America in the 1640s

America in the 1640s

What was America like during this time?

• America consisted of British colonies.
• Religious diversity was prominent.
• Colonists escaped persecution in home countries for religious freedom.
• Religious groups formed first 13 colonies (DE, PA, NJ, GA, CT, MA, MD, SC, NH, VA, NY, NC, RI.)
• People wore modest clothing in somber colors, often dressing in black and white.
• Women relied on men for decisions and money.

What type of literature was being written?

• poetry and non-fiction
• religious and puritanical
• authors who participated were Thomas Fuller, John Wilkins and Thomas Morton.
• reflected puritan belief in God, Church, and Church Sermons
• the Bay Psalm Book (first book ever printed in North America)

Was there a relationship between religion and government?

• Many governments were created to support religions.
• A man could hold a position as a clergyman and a politician. They used political theology.
• The Cambridge Platform (August 1648) - congregation itself is the highest level of ecclesiastical authority. "There is no greater church than a congregation which may ordinarily meet in one place."

Sin

Morality

Guilt

• To the Puritans a person was sinful by nature and could be good only under severe discipline. Playing games and having fun were considered sins. Sin was believed to be an offense against God.

• Puritans defined guilt as an assumption before a trial. They were quick to judge in favor of guilt.

• The Puritans believed in being honest with each other as well as working together. They did not hesitate to help their neighbors with theirs fields and often shared food with each other in times of despair.

Punishment

• The Puritan view on punishment was harsh. They believed that public humiliation would prevent people from committing the same sin again as well as sending a message to the people.

What did people of this time period believe about sin, morality, guilt, punishment, crime, evil, forgiveness, revenge, and justice?

Crime

Revenge

• Anything that was against the Bible or God were crimes. The people who committed them were punished.

• They believed that God would help avenge the enemy.

Justice

Evil

• The Puritans had a theocracy. If someone was accused of breaking God's law they were presented before the town elders.

Forgiveness

• Puritans believed that the devil was behind every evil act. They needed to be alert at all times to stay away from evil.

• Puritans believed that man could only forgive by seeing a change in behavior.

What beliefs about religion were prevalent during this time period?

Video

• Puritan
• wanted everyone to be a Puritan
• persecuted other religions
• nonconformists were fined, banished, whipped, imprisoned
• eventually persecution ended and other religions began to appear
• Anglicans and Baptists were established in most colonies.
• Roman Catholics and Protestants formed in Maryland.
• Lutheran communities formed in Pennsylvania.

Citations

Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <https://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/puritans.html>.

Infoplease. Infoplease. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/puritanism-influence-american-society.html>.

"Daily Life of the New England Colonies." Daily Life of the New England Colonies. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.east-buc.k12.ia.us/00_01/ca/13c6.htm>.

"Religion in Colonial America." Colonial America, 1607-1783. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www2.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/16071783/religion.htm>.

Packer, J. I. A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. N.p.: Cross Way Books, 2010. Print.

by David Mrazik, Michaela Abbs, Rebecca Chen, Chris Meyer, and James Nolan