Dr. Parker, on week 2 homework, one of the assignments is to read Barzun: Puritans as Democrats, but I can't seem to find it in the book. Is this something that will be on the blog?
When you think of the Puritans, you usually picture the black coat with the white collar and even attribute the holiday of Thanksgiving to their beginnings. However, they had many core values and ideals that can be traced back through what our forefathers of the American Revolution had. One such is self-government. Back in England, the Church of England had left the Catholic Church and the oversight of the pope, but it still was under its own hierarchy. In fact, It carried a lot of Catholic doctrines and ideas with it as it departed and became its own independent church. The Puritans had a problem with this. They believed that the church should be self-governed. The congregation would be able to make its own decisions and not be liable to any other higher authority. This became one of the fundamental teachings of the Puritans and the ideal of self-government has continued to this day in the American political ideals.
In The Gettysburg Address, there was a phrase that Abraham Lincoln said that now has become famous and could be argued as an appropriate motto for the United States. "...the government of the people, for the people, by the people." This is and has been one the most famous American political ideals. After the American Revolution, the founding fathers worked to set up a government that would not be a dictatorship or a hierarchy. Instead, it would a republic in which the people elect their representatives to vote for them and help make decisions that relate to the country. Freedom of speech allows any person express their opinion and what they think the government should do. Because of the Puritans, the ideal of self-government has continued to this day and has changed not only this country, but others as well.
The early Puritans were one of the first European religious groups in America. They were the well-known pilgrims who came over by boat and started some of the first colonies in what is now the United States. Since the many of the first colonists to North America where Puritans, many of their ideals and beliefs have effected the way Americans and our government think today. An example of a Puritan ideal that has become one of our countries ideals is that all men are created equal, and they all have rights. The Puritans believed that every man was created by God, born into sin after the fall, and therefore all judged by God. No man was above another man. We see this in our culture today by the lack of social classes. Whether you make a lot of money a year or very little, in the court you will be judged equally as everyone else. Every man also has the same rights, and the government ensures that this is realized. Just as the Puritans believed “that man-made laws must serve and not defeat natural rights….These reasoning’s are familiar to those who remember the preamble to the declaration of Independence.” (From Dawn to Decadence, pg.206-207)
In the mid-17th century a social reform appealed to many of the people and the Puritans were among this group. "The Puritans, many of whom were called Levellers, agitated for equality of rights and conditions." (From Dawn to Decadence, pg. 264-265) They believed that those who were neglected or in need had to be cared for and given decent living conditions at the expense of the wealthy. This directly opposes what the country was built on. Frederick Bastiat states, "It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder. … But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." If this doesn't state how direct of an opposition the Puritans take to American government then the words of Thomas Jefferson - one of our founding fathers - should clear up any and all confusion. "Our wish... is that... equality of rights [be] maintained, and that state of property, equal or unequal, which results to every man from his own industry or that of his fathers." --Thomas Jefferson: 2nd Inaugural Address, 1805. Unfortunately, there's not a good relationship between this Puritan belief and the American political ideal.
Natural Law states that everyone has innate law in himself that he will naturally follow. The Puritans believed in natural law and it may have influenced American ideals through the preamble of the Declaration of Independence as we will later see. Thomas Hobbes was a philosopher and in his book Leviathan, he gives nineteen “natural laws” that are innate to mankind. One of these laws states that “every man acknowledge another for his equal by nature.” It turns out that the Puritans believed in this law very strongly because they believed that God created nature and therefore the law defined in nature was given to us by him. The preamble of the Declaration of Independence clearly states its recognition of Natural Law when it mentions it in the first sentence: “. . . to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them.” Also in the next sentence, it states one of these Natural Laws that Hobbes defined: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .” This is one of the ways Puritan beliefs could have influences American ideals.
