1. Colonialism and Puritanism 1620-1740
The information in this PowerPoint corresponds with pages in your textbook.
Colonialism and Puritanism
American Literature – E302

2. E302 American Lit Core Novels
1855
1692
1926
1968
The Great Gatsby
The Crucible
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Things They Carried
1952
1990
*Dates based on setting/date of publication

3. Literary Movements:
1800
1620
1692
1776
1860
1750
Salem Witch Trials
Revolutionary Age
The birth of America
Romanticism
Feeling & intuition over reason
Puritanism (Colonialism)
An independent spirit

4. The Literary Movement
Pre-America – founded on European traditions brought to the New England colonies
Forms of writing:
histories
diaries
Chronicles
poetry
sermons:
explanation of biblical quotation
interpretation
application to the life of the colony  

5. Literary Characteristics (continued)
Role of sermons:
new argument in the ongoing theological debates
a part of the political process
scaring the congregation back into religious life
Chronicles - describe the earthly in terms of the eternal
Literal truth substituted with potential symbolic lesson
No novels – they divert people’s attention from work
Writing should have a practical purpose
Belief in America being the “promised land” and Americans being the “chosen people”
Frequent religious references
Often plain style so that common people can understand

6. Puritans – Who were they?
Puritan is a broad term referring to a number of Protestant groups who thought the Church of England was corrupt and sought to purify the faith.
Religion is virtually inseparable from government
Puritans wished to return to the simpler forms of worship and church organization that are described in the Christian Scriptures.
Religion for the Puritans was a personal, inner experience.
Puritans did not believe the gov. should or could act as an intermediary between the individual and God.

7. Puritan beliefs
Came to America (new colonies) to escape persecution and build a new society patterned after God’s word.
Center of Puritan theology is a mix of uncertainty and doubt.
Certainties: Because of Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience, most of humanity would be damned for all eternity; God in his mercy sent Jesus to save particular people
Doubts: whether a certain individual was saved (the elect) or damned (unregenerate)
People strived to be one of the saved by valuing self- reliance, industriousness, temperance, and simplicity.

8. Puritan Politics
In the Puritan view a covenant, or contract, existed between God and humanity
Puritans also believed people should enter freely into agreements concerning government (foundations of democracy).
Puritans believed the saintly elect should have great influence on gov., so political views tended to be undemocratic (yes, a clear contradiction with the above).

9. The Bible in America
Puritans saw the Bible as the literal word of God.
Bible was the foundation of education.
Puritans viewed their lives as a journey to salvation and looked for connections between their lives and biblical events.
Their writing favored plain language and clarity of expression and lacked figures of speech

10. Puritan influence on schooling

11. Puritan influence on American Values
Urge to succeed and exceed
Belief that hard work necessary for happiness
Cult of money -> money indicator (source of power)
Conviction (belief) that Americans
are the chosen people

12. Salem Witch Trials
The Crucible is based on a true story and is written as a play.
See pages 10 and 11 of your textbook for an overview.
Background video:
/salemwitchtrials/story/

13. We will explore more background tomorrow…
Webquest on background regarding Puritanism.
Author Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible in the 1950s as a response to McCarthyism.