The paper is expected to be between 5-7 pages. I'm in the process of brainstorming for it. The instructor gave me a set of questions to answer the essay question.
This is the essay question.
Why did the Puritans come to Massachusetts during the 1630s? Between 1630 and 1700 what conflicts did their beliefs create? Did their experiences in the New World cause the Puritans of 1700 to think at all differently than had their grandparents in the 1630s?
The following are my answers/outline on how I would coordinate my paper. For now, I wanted to ask, with the content I have available and quotes, where can I improve a lot on?
1. What were the Puritans' religious beliefs, why could they no longer feel safe in England?
"Their intention was to establish communities of pure Chrisitinas who colletively swore a convenant with God." p. 65
-The Puritans' religious beliefs was that one should purify themselves to get closer to going to heaven, even though they know god has already predestined, however, by purifying themselves and trying to devote themselves trying to understand god more, they are at least considered having a chance being one of the few that is going to heaven. Which is best said in p. 63 The American People "they wanted to be left alone to realize their radical vision of a pure and primitive life..." To better explain the complex beliefs we get into the 3 covenants. 1. The Covenant of Works: This traces back to Adam and Eve, which the two ate from the tree of knowledge. god promised adam/eve and all their desedants eternal life if they obeyed his law, and adam and eve agreed. humanity thus responsible for earning salvation via works (do and act) . thus after this, god totally justified in condemning all humanity to eternal damnation from that point on. p.140 " The second, is the Covenant of Grace which breaks down into two parts. The first mentions how god is totally just, but also totally merciful. The second part mentions how it's only a selected group, and they're the elected. There is no way to know who he selects, however doing things which involves intellectual faith. p. 136 of story of john - "'covenant of grace.' If God predesined him to salvation, God would endow him with faith and fulfill the covenatn. But the doctrine could be appliedin a variety of ways..." Learning more and have spiritual, emotional, moving faith, total devotion to God, church state would help increase the chances. The next is the social covenant, which is individual church congregation enter into own covenant with each other and govern themselves. They can't separate themselves.
(I don't clearly know the other 3 covenants, so if someone could explain it better than I can, please do). Again and again god is merciful, thus the basic idea is to "TRY" and make the church as cleanse and purified as the invisible one.
2. How did their beliefs influence the colony they built?
It influenced the colony they built because most, if not all, of the people that resided in the colony are puritans. Because of the role of their religion, this enforced them to live a certain way which helps them achieve their main goal in life which is become one of the chosen ones by god.
3. For example, why were there conflicts with the Separatists? Why were there from the beginning tensions between piety and prosperity?
There are conflicts with the separatists because of the different beliefs. The separatists tried to separate themselves from the churches in England. This however, becomes a a conflict within the Puritans beliefs in which interferes with the Social Covenant. Which says one can't detach itself from the world and ... like p. 6 says in Johns story " Puritanism meant many things. But to young John Winthrop it principally meant the problems of living in this world without taking his mind off God. It would have been easier to withdraw from the world, as the monks and hermits did, to devote oneself wholly to God but that is not permitted. Puritans must live in the world, not leave it. "This is why there is conflict. Another conflict was between the piety and propriety because the ones who devoted to religion did not care for the better things in life. However, there were
4. Why did belief in the calling create conflict with the Pequots in 1637?
The belief was p. 67 "pruitans believed that god would blame them for not civilizing and Christianizing the natives and would punish them with his wrath, so they tried to make the 'savages' of N E strictly accountable to their ordinances." It worked well with the small group of Indian, however, the larger tribes such as the Pequots required a bloody war that killed many.
5. Why did Puritan beliefs cause conflict between the first and second generations -why was the second generation so frightened by the Cambridge Platform in 1648? Why did the first generation pass it?
The Puritans beliefs caused conflict between the first and second generations because as the second generation began to marry and have kids, they married off into non church members, which then causes the tension between the devoted puritans and ones who aren't as religious. With the Cambridge Platform in 1648 saying that if one of the parent is not a puritan, they cannot go to church.
6. How was the notion of testing conversion narratives connected to conflict between the first and second generations?
According to Shea, "New England Puritans regularly stipulated a qualification for church membership . . . . Beyond the usual confession of faith, the applicant was required to give a satisfactory narrative of his experience of grace. these narratives hardly deserve to be considered autobiography . . . [subjects are reduced to] testifying that their experiences follow a certain pattern of feeling and behavior." The thematic pattern of the conversion narrative was to draw a distinction between easy self-righteousness and the new birth of saving grace...
In cases such as the testing conversion narratives, the second generation, questioned the first, for what gave them the right to not allowing them to be apart of the church. They didn't like the idea that being tested and having to confess and recap their experience with of grace is the right method.
7. How did the second generation manage to end this conflict with the Halfway Covenant of 1662?
Because on p. 118-119 "2/3 of the colonist went to no church at all, partly because in many areas, ministers and churches were simply unavailable." ... therefore "as easrly as the 1660s New Engaln's Congregational clery had adopted the Hlaf-Way Covenant in order to comabt religiouis indifference. It allowed children of church members, if they adered to the 'forms of godliness,' to join the church even if they could not demonstrate that they had undergone a conversion experience.
Eventually when the second generation died off, they then passed the Halfway Covenant of 1662 allowing them to join the church as long as they want to join with less rules. Your status is not independent from your past.
8. Why in the 1670s did conflict with the Indians return?
In 1670s the conflict returned with the Wamponoag, one of the largest tribe at the time. It is believed to begin when Metacomet faced humiliating challenges one after another for example when Plymouth forced him to surrender a large stock of guns and aaccept his people's subjection to English law. Later, the feud flared when the tribe executed 3 Wampanoag for killing John Sassamon. p. 71 The Amer.
9. Why were the 1680s such tense and anxious years?
The 1680's such intense years because not only was Charles killing and driving people out p. 63 "...when Charles I succeeded to the throne in monarch had alwaysbeen testy, but when Charles I suceeded to the thron in 1625, the situation worsened...he harrassed the Puritans, removing dozens of Puritans ministers from their pulpits and threatengin many others.." The Indians were winning the war, and people were dieing and thus this caused the Indians to believe that god was mad at them causing them to be worried and fearful.
10. Why did Salem happen -how did it reflect general tensions in the colony and conflicts unique to Salem?
p.87 and 89 "Many ffactors contributedto the hysteria. Amogn them were generational differences between older Purtians colonist and the sometimes less rleligiousy motivated younger generation, old family animosities, population growth and pressures on the avialable farmland, and tension betweenagricultural Salem Village and the nearby commercial center called Salem Town. A new Indian war..."
11. By 1700 were Puritans as confident that their beliefs would provide a useful guide to the future as their grandparents had been in the 1630s?
No...\p. 97 "These 3rd generation Mass. Purtains understoof that God was angry wth them as leaders of a people whose piety was giving way to worldliness. Mass. was becoming sermon-proof"
p.118 .. fading faith..with the Half way Convenant "It allowed childsren of church members, if they adhered to the 'forms of godliness,' to join the church evei if they could not demonstrate that they had undergone a conversion expeirence. They ould not ,however, vote in church affairs or take communion. Such compromises and innovations could not half thecreeping religios apathy that many ministers observed. An educated clergy, its... p. 119