One core Puritan value was the importance of education. Puritans believed that everyone should be able to read the Bible, but in order to do this everyone needed to be able to read. Education was used for the purpose of learning about God. Harvard, founded in 1636, was established to train Puritan ministers. In 1642 Massachusetts passed an education law that read, “This court, taking into consideration the great neglect of many parents and masters in training up their children in learning, and labor, and other implements which may be profitable to the commonwealth, do hereupon order and decree, that in every town the chosen men appointed for managing the prudentially affairs of the same shall henceforth stand charged with the care of the redress of this evil, so they…shall have power to take account from time to time of all parents and masters, and of their children…especially of their ability to read and understand the principles of religion and the capital laws of this country.” (www.quaqua.org/pilgrim) Later, in 1647, another law was passed that said any town with more than 50 households must have one teacher for the children who was paid by the parents or the people collectively. These laws show that the value Puritans placed on education influenced the making of laws that are still, in some form, in existence today.
Going along with what Alicia said one of the puritan beliefs was equality. This came from the old testament which is what they mainly got their beliefs from. As Alicia had said they believed all man was created equal. They believed man was born into sin and only God could decide whether they go into heaven or not. This is quite evident in politics today. An example is the last few years of political popularity is gay marriage. The government wasted about 5-6 years trying to get equal rights for gays. Even before that america fought for many other equal rights. Including women's and black's. Equality is even seen in the constitution. Which was based off of the old testament. Which was the basis for puritan belief.
There are numerous values that the puritans believed deeply in upholding. One of which was the freedom of equal education for all people. They believed that the Bible should be taught to not only adults and young adults, but children as well. All were given the chance to be educated in catechisms, doctrine, and history of the old and new testaments. They believed it was crucial to raise their youth with the exposure to such extensive knowledge. Similarly today, Americans all over the nation have the chance to be exposed to a quality education. Very recently, congress has been discussing improving upon this privilege. They are trying to make it possible for all children, no matter the different ethnicity, to be exposed to a high-level, quality education. This is a direct example of how a puritan value has been preserved and upheld even to this very day.
Liburne is one prominent figure that stood out to me as having introduced many ideals America was founded on. He "declares and demands the rights of man" (270). America was created around the belief that all men are equal and deserving of certain rights. We see this today even more so with the promotion of toleration. The text says that Liburne influenced future revolutionists and frequently built his reasoning off of the Bible. At least to begin with, the men that wrote the constitution, the words stamped on our coins saying In God We Trust, America was truly united under the truth and values of Christians. Some of the ideas important to Liburne were voting, equality, and property; all important things to early Americans and to the present. Barzun goes on to say that because much of these values were based off of scripture men began finding what they wanted to hear in the writings of others. This puritan man undeniably had many of the ideas that were and some which still are important to America.
One of the core Puritan beliefs that influenced American politics was their view of democracy. The Puritans wanted to purify the church by getting rid of Catholic influence and customs. They believed that "when every congregation was independent and elected its minister, the whole people should be politically empowered through the vote. The religious parallel was decisive: if a purer religion, close to the one depicted in the gospel, was attainable by getting rid of superiors in the church, a better social and economic life...would follow from getting rid of social and political superiors" (Barzun 265). However, when King James I refused the Puritans' reform, they were persecuted and eventually fled to the New World. The idea of self-governing was established by the signing of the Mayflower Compact, which embodies ideas of early democracy. This compact allowed people to vote for leaders and decisions in the church and government. No hierarchy could hinger decisions because every member was allowed to state their opinions and rules were voted by the majority. The Puritans' church and government model eventually inspired the founding fathers as they created our American democracy.
Puritan politics shaped many of America’s political ideas that are rooted in our constitution. The Puritan’s main goals were to create a biblical community as well as bring commonwealth to America creating an Independent but structured nation. The Commonwealth of Oceana by James Harrington was published in 1656 and was one of the most influential works of the period. It was the text that would greatly shape the foundation of the American government bringing the idea of commonwealth alive. The ideas that Harrington portrayed throughout the text almost mirror the democracy created by the founding fathers. “It [had] a written constitution, a legislature of two houses, rotation in office, and a president elected indirectly, as in the later Constitution of the United States.” (From Dawn to Decadence, 268). Harrington’s three main proposals were, first; that the determining element of power in any state is property. This was carried out by Thomas Jefferson’s ideology of democratic agrarianism. Jefferson’s idea of democratic agrarianism depicted the idea that rural society was superior to urban life. He believed that the majority of the land owned by the wealthy should be given over to the poor or landless. As President Jefferson saw the inequality in the factories of Europe, he wanted to avoid that inequality. Therefore he viewed the farmers of America as the heart of Republicanism. The second idea Harrington proposed is that the executive power should not be held by one man for any length of time. Instead there should be a rotation by holding a ballot. This coincides with the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution stated in Amendment XII, ratified by the states in 1791 states:
“The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves;…. Then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President.”
