Early English-American Groups
I. Puritans and Pilgrims (Bradford, Winthrop and Mather in 1600s; Jonathan Edwards in 1700s)
A. Pilgrims: Totally separated from the Anglican Church (the government-established, Protestant Church of England); generally poorer than Puritans.
1. started in Yorkshire, England
2. went to Holland
3. sailed Mayflower to Plymouth (William Bradford)
B. Puritans: Calvinists who wished to reform the Anglican Church from within; followed the Pilgrims to New England and established Massachusetts Bay Colony
C. All came to New World to establish a theocracy – acolony with laws based on their religious beliefs
D. Calvinist Tenets – the basic religious beliefs of the Pilgrims/Puritans
1. Absolute sovereignty of God: God is all-powerful and controls everything
2. Predestination: an omniscient Deity knows from the beginning who will be “saved” – have eternal life in heaven
3. Providence: God intervenes directly in the world
4. Natural Depravity: Since Adam’s fall, all humans are born in sin and deserve damnation
5. Election: Through God’s mercy, a few people are “saved,” but by the grace of God alone and not through their own behavior or works. One hoped one was one of the “Elect” (the term for those who were saved), and one lived the life of a saved person, constantly searching one’s soul for signs of “grace”; but there was really nothing one could do to change God’s plan for one’s immortal soul. (Note: This most extreme of Puritan/Calvinist doctrines was dropped by the early 1700s and was not a part of Edwards’ theology or of other later Calvinists.)
6. Evil is inner: Man needs reform of himself, rather than of institutions (such as schools, prisons, government, etc.)
7. God is revealed in the Bible (and nowhere else, such as in nature)
II. Southern Settlers: Explorers / Planters / Aristocrats
A. Settled in the South (not New England); came to make profit from the land
B. Believed that man had to use his abilities on earth in order to live up to his position in life (these men were generally wealthy and well-educated)
C. Believed in an omnipotent God, but one who had given the Southern aristocrats their favored position in life
D. Later Southern planters supported the arts and sciences, tried to advance society because it was their duty as gentlemen to create a “civilized” nation
E. Often expressed condescending attitude towards poorer Southern white settlers, such as those who originally came over as indentured servants
F. Remained Anglican Church (Church of England) members; religion more of a custom and formality than a way of life, although they were not above trying to convert people they considered “heathens”
G. Often related to or descendants of those Englishmen who had opposed the Puritans/Pilgrims in England