Puritanical Colonies of the Northeast Alycia Ovalle English III AP Henson 3 rd March 8, 2011

Puritanism  Puritanism started in the sixteenth century as a movement to reform the Church of England.  The term "Puritan" first began as a taunt or insult applied by traditional Anglicans to those who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England  To be born on a Sunday was interpreted as a sign of great sin. Puritans believed that children born on the Sabbath Day were conceived on this sacred day. Sexual intercourse on Sundays was a sacrilege in this austere society.

Superstitions  They saw "signs" in any natural event such as meteorites, comets, or thunderbolts.  They used fasting and prayer to relieve the fear and the sense of helplessness.

Daily Routine and Diet  In a lifetime, a Puritan might hear 15,000 hours of preaching.  Private devotions at the hour of rising; family prayers with the reading of Scripture and the catechizing of children and servants; and the keeping of a spiritual diary.  Church services were held every Sunday and all day long, it is considered “The Lord’s Day”  Puritans ate vegetables meat seafood and mostly simple not too decorated or fancy food.  They drank beer with meals and rum at weddings.

Puritan Beliefs  God as the awesome Father-God of the Old Testament and emphasized His majesty, righteousness, and control of the universe to achieve His just ends.  God's maintaining and directing everything in the universe is God's Providence.  Predestination, Jesus, and participation in the sacraments could not alone effect one's salvation; one cannot choose salvation, for that is the privilege of God alone.  All features of salvation are determined by God's sovereignty  Distinguished between "justification," or the gift of God's grace given to the elect, and "sanctification," the holy behavior that supposedly resulted when an individual had been saved.

Dress  Their clothing was usually black, white or grey and they lived a simple and religious life.  Usually very plain and simple.  They advocated a conservative form of fashionable attire.  They were modestly cute; gowns with low necklines were filled in with high-necked smocks and wide collars.  Married women covered their hair with a linen cap over which they might have worn a tall black hat.

Morality  Puritans were very strict about their views, and would not make any changes. Their views on sexual morality and sexual behaviors have been talked about a lot.  Puritans confronted the conscience and wooed the heart as a mark of their practice. They believed that the mind was the most vital source of power and the ‘palace of faith’.

Women  Puritan women were generally literate and often well-read.  The only respectable female vocation in Puritan America was managing a household which generally included large numbers of children, servants, apprentices, and even single men and women.

Political and Social Order  They basis of political order was charity.  They imposed a rigid system of wage and price controls to insure that people did not unfairly profit from goods and services.  Politics were modeled by the theory of a “city on a hill, a light unto the nations”  Authority of husband over wife, parents over children, and masters over servants in the family

Citations Campbell, Donna M. "Puritanism in England." Literary Movements 21 Mar. 2010: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar Niemczyk, Cassandra. "The American Puritans: Did you know?." Christian Today Library 01 Jan. 1994: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar "Puritan and Providence." Puritanism 22 Sep. 2002: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar "Puritan Lifestyle and Puritan Beliefs." Living Prosperity n. pag. Web. 7 Mar "Religious Source- Puritan Founding." Sources of American Founding n. pag. Web. 7 Mar