Thirdly, Harrington believed that the senate should be voted out by ballet every year and should not be elected again for at least three years. Again the American government uses this idea to rotate those who are holding executive power. With the idea of commonwealth brought over by the Puritans and the publication of The Commonwealth of Oceana, American leaders were able to create a strong government rooted in biblical and rational dogma.
One connection between the Puritan core beliefs and the American political ideal is the strong desire for education. Specifically, the desire to develop a well educated next generation. Most Puritan children were taught how to read in order to understand the Bible. The Puritans believed that everyone should be capable of reading the Bible and sharing the messages inside; this meant that boys and girls were taught at an early age and were expected to ingest the lessons they were given. This was done in hopes that from one generation to the next the Bible would continue to be read and understood with the Puritan mindset. Although the reasons for education may vary, Americans have a very high value of education. Similar to the Puritans, the typical American child was taught to read and write at an early age. On a regular basis they went to school for at least twelve years, adding up to at least 2100 days with classes; most students also attend colleges and spend four to eight more years in school. Many colleges, including three Ivy League universities: Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth, were founded by Puritans and are still well attended by students today.
The Puritans believed in very little tolerance, but today, this is very different. Jacques Barzun says in his book, "From Dawn to Decadence", “New England Puritans were more strait-laced than those they left behind…they [The New England Puritans] were in a foreign country and beset by dangers. Rules had to be strict and relaxation limited…Everybody’s behavior is common knowledge, and social pressure to conform is great. Hence little room for original ideas and even less for tolerance.” (page 278) The Puritans didn’t have time to tolerate sin. They needed to survive, which meant they needed hard working people. These people couldn’t just do what they wanted. Even after towns were settled, the Puritans still didn’t have a lot of room for tolerance. People would do things that the Puritans would see as wrong and then the people were punished. For example, a man named Robert Keayne was accused of making too high a profit on his merchandise. It was seen as bad as usury! His church wanted him to repent, which, in time, he did. So, while the Puritans were intolerant to sin, the America of today is very tolerant towards it. They think it is a good thing to allow people to do what they feel is right.
In the reading this week two very important Puritan core beliefs were the churches and education in their community which had a relation and or influence on the American political ideal. The Puritan’s wanted to take most of all the Catholic traditions and get rid of them in the church. They wanted to make new traditions, “the pure in Puritan refers to religious institutions and to the political reforms needed to do the purifying, the same effort as Luther’s…” (From Dawn to Decadence 262). They also removed leaders and high authorities from the church. Religion was very important to the Puritan’s in their day to day life. Education was a key thing in the Puritan communities also. For there were many influential Puritan leaders and writers such as John Lilburne. Religion was very important even in education, the students were taught and usually brought up with a religious back grounds. They were taught to read and understand the scriptures from an early age. The Puritan’s started many big and important schools that are still active today. The Puritan’s belief on how to run and what traditions should stay in the church, the progress and success in education, and the influential Puritan leaders had an influence on the American political ideal of religion and education.
One ideal that has been maintained consistently in America from the very beginning is the value and appreciation of education. In Britain during the 17th century, education was not offered to everyone. So when the Puritans came to the new world they agreed as a group that all should learn to read and write in order to study and examine scripture for themselves without the help of a church leader. The first generation to grow up in the colonies learned to read and think on their own, and the tradition has continued until now. Now America views education as a pivotal part of success. Without a sufficient degree it is very difficult to get a job that pays above minimum wage.
