NAME: _________________________________________
PERIOD: ______
Historic Pathways to the American Dream:
Puritans
BACKGROUND NOTES
I.
Who are the Puritans?
 Colonists/settlers from Europe who came to America in the 1600s for
_________________________ ________________________
 Religious reformers that __________ __________ withdraw from the Church
of England who intended to _____________________the Church from within
II.
What was the Puritans’ purpose?
 Hoped to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a “city upon a hill,”
a model community guided in all aspects by the ________________________

Their form of government was a _________________________, a state under
the immediate guidance of God
III.
What are the central beliefs of the Puritans?
 Human beings exist for ________________________________________________
 The __________________________ is the sole expression of God’s will
 Man is basically _______________________
 __________________________: God has already decided who will achieve
salvation and who will not
 Continual hard work and ________________________
 Education (for _______________________ purposes)
IV.
Puritan Ideals Today
 Hard work (“Puritan Ethic”)
 Frugality
 Self-________________________
 Self-________________________
 ____________________________
NAME: _________________________________________
V.
PERIOD: ______
How did the Puritans contribute to American literature?
 Wrote theological studies, ____________________, histories, biographies
and autobiographies with the purpose of ____________________insight and
instruction
 Fiction and Drama = _________________________
 Puritans did write ______________________ as a vehicle for spiritual
enlightenment
VI.
Puritan Writing
 The writing style of the Puritans reflected the plain style of their lives –
spare, simple, straightforward = _____________________________________ 
characterized by short words, direct statements, and references to
ordinary, everyday objects
LITERATURE
I.
The New England Primer
1. Is this a primary or secondary source?
Based on what you read…
2. How widespread was reading meant to be?
3. What is the image of God and religion presented by the primer?
II.
“The Trial of Martha Carrier”
1.
Is this a primary or secondary source?
Based on what you read…
1. What are the charges against Martha Carrier?
2. What is the evidence against her?
3. What is the Puritan definition of justice?
NAME: _________________________________________
III.
PERIOD: ______
Homework: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan
Edwards (HM pg. 124)
Find a quotation from the text that best exemplifies each listed aspect of the
Puritan philosophy:
Philosophical Aspect
Quotation
Explanation
Salvation
“Many are daily coming from the east, west, noth and
south; many that were very lately in the same
miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy
state, with their hearts filled with love…in hope of
the glory of God.”
Edwards encourages his congregation to seek salvation by
completely devoting their lives to God. He tells the
people that total submission is the only way to achieve
true happiness and be in God’s good graces, out of His
great wrath.
View of God
Values
View of Man
View of Society