Puritans 1

Beliefs Humans exist for the glory of God. Natural depravity (wickedness) of humans The Bible is the sole expression of God’s will. Predestination (John Calvin’s belief): God has already decided who will achieve salvation and who will not. Hard work, self-discipline (“Puritan Ethic”)

How does Predestination work? No one knows if they are “chosen,” so all devout Puritans searched their souls with great rigor and frequency for signs of grace. The “elect” that would be saved couldn’t take election for granted. They were supposed to live as if they knew they were elected.

Puritans’ Rationale (Reasons) What was the Puritans’ Purpose? Hoped to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a “city upon a hill” a model community guided in all aspects by the Bible

Treatment of Native Americans The settlers flagrant ways and intruding methods of desecrating the land came as a huge blow to the Native Americans. Some tribes would not fight back until they realized they would lose their land completely. The Europeans brought disease to America.

Theocracy The Puritan community was a theocracy, a government which blends church and state. The church’s officials were the government’s officials. Thus, church and state were not separate. 6

Bandwagon effect Well documented form of groupthink As more people begin to believe in something, others also “hop on the bandwagon” regardless of any underlying evidence.

Bandwagon Effect Example: “New World” becomes “New Eden” Reports spread about the new world and were mainly exaggerations People “hopped on the bandwagon” because they were desperate for a better world. Because of this more people begin to arrive and more permanent settlements were established

“Self” They always believed they could improve their “self” to help the community. Connection to hyphens: Self-esteem ( a respect for oneself) Self-assured (be sure of oneself) Self-examination (reflect on oneself) Self-discipline (avoid sin and temptation) 9