1. Do Now:
What do you know of the Puritans? Even if you don’t know anything, think of the name “puritan.” What does it make you think of? Why?
What do you think a typical day in the life of a Puritan was like?

2. What is the Puritan ideology like?
Get ready to take some notes on this collective ideology!

3. Who are the Puritans & what is their collective ideology?
Left the Church of England because they felt it was too corrupt & they wanted to purify religious beliefs and practices
Their strong religious beliefs pushed them to try and convert everyone to their way of living (example: Native Americans)
Strong emphasis on the supreme power of God
Felt they were “chosen” to carry out God’s will
Believed in predestination; God has already chosen a path for everyone
Lived strictly no matter what out of fear of judgment and fear of God’s punishment
Believed strongly in Satan’s powers over society
All signs of pleasure and recreation = symptoms of sin/Satan

4. What was Puritan Literature Like?
Religion dominated their lives and literature
Plain style of writing
“Fancy” or creative style = sign of a vain/sinful person
Types of Writing:
Theological Studies
Hymns
Histories
Biographies/Autobiographies
Journals
Diaries
Poetry (vehicle of spiritual enlightenment; message was very important)
NO FICTION/DRAMA
Remember, being creative was a sin for them

5. Salem witch trials (1692)
Group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil & accused other women of witchcraft
Most accepted theory: they all had food poisoning (weird, right?)
Brought up a wave of mass hysteria due to the Puritan fear of the devil
phenomenon that transmits collective delusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, through a population in society as a result of rumors and fear
19 people were killed during these trials
By the fall, people began to realize these accusations were false & turned against the trials
Remaining verdicts were annulled, but town’s reputation was dark and tarnished.

6. Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan theologian & pastor
Theologians study the nature of God and religious belief
Said to be one of America's greatest preachers
He was a leading figure in the First Great Awakening
(1730’s-1740’s)
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” stands out as one of the most famous sermons from the Great Awakening

7. Anne Bradstreet One of the most prominent early American poets
Well educated by father
Her work reflects the religious
and emotional conflicts she experienced as a female writer and as a Puritan
Throughout her life Bradstreet was concerned with the issues of sin and redemption, physical and emotional frailty, death and immortality. She struggled at times to balance her love of God and attachment to the material world.

8. Let’s take a closer look at the Puritan ethics according to Jonathan Edwards...
Today, we will translate his antiquated language to determine how the meaning of language changes over time. Look at the following model and discuss this question in your group:
How is the meaning of the sentence affected by the translation?
Original
Translation
“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.”
“I’m reasonable enough to understand that I can’t do anything without God’s help. I humbly ask him to help me follow these Resolutions as long as they match up to his will. Remember to read these Resolutions weekly.”