Life as a Puritan
Puritan History
• The history of Puritans began in England during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
• The word Puritan comes from the terms “purity” or
“pure.” It became a word in 1564.
• England broke away from Rome, the centre of
Christianity, but the break was not total. The
Church simply changed Rome’s wording to match
their beliefs.
Puritan History
• After this break, The Church of England
enforced several new policies:
(1) The Queen/King of England would
replace the Pope as Head of the Church.
This was simply a change in religious
figurehead.
Puritan History
(2) Everyone had to go to church on Sundays and
Holy days or they would be fined as much as one
week’s salary.
• This rule carried over to the New World and
extended to include poor behaviour and
unacceptable activities like dancing.
Puritan History
(3) Every pastor must preach from the Book
of Homilies.
• The Book of Homilies modeled the
“correct theological exposition” for
Anglican Clergy and did not support the
Sabbath rest.
Puritan History
(4) The Church of England retained Religious garb with
the Roman Catholic Church.
• The Puritans were against these implementations,
although they did retain some in the New World.
• They became Separatists and separated to form their
own beliefs.
• Without freedom as they saw it, the left England and
went to Holland, and eventually the future USA.
• The first group came with the Pilgrims.
Puritan History
• Yale and Harvard were founded by the Puritans
but they have since lost that link to Puritan faith.
• The Puritans had disagreements among themselves,
especially about the church government.
• These disagreements eventually lead to difficulties
in the communities. Break away groups started
doing their own things and pursuing different
beliefs.
Puritan Beliefs
• The Puritans believed in order, with God
being the supreme ruler.
• They believed the poor did not believe in
God—hence the poor being poor.
• While God is powerful, men and women are
weak and full of sin.
• They believed the Bible to be real and
historically accurate.
Puritan Beliefs
• They believed in Predestination--God
predetermines all events. He knows who will
go to heaven and who will go to hell.
• That means that whatever you did in your life
did not affect whether or not you got into
Heaven. That decision was made long
before you were born.
Puritan Beliefs
• They valued education. They thought schools
were needed to oppose Satan.
• Hard work was a religious duty.
• Because Eve was the first to sin, women were
considered weaker than men.
How They Dressed
• You were not
supposed to dress
beyond your income.
• Women wore darkcolored, plain dresses
with simple white caps.
• Women with money
could afford fancier,
more colourful
clothing.
How They Dressed
• Men had their hair
cut short and wore
stiff, high hats. They
wore doublets,
jerkins, and darkcolored breeches.
• Both the men and
the women wore white
collars.
Puritan Entertainment
• Puritans were very strict. Their entertainment
reflects that characteristic.
• Puritans enjoyed prayer, reading from the
Bible, and the occasional execution.
• Barn raising, agricultural events, Church, and
anything else that contributed to daily life
provided ample opportunity for socializing.
• Puritans did not believe in dancing, parties, or
any other physical entertainment that may lead
to the Devil.
Witchcraft
• Every evil deed was done with or by the devil.
• In 1688, a laundry woman was accused of
“bewitching” by four young girls. They claimed evil
things were happening for attention.
• To keep the lies a secret, the girls lapsed into
convulsions and claimed other difficult to disprove
things—visions, sensations, etc.
Witchcraft
• By 1690, fifty people were in prison, two hundred
in jail, and twenty executed, including 2 dogs.
• Our own Mr. Dummer’s great, great, great, great,
great grandmother was Mary Warren, an accused
witch that barely escaped death.