An Overview of the Puritans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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