Since the Puritans were some of the first to settle this land it is natural that some of their core beliefs have become key political American ideals even if these principles are not often attributed to the Puritan Fathers. One of these such beliefs is the “abolition of rank and privilege” (Barzun 270). Found directly in Scripture, the Puritan preachers taught that all men are created equal. They used verses such as Acts 10:34 to biblically prove this. “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35 ESV). If all have sinned and need God’s grace then one person cannot be above another. This idea that all men are free, equal and under the same law are some of the founding principles for this nation. Beautifully written in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, the equality of man has roots a bit further back than one might think.
Freedom from oppressive leaders, or emancipation, is a goal the Puritans sought, shown in their desire to travel to a distant land. Their purpose was to escape from religious oppression. Jacques Barzun helpfully described what they thought was the solution for freedom: “if a purer religion, close to…the gospel, was attainable by getting rid of superiors in the church, a better social and economic life…,would follow…” (Barzum, 265) Today, it is seen as admirable to fight for your freedom. The freedom of speech, education (as was mentioned in previous posts), and religion have been vigorously fought for throughout the years. The idea of the slogan, “For the people, by the people,” was forming even back then. The Puritans wanted to govern themselves, both within and outside of the church. Desiring to choose their own leaders in the church, they disliked being controlled so completely by a political ruler, whether he be a king or bishop. The idea of being free from authority and rule has continued to the present.
Barzun, Jacques. From Dawn to Decadence. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2000. Print.
One of the many core Puritan beliefs was that of individualism and libertarianism. Yearning for a world where they didn’t have to answer to a higher authority (other than God), the Puritans set about creating that atmosphere. As William Penn once said, “It were better to be of no church than to be bitter for any.” Individualism and freedom is something highly valued in America today. Independence, patriotism, and equality are all words that Americans rally around. Just as the Puritans refused to held back by the “church” as a whole, people today are strongly opposed to the idea of being limited or judged in a way contradictory to their inclinations. These firm Puritan ideals have clearly been preserved and perpetuated throughout history.
19 comments:
Dr. Parker, on week 2 homework, one of the assignments is to read Barzun: Puritans as Democrats, but I can't seem to find it in the book. Is this something that will be on the blog?
When you think of the Puritans, you usually picture the black coat with the white collar and even attribute the holiday of Thanksgiving to their beginnings. However, they had many core values and ideals that can be traced back through what our forefathers of the American Revolution had. One such is self-government. Back in England, the Church of England had left the Catholic Church and the oversight of the pope, but it still was under its own hierarchy. In fact, It carried a lot of Catholic doctrines and ideas with it as it departed and became its own independent church. The Puritans had a problem with this. They believed that the church should be self-governed. The congregation would be able to make its own decisions and not be liable to any other higher authority. This became one of the fundamental teachings of the Puritans and the ideal of self-government has continued to this day in the American political ideals.
In The Gettysburg Address, there was a phrase that Abraham Lincoln said that now has become famous and could be argued as an appropriate motto for the United States. "...the government of the people, for the people, by the people." This is and has been one the most famous American political ideals. After the American Revolution, the founding fathers worked to set up a government that would not be a dictatorship or a hierarchy. Instead, it would a republic in which the people elect their representatives to vote for them and help make decisions that relate to the country. Freedom of speech allows any person express their opinion and what they think the government should do. Because of the Puritans, the ideal of self-government has continued to this day and has changed not only this country, but others as well.
Anna, the reading is in the Barzun text.
