God’s word.

Protestant Denominations In 1534, King Henry VIII formed the Anglican Church (or the Church of England) when he formally split from the Catholic Church (so that he could divorce his wife). Anglicans are commonly referred to as Episcopalians in the United States. Presbyterians, Methodists, and Lutherans are all considered to be “Protestant” religions because all were born out of protests to Catholic and Anglican practices. These three denominations share a belief in a literalistic interpretation of the Bible and insist on plain, spare churches without statues, candles, or elaborate vestments.

A City Upon a Hill For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world… -- John Winthrop John Winthrop was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the founder of the city of Boston.

Puritan Beliefs: Sinners All? Puritans believed that Adam and Eve’s sin had damned most people for all eternity. They also believed that Jesus Christ had been sent to earth to save particular people. It was difficult to know if an individual was one of the saved (the elect), or one of the damned (the unregenerate). As a result, Puritans tried to live their lives in an exemplary manner, thinking that if you acted like “The Elect” should act, that would mean that you were one.

Puritan Government and Education Puritans believed that a covenant, or a contract, existed between God and humanity. This idea of a contract between God and man also determined how the Puritans set up government in their communities, paving the way for American constitutional government. Education was highly important to the Puritans, so people could read and understand the Bible and follow religious debates. Harvard College was founded in 1636 to train Puritan Ministers.

Characteristics of Puritan Writing The Bible provided a model for Puritan writing: a conception of each individual life as a journey to salvation. Puritans saw direct connections between Biblical events and their own lives. Puritans used writing to explore their inner and outer lives for signs of the workings of God. Diaries and histories were the most common forms of expression in Puritan society; in them writers described the workings of God. Puritan style was plain and simple (like the Geneva Bible). They stressed clarity of expression and avoided complicated figures of speech.

The Age of Reason The end of the seventeenth century led to the Age of Reason, or the Enlightenment in Europe. European philosophers and scientists called themselves rationalists. Rationalism is the belief that human beings can arrive at truth by using reason, other than by relying on the authority of the past, on religious faith, or on intuition. This led to a religious outlook known as deism.

Deism: Are People Basically Good? Deists believed that God was available to all people all of the time. Deists believed that people were inherently good, that every individual had the gift of reason. The gift of reason allowed people to perfect him or herself, as well as society. The gift of reason was also the key to interpreting the world around you to find access to God.

The Rationalist Worldview People arrive at truth by using reason rather than by relying on the authority of the past, on religion, or on nonrational mental processes like intuition. God created the universe, but does not interfere in its workings. The world operates according to God’s rules, and through the use of reason, we can discover these rules. People are basically good and perfectible. Since God wants people to be happy, they worship God best by helping other people. Human history is marked by progress toward a more perfect existence.