The Legacy of Puritanism Essay

Submitted By ruzzie29
Words: 748
Pages: 3
Open Document
The Puritans were a community of people who held strong religious beliefs and held high standards. They molded their offspring to follow have the same values and beliefs. The molding process of children often called child rearing was significantly different compared to modern days. In Puritan society children were expected to be intelligent and had little time to enjoy the stage of adolescence. Societal pressures also had a positive and negative impact on children. In Puritan society religion, education, and discipline played an important role in shaping childhood experience.

The Puritans were a highly religious group of people. They desired a righteous community with disciplined families. In some cases the pressures of strict religious environment were freighting to children and led them to be fearful. Puritans wanted to their children to be disciplined in religion. A Massachusetts Court record states, “Also that all masters of families doe once a week (at least) catechize their children and servants in the grounds and principles of religion. . . .(Hollitz, 28). Puritans took their religious values sincerely and expected children to follow strict standards, codes of conduct, and beliefs. Actions that are not acceptable were considered as the devil’s work. There is similar pressure in on modern societies that adhere to strict religious beliefs. Unfortunately, some children were negatively affected and responded with fear. Samuel Sewall was one young child who expressed his fears in a letter to his father. In a historical document Sewall articulates,“ I feel also daily great unwillingness to do good duties, and the great ruling sin of my heart: and that God is angry with me, and gives me no answers to my prayers. . . .”(Hollitz, 27). Mather expresses fears of his heart being sinful and vacant of grace. He was brought up in a firm religious environment that caused him a great deal of stress. The values he was taught led him to believe he was not graceful. The fears expressed by these children are not common among modern day twelve year olds who fear things like the dark and rejection from peers. These two sources illustrate how valuable religion is to the Puritans the impact it had on Puritan childhood.

The Puritans were also hardworking and valued education. They believed education was an essential benefit to any commonwealth. Puritan children were required to have thorough knowledge of the religious beliefs and they learned how to read and write at an early age. Puritan authorities managed a lot of the education. A Massachusetts Court record also states, “It is therefore ordered that the selectmen of every town. . . . shall have a vigilant eye over their brethren & neighbors, to see, first that none of them suffer so much barbarism in any of their families as not to endeavor to teach by themselves or others. . . .(Hollitz, 28). The law enabled authorities to ensure education was taken seriously in
Show More

Related Documents: The Legacy of Puritanism Essay

Puritan Era Essay

Puritanism was introduced to America in the early 1600s. It first became known of in England in the 1500s. The English reformers of this Puritan era were very strict and judgmental towards the people that practiced and followed the Bible as a way of life. The Puritans felt they needed to live a life of “pure” intentions. These English reformers were judged and hated and called hypocrites. The Puritan’s era came from a group of English Protestant and become more noted in the 16th and 17th century…

Words 1001 - Pages 5

Puritanism Essay

Puritanism Today In a speech to the Puritans in 1630, John Winthrop stated, “we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a Hill, (and that) the eyes of all people are upon us” (Finely N.P.). *This very famous quote from John Winthrop, a famous Puritan leader, shows that the Puritans wanted to be looked up to and idolized, which is exactly what they got. When they first came over to America from Europe, they simply wanted to worship as they pleased. In fact, their view of future America was…

Words 1424 - Pages 6

Review Of Chapter 13: What Was Britain's Legacy Of The Spanish Presence In North America

farming methods, diets, and population of both regions. The greatest impact was the transmission of infectious diseases from the Europeans among the Native Americans resulting in catastrophic numbers of deaths. 2. What is the legacy of the Spanish presence in North America? The legacy of the Spanish presence in North America is that their culture left a lasting imprint upon American ways of life.…

Words 1091 - Pages 5

The History Of Puritanism

I. Colonial Time (1607-1775) (7) 1.) Because of the strict guidelines and lack of personal liberty, certain people began rebelling against Puritan ideals; ultimately Puritanism ended up destroying itself. a. Roger Williams was against forced religion and lead many of his Salem followers to Rhode Island. Here, all religions were tolerated and there was clear separation of church and state. b. Anne Hutchinson and believed that the puritan ideal that the “saved” had to lead a proper life was foolish…

Words 3245 - Pages 13

Young Goodman Brown Research Paper

In the story “Young Goodman Brown,” author Nathaniel Hawthorne makes some tangents with events that occurred in the seventeenth century. He does this as the story takes place during the time of when Salem Village was encountering several problems and making parallels to these events makes the theme more realistic. The story of Young Goodman Brown begins with him having to leave his wife to go on a journey in which his wife doesn’t know the truth about. His wife desires he wait until sunrise because…

Words 1362 - Pages 6

Moby Dick And Hawthorne Analysis

As writers, thinkers, and philosophers, it is the job of authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville to try and grasp the full meaning of our meaning, the gravity behind humanity, and the ineffable struggle to comprehend the significance of society and ourselves. Both Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Melville's Moby Dick attempt to solve this enigma of life and civilization, looking into the hearts and experiences of those who inhabit it; either aboard an eccentric whaling ship or on…

Words 2019 - Pages 9

Apush 2 Summary

APUSH II Notes Pg. 488-502 Population increasing significantly even through deaths of Union and Confederate Ranks- over 39 million people in 1870 (which was a gain of 26.6%). U.S. 3rd largest nation in Western World behind Russia and France. Corruption, which originated due to Ulysses Grant (good soldier bad politician). The “Bloody Shirt” Elects Grant “Good general would make good president” Grant = most popular northern hero from war. Citizens from Philly, Washington, and hometown…

Words 1829 - Pages 8

Hi MR. Essay

Chapter 1: 1) What was the primary cause of European colonization? Primary cause was financial gain (precious metals) Others causes were religious missions, to escape persecution (religious, ethnic) 2) What were the origins of slavery and the slave trade? Arabs & Africans had traded slaves for centuries Europeans caused their slave output to greatly increase b/c slaves were needed in New World to work on farms/plantations 3) What was the economic consequence of Columbus’s discovery? Spain…

Words 2105 - Pages 9

Ap Us History Ch.2 Essay

Chapter 2: Chapter Outline | I. Rival Imperial Models: Spain, France, and Holland | | A. | New Spain: Colonization and Conversion | | | 1. | Spanish adventurers were the first Europeans to explore the southern and western United States. | | | 2. | By the 1560s, their main goal was to prevent other Europeans from establishing settlements. | | | 3. | In 1565, Spain established St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in America; most of Spain’s other military…

Words 2970 - Pages 12

Essay on English notes

Jonathan Edwards- Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758) was a Christian preacher and theologian. Edwards "is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian," and one of America's greatest intellectuals.[3][4] Edwards's theological work is broad in scope, but he was rooted in Reformed theology, the metaphysics of theological determinism, and the Puritan heritage. Recent studies have emphasized how thoroughly Edwards grounded his life's work on…

Words 3060 - Pages 13