The early Puritans were one of the first European religious groups in America. They were the well-known pilgrims who came over by boat and started some of the first colonies in what is now the United States. Since the many of the first colonists to North America where Puritans, many of their ideals and beliefs have effected the way Americans and our government think today. An example of a Puritan ideal that has become one of our countries ideals is that all men are created equal, and they all have rights. The Puritans believed that every man was created by God, born into sin after the fall, and therefore all judged by God. No man was above another man. We see this in our culture today by the lack of social classes. Whether you make a lot of money a year or very little, in the court you will be judged equally as everyone else. Every man also has the same rights, and the government ensures that this is realized. Just as the Puritans believed “that man-made laws must serve and not defeat natural rights….These reasoning’s are familiar to those who remember the preamble to the declaration of Independence.” (From Dawn to Decadence, pg.206-207)
In the mid-17th century a social reform appealed to many of the people and the Puritans were among this group. "The Puritans, many of whom were called Levellers, agitated for equality of rights and conditions." (From Dawn to Decadence, pg. 264-265) They believed that those who were neglected or in need had to be cared for and given decent living conditions at the expense of the wealthy. This directly opposes what the country was built on. Frederick Bastiat states, "It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder. … But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime." If this doesn't state how direct of an opposition the Puritans take to American government then the words of Thomas Jefferson - one of our founding fathers - should clear up any and all confusion. "Our wish... is that... equality of rights [be] maintained, and that state of property, equal or unequal, which results to every man from his own industry or that of his fathers." --Thomas Jefferson: 2nd Inaugural Address, 1805. Unfortunately, there's not a good relationship between this Puritan belief and the American political ideal.
Natural Law states that everyone has innate law in himself that he will naturally follow. The Puritans believed in natural law and it may have influenced American ideals through the preamble of the Declaration of Independence as we will later see. Thomas Hobbes was a philosopher and in his book Leviathan, he gives nineteen “natural laws” that are innate to mankind. One of these laws states that “every man acknowledge another for his equal by nature.” It turns out that the Puritans believed in this law very strongly because they believed that God created nature and therefore the law defined in nature was given to us by him. The preamble of the Declaration of Independence clearly states its recognition of Natural Law when it mentions it in the first sentence: “. . . to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them.” Also in the next sentence, it states one of these Natural Laws that Hobbes defined: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .” This is one of the ways Puritan beliefs could have influences American ideals.
One core Puritan value was the importance of education. Puritans believed that everyone should be able to read the Bible, but in order to do this everyone needed to be able to read. Education was used for the purpose of learning about God. Harvard, founded in 1636, was established to train Puritan ministers. In 1642 Massachusetts passed an education law that read, “This court, taking into consideration the great neglect of many parents and masters in training up their children in learning, and labor, and other implements which may be profitable to the commonwealth, do hereupon order and decree, that in every town the chosen men appointed for managing the prudentially affairs of the same shall henceforth stand charged with the care of the redress of this evil, so they…shall have power to take account from time to time of all parents and masters, and of their children…especially of their ability to read and understand the principles of religion and the capital laws of this country.” (www.quaqua.org/pilgrim) Later, in 1647, another law was passed that said any town with more than 50 households must have one teacher for the children who was paid by the parents or the people collectively. These laws show that the value Puritans placed on education influenced the making of laws that are still, in some form, in existence today.
Going along with what Alicia said one of the puritan beliefs was equality. This came from the old testament which is what they mainly got their beliefs from. As Alicia had said they believed all man was created equal. They believed man was born into sin and only God could decide whether they go into heaven or not. This is quite evident in politics today. An example is the last few years of political popularity is gay marriage. The government wasted about 5-6 years trying to get equal rights for gays. Even before that america fought for many other equal rights. Including women's and black's. Equality is even seen in the constitution. Which was based off of the old testament. Which was the basis for puritan belief.
There are numerous values that the puritans believed deeply in upholding. One of which was the freedom of equal education for all people. They believed that the Bible should be taught to not only adults and young adults, but children as well. All were given the chance to be educated in catechisms, doctrine, and history of the old and new testaments. They believed it was crucial to raise their youth with the exposure to such extensive knowledge. Similarly today, Americans all over the nation have the chance to be exposed to a quality education. Very recently, congress has been discussing improving upon this privilege. They are trying to make it possible for all children, no matter the different ethnicity, to be exposed to a high-level, quality education. This is a direct example of how a puritan value has been preserved and upheld even to this very day.
