Colonial Period, 1620-1750
Focus Questions
• How did religion affect the
literature of the Colonial Period?
• What aspects of Puritanism are
visible in contemporary society?
Calvinism: The Legacy of John Calvin
(1509-1564)
Calvin…
• was a French
theologian, pastor,
& social reformer
• is considered the
founder of the
Puritan ethic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg2O0hZ5ChA
Why leave England?
• To purify or separate from the
‘corrupt’ Church of England
• To seek religious freedom
Pilgrims in Holland
Arrival
• The 1 colony was Roanoke, NC in 1585 – became
st
known as the lost colony. White returns in 1590 –
“Croatoan” is marked on a tree.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pFaJnvtOWU
• The 2nd colony was founded at Jamestown, Virginia,
in 1607.
• The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts,
arrived in 1620.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoXHXbgRJvc&list=UUBoEhBRE9fnWKU4M1CBV1EQ&index=13&feature=plcp
Jamestown, Virginia 1607
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpA5O46Ioyk&feature=relmfu
Toon Time
The Colonies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMCXWMvRJc&feature=related
Puritan Beliefs
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the "saints"
Total Depravity
depravity – moral corruption or degradation
• Through Adam and Eve’s fall, every person is
born sinful.
• This is closely linked to original sin.
Unconditional Election
• God saves those he wishes. Only a few are
selected for salvation and not based on
their own merit.
• This is the concept of predestination.
Limited Atonement
• Jesus died for the chosen only, not
for everyone.
Irresistible Grace
grace – the saving & transfiguring power of God
• God’s grace is freely given; it cannot
be earned or denied.
Perseverance of the “Saints”
• Those elected by God have full power to interpret
the will of God & to live uprightly.
• If anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in
his life, he will be going against the will of God
– something impossible in Puritanism.
Summary
Thus, if one is born a slave to sin and spiritually dead--is
TOTALLY DEPRAVED or spiritually unable--then
salvation must ULTIMATELY be a free or
UNCONDITIONAL gift, in no way finally dependent or
contingent on one's actions--back to the "U" or
UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION.
Puritan Beliefs
 Strong work ethic
 Hard day’s work brought joy to a man’s heart
 Bible shunned laziness: “if anyone does not
want to work, let him not eat.”
 Gambling, dancing, etc. not condoned—works
that lead to sin
Daily Life
The Puritans…
• believed that God was working in their daily
lives.
• would “search” their daily lives in order to find
any symbols from God.
• were educated and taught their followers to be
rational thinkers.
• believed in effective business practices.
• feared that humanistic learning would draw
people away from the church.
Puritans in action…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buri1SXh1eU
Funny Page
Puritan Writers
• Wanted to transform a mysterious God –
mysterious because he is separate from the
world
• Wanted to make Him more relevant to the
universe
William Bradford
• In 1620 William Bradford came with a group of
individuals from Europe and formed Plymouth
Plantation.
• In the fall of that year there were 101 men, women,
and children present. By the spring of 1621 there
were only 50 survivors.
Colonial (Puritan) Literature
Types:
• Journals
• Histories
• Sermons
• Poetry
Style:
• plain
• Religious
• Purpose-driven
• Some used metaphorical
language
Themes:
• Idealism – both religious & political
• Practicality
• Sin
• Isolation
• Salvation
Focus Your Reading…
• How did religion affect the
literature of the Colonial Period?
• What aspects of Puritanism are
visible in contemporary society?