Comunicación y Gerencia
Puritan History
Constantine sees a vision
Theocracy
Government by a god or by
officials claiming divine
sanction
This is the only form of
government that nations had
known from the time of
Constantine, the Roman
emperor who made
Christianity the state religion
Persecution of dissenting viewpoints was the
common practice of all churches in the 15th and
16th centuries.
Why were there Puritans?
MARTIN LUTHER
(1483-1546)
•Begins the Protestant
Reformation in 1517
John Calvin
• Underwent a conversion
experience in 1533
• Founder of Reformed Church
Congregational Church
Presbyterian Church
• Some of his teachings form the
first basis for democracy
•John Calvin’s TULIP
•Total Depravity
•Unconditional Election
•Limited Atonement
•Irresistible Grace
•Perseverance of the Saints
Meanwhile, back in England . . .
1. Henry VIII wants a divorce
from Catherine of Aragon,
who cannot bear him a male
heir.
2. Pope says,
NO.
3. Henry VIII, being
who he is, makes
his own church.
Thomas Cranmer becomes
the first Protestant
Archbishop of Canterbury
A Separatist movement developed within the Puritans
in Europe. They had given up on “purifying” the
church deciding that only a separate movement could
succeed.
Plymouth Colony
William Bradford,Governor of the Plymouth Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
A group of Puritans persuaded
King James to grant them
an area of land between the
Massachusetts Bay and
Charles River in North America.
Lasting Effects of Puritans
• Emphasis on
Simplicity in Worship
• Public Education
• High Moral Standards
• Democratic Political
Principles
• Puritan Ethic –
Believed good was
accomplished through
hard work, self-reliance,
and self-discipline.
Influenced industrialism
and efficiency.
Harvard University
Puritan Literature
Purpose for
Literature:
provide spiritual
insight and
instruction
– Mostly sermons,
theological
studies, and hymns
Style of literature:
• Puritan Style - plain writing style with a clear
statement
• Characterized by short words, direct
statements, and references to ordinary,
everyday objects (against anything ornate)
• Simple, Spiritual, Straightforward
Types of Puritan Literature
• Some narrative accounts such as histories,
biographies, and autobiographies.
• Some poems, journals and diaries, but their
aim was primarily for serious self-examination
• Did not produce fiction nor drama because
they regarded both as sinful.
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)
• Came from a well-do-family. Her father was
steward for the Earl of Lincoln who was also a
Puritan
• Exceptionally well-educated for a woman of her
day
• Only 18 when she and her
husband moved to
Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Both her husband and father
served terms as Governor
• Raised eight children
Anne Bradstreet
Wrote for herself, not publication
– Published in 1650 – considered
to be the first collection of
original poetry written in the
colonies
– First female poet to be
published
Used Plain Puritan Style
William Bradford
• Elected governor after the
first leader died
– Reelected fifteen times
• Helped create positive Indian
relations and democratic
town hall meetings
• Began writing his narrative Of Plymouth
Plantation in 1630, but it was not published
until 1856
• Used “Puritan Plain Style”
Of Plymouth
Plantation
• Narrative Account
– Tell the story of real-life
events. Can be first-hand or
written by someone that
researched the events.
• Considered the most
complete authority on
the Puritans and a
primary document on
the time period.
First page from Bradford’s Journal