Liburne is one prominent figure that stood out to me as having introduced many ideals America was founded on. He "declares and demands the rights of man" (270). America was created around the belief that all men are equal and deserving of certain rights. We see this today even more so with the promotion of toleration. The text says that Liburne influenced future revolutionists and frequently built his reasoning off of the Bible. At least to begin with, the men that wrote the constitution, the words stamped on our coins saying In God We Trust, America was truly united under the truth and values of Christians. Some of the ideas important to Liburne were voting, equality, and property; all important things to early Americans and to the present. Barzun goes on to say that because much of these values were based off of scripture men began finding what they wanted to hear in the writings of others. This puritan man undeniably had many of the ideas that were and some which still are important to America.
One of the core Puritan beliefs that influenced American politics was their view of democracy. The Puritans wanted to purify the church by getting rid of Catholic influence and customs. They believed that "when every congregation was independent and elected its minister, the whole people should be politically empowered through the vote. The religious parallel was decisive: if a purer religion, close to the one depicted in the gospel, was attainable by getting rid of superiors in the church, a better social and economic life...would follow from getting rid of social and political superiors" (Barzun 265). However, when King James I refused the Puritans' reform, they were persecuted and eventually fled to the New World. The idea of self-governing was established by the signing of the Mayflower Compact, which embodies ideas of early democracy. This compact allowed people to vote for leaders and decisions in the church and government. No hierarchy could hinger decisions because every member was allowed to state their opinions and rules were voted by the majority. The Puritans' church and government model eventually inspired the founding fathers as they created our American democracy.
Puritan politics shaped many of America’s political ideas that are rooted in our constitution. The Puritan’s main goals were to create a biblical community as well as bring commonwealth to America creating an Independent but structured nation. The Commonwealth of Oceana by James Harrington was published in 1656 and was one of the most influential works of the period. It was the text that would greatly shape the foundation of the American government bringing the idea of commonwealth alive. The ideas that Harrington portrayed throughout the text almost mirror the democracy created by the founding fathers. “It [had] a written constitution, a legislature of two houses, rotation in office, and a president elected indirectly, as in the later Constitution of the United States.” (From Dawn to Decadence, 268). Harrington’s three main proposals were, first; that the determining element of power in any state is property. This was carried out by Thomas Jefferson’s ideology of democratic agrarianism. Jefferson’s idea of democratic agrarianism depicted the idea that rural society was superior to urban life. He believed that the majority of the land owned by the wealthy should be given over to the poor or landless. As President Jefferson saw the inequality in the factories of Europe, he wanted to avoid that inequality. Therefore he viewed the farmers of America as the heart of Republicanism. The second idea Harrington proposed is that the executive power should not be held by one man for any length of time. Instead there should be a rotation by holding a ballot. This coincides with the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution stated in Amendment XII, ratified by the states in 1791 states:
“The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves;…. Then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President.”
Thirdly, Harrington believed that the senate should be voted out by ballet every year and should not be elected again for at least three years. Again the American government uses this idea to rotate those who are holding executive power. With the idea of commonwealth brought over by the Puritans and the publication of The Commonwealth of Oceana, American leaders were able to create a strong government rooted in biblical and rational dogma.
One connection between the Puritan core beliefs and the American political ideal is the strong desire for education. Specifically, the desire to develop a well educated next generation. Most Puritan children were taught how to read in order to understand the Bible. The Puritans believed that everyone should be capable of reading the Bible and sharing the messages inside; this meant that boys and girls were taught at an early age and were expected to ingest the lessons they were given. This was done in hopes that from one generation to the next the Bible would continue to be read and understood with the Puritan mindset. Although the reasons for education may vary, Americans have a very high value of education. Similar to the Puritans, the typical American child was taught to read and write at an early age. On a regular basis they went to school for at least twelve years, adding up to at least 2100 days with classes; most students also attend colleges and spend four to eight more years in school. Many colleges, including three Ivy League universities: Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth, were founded by Puritans and are still well attended by students today.
