Puritan New England
Religion in America
Refuge in America
◦ Protestantism
in danger?
◦ 30 Years’ War,
1618-1648
◦ La Rochelle,
France
◦ Charles I and
Laud
◦ Going to
America
◦ Prophesied in
Revelation
◦ The Great
Migration: 1630-1642
◦ 15-20,000
immigrants
The “Bible Commonwealth”
◦ An ideal
Christian society like Geneva
◦ The “City on a
Hill”
◦ Bible as basis
for law and morality
◦ Covenants
◦ Town covenants
◦ Covenant as a
people
◦ Consensus
◦ An equitable,
sustainable society
Congregationalism
◦ Congregational
polity
◦ Church
membership & conversion, 1636
◦ Church
membership & franchise & public office
◦ No “human
inventions”
◦ Printing
press: Bay Psalm Book, 1640
◦ Harvard
College, 1636
Puritan Life
◦ Family based;
no living alone
◦ A “little
commonwealth”
◦ Father rules
the household
◦ Suppressing
children’s wills
◦ Moderate
enjoyment of life
◦ The work
ethic: useful, productive, sober, industrious
◦ Controlling
dissent, establishing authority
◦ Roger Williams
◦ Anne
Hutchinson and the antinomian controversy
Puritans and Indians
◦ Indians
◦ “Come over and
help us”?
◦ Minions of
Satan?
◦ The Pequot
War, 1636
◦ Exterminating
a “proud” and “haughty” tribe
◦ John Eliot
& Praying Towns, 1649
◦ Never
completely accepted