Avery McMahon, Alexis Coates,

Julia Bottcher
 Information About The
Puritan Time Period
The term Puritan was first used in the late 1500's
to identify a party within the Church of England,
which was the national church.
Involved in a special movement of the 1500s
and 1600s
Movement started in England and traveled to
America where it influenced the social, political,
and religious institutions
Emphasized devotion, grace, prayer, and self-
examination to the religious virtue.
Encouraged Bible reading, prayer, and preaching
in worship services.
 Themes
Emphasis on purification- Believed in
removing all impurities.
Being plain Only liked in the plain style of
writing because the ornate style would be
vanity.
Religion The center of the laws,
government, and life style.
Original Sin The relation to Adam and Eve
Hard work needed in life Had to begin
there own town, and government system.
Everyones fate is in Gods hands
Eventually got tired of all the witch craft and
getting convicted because of it.
 Types of
Literature
Histories The purpose was to provide
spiritual insight and instruction.
Journals and Diaries Both journals
and diaries were the serious kinds of self-
examination that the Puritans practiced
in other aspects of their lives. Many
wrote about the religious and political
struggles going on during these times
and the travel that they concurred.
 Types of
Literature
Poetry written as a spiritual
enlightenment, and was less
concerned about its message, and not
with its literary form. A few excellent
Puritan poets emerged in the 1600s.
William Penn said he did not know a
language spoken in Europe that hath
words of more sweetness and
greatness.
 Types of
Literature
Sermons Religion dominated the lives
of the Puritans therefore there was many
sermons. The Puritans considered the
Bible as the true law of God that provided
guidelines for church government. They
also organized their government
according to the teachings that they
found in the Bible.

The Puritans produced neither non-fiction

or drama, they believed it was regarded
as sinful.
 The Native
Americans
Lived in North America
30 times longer than
Europeans-exact date is
unknown.
Instructed Europeans in
agriculture & introduced
them to maize, beans,
squash, maple sugar,
snowshoes, toboggans
& birch bark canoes.
Oral traditions- no
printed versions of
literature.
The Puritans
Very religious
Critical of Church in England-
known as Separatists because
they gave up on purifying the
church and withdrew from it
Sailed to America on the
Mayflower in 1620
Hoped to establish a
community guided strictly by
the bible
Wanted a theocracy
government- under immediate
guidance of God
Had central beliefs that
humans exist for the glory or
God
Known as Pilgrims today
 Anne Bradstreet
(1612-1672)
Born in Northampton, England
First important American poet
Father, Thomas Dudley was steward
of the Earl of Lincoln-grew up in a
cultivated household
Had older brother and four younger
sisters
Father tutored her for education;
read scriptures, theology, philosophy
and literature in Earls library
Married Simon Bradstreet at age 16-
mother of eight
Simon was a judge and later became
a royal councilor and governor
Known for The Tenth Muse Lately
Sprung Up In America- collection of
her poems & delt with her religious
ideas
Contemplations and On the
Burning of Her House were best
poems- describe home life in
colonial New England
Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758)
Born in East Windsor,
Connecticut
Famous minister of Puritan New
England; philosopher, preacher,
revivalist, & theologian
Was a leading intellectual figure
in colonial America
Entered Yale University at age
13-graduated at age 17 in the
top of his class
Only son of Timothy Edwards-
Congregational clergyman &
Ester Stoddard Edwards
Married Sarah Pierrepoint in 1726
The Great Awakening was
made up of Edwards sermons-
helped lead to a spiritual
understanding of the church
Freedom of Will was his major
philosophical work- helped
defend the Christian doctrine of
predestination
William Bradford
(1590-1657)
Born in Austerfield, England
Wrote about the experiences the
early settlers had when sailing to
& first arriving in North America
Reelected governor thirty-one
times
Father died a year after he was
born and mother died six years
later- took turns living with
separate family members
Joined a Puritan Church at age
12-later became a member of
the Separatists
Married Dorothy May after
moving to Holland
Of Plymouth Plantation-
account of the Puritans struggle
to survive and how faith helped
move them along
Not published until 1856
Puritan
Families
The average Puritan
family was often
viewed as the
perfect example
of an American
family during that
time. The kids were
born and raised in
religious
households. They
were taught that it
was wrong to sin
and were,
 Thanksgiving
The Puritans came
together with the
Native Americans
to celebrate the
abundant amount
of crops receive
that year. They
had a huge feast
thanking God for
such a successful
season. The
tradition was
carried on through
many traditions
and is known
Religion
In the Puritan culture,
everything was based
on religion. Anytime
there was a dispute
among the
townspeople, they
would first turn the
church members. Not
only was the church the
center of every
Puritans life, but it also
played a big role in the
community. It was one
of the biggest, most
widely used assets of
the Puritan community.
 Puritan Culture
It was not rare to find
a group of Puritan
men sitting around a
table discussing
matters of the
community. Whenever
a meeting like this
occurred, no women,
if any, were permitted
to attend. None of the
men were allowed to
wear hats at the table
out of respect and
courtesy.
 The First Printing
Press
The first printing press
in North America
arrived in the Puritans
colony in 1638. By the
1700s, Boston became
the second largest
publishing center in
America. By creating
the printing press, the
Puritans were able to
print and share
hundreds of copies of
religious books.
Harvard
College In an effort to
ensure a well-
educated ministry,
the Puritans
founded Harvard
College. It was
originally built in
Newtowne in 1636,
but three years
later they renamed
the city Cambridge.
Cambridge is a city
in England where
many of the Puritan
 Themes in Puritan
Writings
Escaped Europe to come to the New World for freedom-
particularly religious freedom.
Purpose of the Puritans writings was to provide spiritual insight
so the books written in that time period all related back to the
Puritan beliefs.
No dramas or fiction books were produced because the Puritans
saw that as vanity.
Puritan means strictness in morals and religious matters
Themes included the following:
Emphasis on purification
Being plain
Original sin
Hard work needed in life
Everyones fate in Gods hands
 Emphasis on
Purification
Removing all impurities
The Puritans came from the Church of
England. They saw that church as
corrupt and unfit.
The Puritans came to the New World
because they wanted to create a new
church with more religious laws
making it better fit to raise their
families.
 Being Plain
Didnt want to draw attention to
themselves.
The 10 Commandments- Thou shalt not
make unto thee any graven image
Believed in plain, simple style of writing
because ornate style would be
considered vanity.
 Religion
Center of laws, life, and government
Every writing during the Puritan time
related back to the Christian religion
If any problems arose, they always
turned to religion- it was the answer
for everything
 Original Sin
Related back to Adam and Eves sin
in the Garden of Eden
If a sin was ever to be committed, it
must repented at once
Many preachers spoke about the
consequences of sin to try and scare
them away from sinning
 Hard Work Need In
Life
Came from England to the New World
with nothing
Had to start a colony from scratch- built
churches, jails, cemetery, homes,
government
Created Harvard College to get well-
educated ministry
 Everyones Fate in Gods
Hands

The Crucible- people were tried and

convicted of witchcraft
Believed in consequences for sin
Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God
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