Difference between revisions of "Puritans"

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Persecuted in England, 100,000 Puritans resettled to the American colonies, particularly the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in 1630. They dominated New England and had a profound impact in shaping American history.  During the [[English Civil War]], Puritan leader [[Oliver Cromwell]] deposed the monarchy under [[Charles I]]. The monarchy was restored in 1660 and Puritanism, although not persecuted, lost influence in Britain.
 
Persecuted in England, 100,000 Puritans resettled to the American colonies, particularly the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in 1630. They dominated New England and had a profound impact in shaping American history.  During the [[English Civil War]], Puritan leader [[Oliver Cromwell]] deposed the monarchy under [[Charles I]]. The monarchy was restored in 1660 and Puritanism, although not persecuted, lost influence in Britain.
  
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==Controversies==
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When [[Harvard University|Harvard's]] first president Henry Dunster abandoned Puritanism in favor of the Baptist faith in 1653, he provoked a controversy that highlighted two distinct approaches to dealing with dissent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The colony's Puritan leaders, whose own religion was born of dissent from mainstream Church of England, generally worked for reconciliation with members who questioned matters of Puritan theology but responded much more harshly to outright rejection of Puritanism. Dunster's conflict with the colony's magistrates began when he failed to have his infant son baptized, believing, as a newly converted Baptist, that only adults should be baptized. Efforts to restore Dunster to Puritan orthodoxy failed, and his apostasy proved untenable to colony leaders who had entrusted him, in his job as Harvard's president, to uphold the colony's religious mission. Thus, he represented a threat to the stability of society. Dunster exiled himself in 1654 and moved to nearby Plymouth Colony, where he died in 1658.<ref> Timothy L. Wood, "'I Spake the Truth in the Feare of God': the Puritan Management of Dissent During the Henry Dunster Controversy," ''Historical Journal of Massachusetts'' 2005 33(1): 1-19, </ref>
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==Congregationalists==
 
By 1700 the Puritan churches were called [[Congregational]] churches.  The British also call them "dissenters" because they dissented from the official orthodoxy of the [[Church of England]]. Puritans and other Dissenters were restricted in the political rights until 1835 in Britain.
 
By 1700 the Puritan churches were called [[Congregational]] churches.  The British also call them "dissenters" because they dissented from the official orthodoxy of the [[Church of England]]. Puritans and other Dissenters were restricted in the political rights until 1835 in Britain.
  
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* [http://www.questia.com/library/religion/christianity/history/16th-and-17th-centuries/puritans.jsp Online books on Puritans]
 
* [http://www.questia.com/library/religion/christianity/history/16th-and-17th-centuries/puritans.jsp Online books on Puritans]
 
* [[http://www.questia.com/library/puritan-literature.jsp Online books on Puritan literature]]
 
* [[http://www.questia.com/library/puritan-literature.jsp Online books on Puritan literature]]
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====references====
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<references/>
 
[[Category:Christian Denominations]]
 
[[Category:Christian Denominations]]
 
[[Category:English Civil War]]
 
[[Category:English Civil War]]

Revision as of 22:36, January 24, 2010

"Puritan" describes several Protestant denominations, especially the Congregationalists, who sought to "purify" the Church of England of the influence of Roman Catholicism in the 1600s. Puritan ethics were noted for their strictness, especially regarding sexual behavior and the theatre. Puritan literature is highlighted by poet John Milton and writer John Bunyan. Several Puritan groups eventually broke from the Church of England.

Persecuted in England, 100,000 Puritans resettled to the American colonies, particularly the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. They dominated New England and had a profound impact in shaping American history. During the English Civil War, Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell deposed the monarchy under Charles I. The monarchy was restored in 1660 and Puritanism, although not persecuted, lost influence in Britain.

Controversies

When Harvard's first president Henry Dunster abandoned Puritanism in favor of the Baptist faith in 1653, he provoked a controversy that highlighted two distinct approaches to dealing with dissent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The colony's Puritan leaders, whose own religion was born of dissent from mainstream Church of England, generally worked for reconciliation with members who questioned matters of Puritan theology but responded much more harshly to outright rejection of Puritanism. Dunster's conflict with the colony's magistrates began when he failed to have his infant son baptized, believing, as a newly converted Baptist, that only adults should be baptized. Efforts to restore Dunster to Puritan orthodoxy failed, and his apostasy proved untenable to colony leaders who had entrusted him, in his job as Harvard's president, to uphold the colony's religious mission. Thus, he represented a threat to the stability of society. Dunster exiled himself in 1654 and moved to nearby Plymouth Colony, where he died in 1658.[1]

Congregationalists

By 1700 the Puritan churches were called Congregational churches. The British also call them "dissenters" because they dissented from the official orthodoxy of the Church of England. Puritans and other Dissenters were restricted in the political rights until 1835 in Britain.

Further reading

Primary sources

  • Bennett, Arthur G., ed. Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (1975) excerpt and text search
  • Heimart, Alan, and Andrew Delbanco, eds. The Puritans in America: A Narrative Anthology (2005) excerpt and text search
  • Miller, Perry. The American Puritans: Their Prose and Poetry, 346 pp. online edition
  • Miller, Perry, and Thomas H. Johnson, eds. The Puritans: A Sourcebook of Their Writings (2001)

external links

references

  1. Timothy L. Wood, "'I Spake the Truth in the Feare of God': the Puritan Management of Dissent During the Henry Dunster Controversy," Historical Journal of Massachusetts 2005 33(1): 1-19,