The Puritans believed in very little tolerance, but today, this is very different. Jacques Barzun says in his book, "From Dawn to Decadence", “New England Puritans were more strait-laced than those they left behind…they [The New England Puritans] were in a foreign country and beset by dangers. Rules had to be strict and relaxation limited…Everybody’s behavior is common knowledge, and social pressure to conform is great. Hence little room for original ideas and even less for tolerance.” (page 278) The Puritans didn’t have time to tolerate sin. They needed to survive, which meant they needed hard working people. These people couldn’t just do what they wanted. Even after towns were settled, the Puritans still didn’t have a lot of room for tolerance. People would do things that the Puritans would see as wrong and then the people were punished. For example, a man named Robert Keayne was accused of making too high a profit on his merchandise. It was seen as bad as usury! His church wanted him to repent, which, in time, he did. So, while the Puritans were intolerant to sin, the America of today is very tolerant towards it. They think it is a good thing to allow people to do what they feel is right.
In the reading this week two very important Puritan core beliefs were the churches and education in their community which had a relation and or influence on the American political ideal. The Puritan’s wanted to take most of all the Catholic traditions and get rid of them in the church. They wanted to make new traditions, “the pure in Puritan refers to religious institutions and to the political reforms needed to do the purifying, the same effort as Luther’s…” (From Dawn to Decadence 262). They also removed leaders and high authorities from the church. Religion was very important to the Puritan’s in their day to day life. Education was a key thing in the Puritan communities also. For there were many influential Puritan leaders and writers such as John Lilburne. Religion was very important even in education, the students were taught and usually brought up with a religious back grounds. They were taught to read and understand the scriptures from an early age. The Puritan’s started many big and important schools that are still active today. The Puritan’s belief on how to run and what traditions should stay in the church, the progress and success in education, and the influential Puritan leaders had an influence on the American political ideal of religion and education.
One ideal that has been maintained consistently in America from the very beginning is the value and appreciation of education. In Britain during the 17th century, education was not offered to everyone. So when the Puritans came to the new world they agreed as a group that all should learn to read and write in order to study and examine scripture for themselves without the help of a church leader. The first generation to grow up in the colonies learned to read and think on their own, and the tradition has continued until now. Now America views education as a pivotal part of success. Without a sufficient degree it is very difficult to get a job that pays above minimum wage.
Since the Puritans were some of the first to settle this land it is natural that some of their core beliefs have become key political American ideals even if these principles are not often attributed to the Puritan Fathers. One of these such beliefs is the “abolition of rank and privilege” (Barzun 270). Found directly in Scripture, the Puritan preachers taught that all men are created equal. They used verses such as Acts 10:34 to biblically prove this. “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35 ESV). If all have sinned and need God’s grace then one person cannot be above another. This idea that all men are free, equal and under the same law are some of the founding principles for this nation. Beautifully written in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, the equality of man has roots a bit further back than one might think.
Freedom from oppressive leaders, or emancipation, is a goal the Puritans sought, shown in their desire to travel to a distant land. Their purpose was to escape from religious oppression. Jacques Barzun helpfully described what they thought was the solution for freedom: “if a purer religion, close to…the gospel, was attainable by getting rid of superiors in the church, a better social and economic life…,would follow…” (Barzum, 265) Today, it is seen as admirable to fight for your freedom. The freedom of speech, education (as was mentioned in previous posts), and religion have been vigorously fought for throughout the years. The idea of the slogan, “For the people, by the people,” was forming even back then. The Puritans wanted to govern themselves, both within and outside of the church. Desiring to choose their own leaders in the church, they disliked being controlled so completely by a political ruler, whether he be a king or bishop. The idea of being free from authority and rule has continued to the present.
Barzun, Jacques. From Dawn to Decadence. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2000. Print.
One of the many core Puritan beliefs was that of individualism and libertarianism. Yearning for a world where they didn’t have to answer to a higher authority (other than God), the Puritans set about creating that atmosphere. As William Penn once said, “It were better to be of no church than to be bitter for any.” Individualism and freedom is something highly valued in America today. Independence, patriotism, and equality are all words that Americans rally around. Just as the Puritans refused to held back by the “church” as a whole, people today are strongly opposed to the idea of being limited or judged in a way contradictory to their inclinations. These firm Puritan ideals have clearly been preserved and perpetuated throughout history.
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