1. September 7 th, 2007

2. Who Were the Puritans?  Movement began around 1560  Several Protestant groups sought to “purify” the Church of England  Members of these groups were incensed by the church’s direct ties to the British government

3. Who Were the Puritans? (Part II)  Came by way of England/Holland  Faced brutal repression and persecution in the former  Fled the latter because they feared losing their English Protestant identity (ironic, considering that we remember them as “Puritans” today)  The first group emigrated to Cape Cod, MA in 1620  Twenty thousand English Puritans had emigrated to these shores by 1640

4. Why Did the Puritans Break Away?  Separated from the Church of England for good  Accused the churches of corruption  New Testament in the New World  The Puritans intended to capitalize on the opportunity the New World provided  “City upon a hill”  They wished to build a new, improved society in the New World (one built on the literal word of the New Testament God)  It could serve as an example to others who sought to worship God properly.  Theocracy!

5. What Did They Believe?  Outside of their shared distrust of church/government ties, the Puritans also shared a desire for a “simpler” form of worship  Inspired by the New Testament  Religion should be a personal and internal experience  The Puritans were upset by the alliance between the Church of England and the national government because they believed that neither the clergy nor the government were qualified to act as “intermediaries” in the spiritual exchange between worshipper and deity

6. Some Important Puritan Beliefs  Predestination! God’s already determined your fate after death; you can’t make it better, you can only make it worse.  Something the book calls “an uneasy mixture of certainty and doubt” – while they believed that they’d established the correct way to worship God, they were wracked with intense fear that they would be damned.  This fear was compounded by a belief in the “Doctrine of Elect”; only twelve groups of twelve thousand souls were supposedly eligible for admission into heaven.

7. Some Other Important Puritan Beliefs  Worship – and churches – should be simple and spare; nothing should interfere with the glory of God.  People only exist for the glory of God.  You can only accomplish good through hard work and self-discipline  Pursue moral purity and search for grace

8. Some Other Important Puritan Beliefs  Live humbly and obediently  It’s not important to understand how God works  It is important to accept God’s will  Turn your thoughts to God  What do you think would have been more important to the Puritans – this life, or the afterlife? Why?

9. What Was the Country Like?  Daily life was difficult  American frontier  No formal independence  No federal government  No military  Native American presence  Trying to reform a church in an unforgiving place in an unforgiving place

10. Puritan Writing Forms  Theological Studies  Letters  Sermons  Records/Factual Writings  Poetry/Hymns  Biographies/Autobiographies  No fiction, no drama – both are sinful

11. Puritan Writing Style  “Puritan Plain Style”  Simple and clear – clarity is the highest goal  No wasted words  Nothing outwardly fancy  Considered a sign of vanity  Some used images to express their ideas  Deeply influenced by religion  Poetry was written as a vehicle for spiritual enlightenment  Serious self-examination

12. William Bradford Bingo Extravaganza!  Give One, Get One  Create a grid of squares  The grid should contain three columns of three boxes  You should be able to fill the boxes with information, so make sure they’re large enough for you to write comfortably inside of them!

13. William Bradford Bingo Extravaganza!  Fill in the first row of three squares with interesting facts from Bradford’s biography on page 26.  Meet with your classmates and find facts that fit in your remaining boxes!  The first ten students to match their nine facts to those on the slide earn extra credit!  Go, go, go!

14. William Bradford Extravaganza Facts!  Fact #1 – Bradford began attending Nonconformist meetings when he was twelve!  Who has it?  Fact #2 – Bradford came to the colonies in September of 1620!  Who has it?  Fact #3 – Bradford was the son of a wealthy farmer in Yorkshire!  Who has it?

15. More William Bradford Extravaganza Facts!  Fact #4 – Bradford’s wife died (possibly the result of suicide) before the two could settle here.  Who has it?  Fact #5 – Bradford joined the Nonconformist church in 1606!  Who has it?  Fact #6 – Bradford was elected governor of Plymouth in 1621!  Who has it?

16. More William Bradford Extravaganza Facts!  Fact #7 – Bradford’s ship was a gift from London investors, who also lent the Nonconformists a crew.  Who has it?  Fact #8 – Bradford met with the Nonconformists despite strong objections from his family and friends.  Who has it?  Fact #9 – Bradford was elected governor of Plymouth more than thirty times.  Who has it?

17. And Finally…  Fact #10 – Bradford’s colony shrank as Boston’s popularity grew.  Who has it?  Fact #11 – Half the settlers died during Plymouth’s first year!  Who has it?  Fact #12 – Bradford’s colony eventually ceased its pursuit of the “city upon a hill” ideal.  Who has it?