1. Native American and Puritan Writings
The Beginnings
Native American and Puritan Writings

2. Essential Question
In what specific ways did the environment in which they lived affect the writings of the Native Americans and Puritans?

3. Native Americans Misconceptions Actualities
Europeans thought Native Americans were uncivilized brutes.
Native Americans had created language and well-organized societies long before the Europeans arrived.
Europeans discovered America and formed the first settlements.
Native Americans occupied the Americas for thousands of years and established settlements.
Native Americans used pictographs (pictures that represented words and ideas); developed a highly respected oral tradition.
Europeans thoughts Native Americans had no literature because they had no written language.

4. Native American Oral Tradition
Passing stories from generation to generation by way of storytelling.
Teaching moral lessons
Respect for nature
Work ethic
Honesty/integrity
Explained things Native Americans didn’t understand
Creation of the world
Floods/storms
Seasons/cycle of the sun

5. Native Americans and Nature
Because of their close relationship with nature, animals and birds were featured in most Native American myths.
Animals shared the same characteristics as the humans.

6. The Puritans King Henry’s decision
In the 1500s, Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church
Wouldn’t grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Created the Church of England; required citizens to follow his teachings
Practiced intolerance; persecuted those who failed to convert.

7. What is a Puritan?
Puritans were a group of English Protestants during the 16th and 17th centuries
They had a more severe form of religion, and it was often constrained by laws in England
Felt that the English Reformation wasn’t enough and wanted to evoke MORE change

8. The Puritans Depart Puritan=purify Church had become corrupt
Goal to return to a concentration on the Bible
Escaped Henry’s persecution; start over in the new world (first went to Holland)
Arrived with the goal of obtaining religious freedom.

9. Puritan Belief in God The “true” believers in God
Preached God was unmerciful, angry and hard to please.
“Good works” to earn his favor.
Divine Predestination: God determines a person’s destiny (heaven/hell) before birth.
“Protestant Work Ethic”
Unified in effort to protect society
Work hard in name of God
Protect their sanctity

10. Hypocrisy Reigns
Because they were the “true” believers, those who deviated were wrong!
Intolerant of others who didn’t believe as they did
Persecution, jail, exile
Wasn’t their original goal religious freedom…..?