Puritans, their Beliefs, and their “American Dream” An introduction to Puritan beliefs and values as context to The Scarlett Letter. Ms. Wake AP Literature Fall 2013

A Truncated History Began in the late-1500s in England; a form of Protestantism Grew out of a growing dissatisfaction with the Church of England They longed for a stricter (purer) sect of Biblically based Protestantism–hence the root of their name, "Puritan" They believed that the government should crack down on ostentatious dress, Sabbath breaking, and other crimes of “moral virtue”

Why did they head to America? Common European belief that the government must forcibly enforce uniformity of religion in the interest of saving the souls of all of its citizens Dissenters could be punished (executed) for Blasphemy Puritans were considered outside of both Catholicism and The Church of England, therefore at risk Left England circa 1617 for the Americas

Puritan Beliefs and Values: A Contrast to Our Own… What do YOU think of when you think of a newborn baby?

Puritan Beliefs and Values: A Contrast to Our Own… To the Puritans, we are all born evil, depraved and full of sin. We are disgusting and vile from birth. This is due to Original Sin.

Original Sin One of the most influential stories in Western Civilization Adam and Eve defy God’s Will Leads to the Fall from Grace, (the Fall of Man) For Puritans, the belief that Man could discern good and evil is the greatest sin of all: PRIDE No concept of “rights” –we have a right to nothing. We only are here to serve God Reason all women experience the pain of childbirth Why all men must work the land Cast out of Eden

Today’s Christian View of Original Sin… Jesus died so that Man might be forgiven for the Original Sin Results in all being born innocent Wood of Tree of Knowledge Adam’s Skull

The Puritan Remedy to Original Sin: The New Eden Puritans wanted to return to the past Called themselves the “New Israelites” and believed it was their responsibility to establish a New Eden in the New World Wanted to reenact Biblical History

Today’s Christian View of Hell People feel freer to define hell in their own terms (What Dreams…) Some see descriptions of hell in Revelations as metaphoric Some believe hell doesn’t exist Some believe that no matter what you do, if you repent, you will avoid Hell (the Godfather)

Puritan View Literal interpretation of Revelations Always around the corner The devil is an omnipresent being, waiting to prey upon you, and God might just let it happen

How to Get to Heaven or Hell? Today’s View: FREE WILL: We are in control of whether or not we go to heaven or hell, based upon our actions

Predestination and The Elect Guess: How many people out of 100 do you think the Puritans believed were predestined to go to heaven? 1 out of 100 102 people on the Mayflower; 1 woman; 2 dogs; Who are the lucky one-two people going to heaven? Eons ago, God decided our Fate—good deeds would not get us into heaven. Why be good? If we are good, then it might reflect that we are one of the Elect, which makes us feel better and shows our neighbors how good we are.

Judo-Christian View of God today Why would God do that? Judo-Christian View of God today The Puritan View of God Versus Puritan God is the angry, vengeful God of the Old Testament Today, we focus on the loving Jesus (turn the other cheek, died for our sins) They focused on the wrath of God and justice (eye for an eye, “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord”)

Living in a Theocracy Believed that the government should be ruled by religious leaders The very American, democratic ideal of Separation of Church and State? –Nope! Blasphemy! BIBLICAL COMMONWELTH Idea that the laws of the colony should reflect the laws of the Old Testament Ten Commandments For Puritans, our democratic idea of separa

How might all of this connect to our novel? CW: In your NB’s… Synthesize the main ideas and key points of this lecture Predict how the beliefs and values of the Puritans will play a major role in our next novel and in the Fate of its characters

Homework Due: ______ Read and annotate the background information on Jonathon Edwards and his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” As you read, choose a literature circle role to fulfill: Literary Luminary: identify at least 3 quotes as evidence in his speech, which connects to the beliefs and values you learned about today S/M/M: try to choose quotes, which contain imagery/fig. lang., interesting diction (look up a word or two!), and/or which reflect a specific tone that you could discuss Vocabulary Visionary: Choose 4 words, which you feel are worth mastering, and be ready to teach them to your classmates Discussion Director: Write tiered questions, which your group will discuss at the end of the conversation FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON YOUR HANDOUT!!!

Acknowledgements Information for this PPT was collected from a variety of sources, primarily including: Building Educator Skills for Today. http://www.synthesizingeducation.net/2013/08/puritan-literature- unit-plan-plymouth.html Retrieved September 6, 2013. The Beginnings of Puritanism. “John Winthrop.” http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/winthrop/section2.rhtml. Retrieved September 6, 2013. The Library of Congress. Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html Retrieved September 6, 2013. And Google Images