Puritans, were a group of English reformed protestants in the 16th and 17th century New England colonies. Their main objective was to “purify” the church of England from Catholicism. Puritanism didn’t just define the religion of the New England colonies, it was something that flowed through every aspect life. Religion was seen as the basis and foundation for everything. For every action, there was a religious justification. Their art, literature, and culture, was always inspired by, and made for God. There was little focus on the self with Puritan beliefs, everything was done for the glory of God, so they could honor him in every part of life. They believed that all people were meant to sin naturally, but by adhering to the divine …show more content…
Early Puritan portraits were marked by emblems of prosperity, which didn’t show that Puritans reveled in riches or the joy of materialistic things, but rather that they enjoyed God’s blessings. Their portraits were also used to keep a record, so people in the future could remember their appearance. Commissioners of the portraits would dress in their typical Puritan attire, showing very little skin or individuality amongst themselves. They did not smile and weren’t painted with lavish backgrounds. Artists at this time had little to no training or experience. Being an artist, wasn’t considered to be a relevant career. As the Puritan community changed and developed, it’s art did the same. Changes in portraiture reflected the evolution of Puritanism. Portraits became more elaborate and scandalous. Puritans were trashing their normal garb, to be painted in more lavish and ornate clothes. More skin and expression was starting to be shown in the portraits. Artists, although still not well respected, were acquiring more skills and …show more content…
Their homes were often very small and dull. Some, even described them as shack-like. Like portraiture, as time progressed, changes were made to New England architecture to reflect their new lifestyles. As New England started to become more of a wealthy merchant society, their homes started to mimic this change. Houses became larger, with the addition of a lean to section in the back. Their churches became more elaborately designed, and weren’t used as meeting houses
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Show MoreThrough strict adherence to religious doctrine, the Puritans demonstrate their honesty, honor, and faithfulness. They want to establish a community that shines as a beacon of God 's greatness to the world, and they consider material and physical wants---in particular, sexual desires as the devil 's work and a threat to the society. The Puritans have no tolerance for
The Puritans sought to create a society that was more pure and righteous than the corrupt society they believed existed in England. The Massachusetts colonies were founded by Puritan separatists who left England in search of religious freedom. They believed that the Church of England was too hierarchical and corrupt, and they wanted to establish a society that was more focused on individual piety and a direct relationship with God. The Puritans emphasized education and literacy, and they believed that all members of the community should be able to read and interpret the Bible for themselves.
The Puritans were heavy believers in their religion. They would make their children read the bible. The closest thing today to the Puritans is probably Amish. They would be obligated to pay the Rev. Parris money to just hear him speak. At one point people stopped going to church because of his niece.
Puritans believed in predestination, the idea that God elects before birth who will go to heaven or hell. In daily life, they would look for signs to help figure out their destiny. As claimed by Matteson whose purpose of painting was to portray the examination of the witch, depicts that even a skin flap or a witch's tit would be a symbol the Puritans would use to clarify if one's a witch. Samuel Parris, a Puritan father of one of the afflicted girls wrote, “Then she turned up her eyes, and the eyes off the afflicted were turned up.” Parris’s words portrayed how Puritans accusers would find anything that would make the accused witch guilty.
Children growing up in Puritan New England were raised with different expectations and values compared to children in today’s society. We often consider Puritan practices as cruel, but such practices were not uncommon and were viewed differently in the seventeenth century. Children were raised with the Puritan belief of simplicity, taught to respect and obey their parents without question, and were given an education to allow them to prosper in later years as well as strengthen their religion. Sources one and two provide portraits of Puritan children, Elizabeth Eggington and Henry Gibbs, in the seventeenth century. Portraits were often made at the request of how parents wanted their child to be seen.
The Puritans had many beliefs and things that they lived by. They lived by something called Five Principles Of Puritanism. Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints were the five principles. Total depravity states that through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born
It was against the law to speak out and have opinions, being expected to work hard was not out of the ordinary. Puritans were expected to live by a strict moral code. Believing that all sins should be punished. “They believed that God would be the one punishing for sins and bad behavior. Friends that suffered from loses, and misfortunes would not be helped by Puritans” (Marvel 73).
The Puritan colonists were bound by laws of morality with judgments with sentences that were the base of fear. The laws were centered on the basics of not going to church daily to practicing witchcraft, adultery, even not having regular sex to procreate. There were many laws of the time with cause and effect that harmed many people. Through the seventeenth century, laws were connected to morality, reflected in the ways Puritans used religious beliefs in the process of rendering judgment and assigning punishments to keep colonists from leaving their colony and gaining freedoms of their own. Puritan Religion ~
Puritans are Europeans who escaped religious persecution from the Church of England. The Puritans age likely varies from children to adults. However, it’s apparent that Winthrop is appealing more towards Puritan males to create their ideal utopia. Winthrop evokes God to entice the colonist to fruitfully colonize the land. He uses nationalism, religion, and imagery to entice the colonist into creating a bountiful colony.
They wanted to create pure, moral Christian society based on moral living. By hard working, integration of religion in politics, and social development of certain lifestyle practices, Puritans had a large influence on the development of the New England colonies from 1630s through the 1660s. Puritans believed in hard work as the pathway of success since they thought they were favored by God to succeed (Doc I). They tried to shun idleness and believed that being lazy is not profitable (Doc C).
Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were a terrible event that happened in the history of the United States of America was when innocent individuals where accused and sentenced to death for the crime of witch craft. More than 20 people were executed by hanging and one man was pressed to death by stones being stacked on his chest. In England they would burn people at the stake or throw them in a body of water with stones tied on their feet and if they swam to the top, they were a witch is they drowned, they were innocent.
The Puritans’ life involved a domineering religion which included every family member attending church. They lived off the land and had primitive ways of surviving and raising their
More than 80% of Americans have Puritan ancestors who emigrated to Colonial America on the Mayflower, and other ships, in the 1630’s (“Puritanism”). Puritanism had an early start due to strong main beliefs that, when challenged, caused major conflict like the Salem Witch Trials. Puritanism had an extremely rocky beginning, starting with a separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Starting in 1606, a group of villagers in Scrooby, England left the church of England and formed a congregation called the Separatist Church, and the members were called The puritans (“Pilgrims”).
Puritans are a people with a very strong belief in both God and the power of God. When people see power, they interpret it in different ways. Some know of power through anger and impulse, while others see power through the goodness the powerful one shows. Although Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are both puritan poets, their writings convey mainly different, though sometimes similar, views on God because they have different perceptions of His will and the use of His power. Anne Bradstreet listens to and accepts anything that God wishes, and that is shown through her poem Upon the Burning of my House.
Their religion affected their art, literature and even their architecture. Unlike the Pilgrims/Separatists the Puritans felt as if the Church of England was not reformed enough strived to change it, but not completely separate from it. Their society was pious and devout. Ironically, even though they left England to escape religious persecution, they were known for their harsh treatment of differing opinions.