Sunday, September 22, 2019
Puritans Paper Essay Example for Free
Puritans Paper Essay Introduction            America has become the world’s superpower for quite a long time since after the Depression Years. It is able to sustain its position then and now depending on anybody’s viewpoint. If the Religious Right, the Evangelicals or Fundamentalists, were to be asked why America is what it is today in the world’s affairs, they’d readily attribute it to the spiritual dimension: the favor of God is with this country since its pioneering days when the early Christians settled here from England. Among the pioneers are now popularly known as the Puritans.            Who they were, how they lived, what their basic or fundamental beliefs were, and how much they played a part to what America or even the world has become, no one could possibly estimate to its closest description. All we know is the heritage which they passed on to this great country. They played a great role in establishing the first free schooling, first formal education, and first American college, Harvard in Cambridge, and the first to write books for children expressing the distinct difference in communicating with this age level (Kizer). These were some of their contributions and they are no small feats if one has to consider their impact to civilization. This paper attempts in prà ©cis to describe the Puritans, peeking into their distinctiveness and their other contributions to the country and the world. Discussion            Puritanism was a movement within the Anglican Church in England during the time of Oliver Cromwell which was in reaction to the growing discontent regarding the religious, moral and societal practices of their day. They were considered dissenters and deemed that those in the leadership were beyond reform, hence, the many that set sail and settled in America during the colonial era. New England had become their home and from there, sprang the shapers of this country’s religious character. This was best attributed to the works of the great American preacher Jonathan Edwards and other leaders like him in what was recognized as the Great Awakening. The Puritans acknowledged only the tenets of the Bible, and only from its pages are the only valid or authentic laws which are to be applied to all aspects of living. It was the Puritans who tore away the established church’s ruling that only those in the clergy have the access to God. They somehow succeeded to remove the rituals and formalities that â€Å"Christianity†in general has accumulated from the early years (Johnson Woloch, â€Å"United States (History)†, 2006).            There are some myths or misinformation carried down the years that form a wrong perception of the Puritans. Firstly, the original/actual English Puritans were not a small group of dissenters, but in fact a big organized people who succeeded in the Parliament of England with Cromwell at the helm. However, this was not for long, the fact that some of them were forced to immigrate to America to escape religious and political persecution. Secondly, stories abounding about witchcraft trials and all that only came later after the hundred plus years that they have already settled and â€Å"multiplied†and successfully built their communities. From 17, 800 in population around 1640s, they grew to 106,000 by 1700. Being exclusive was forefront in their religious stand including the strong spirituality that spilled over their laws in communal living and relations. Nonetheless, their isolation was the main danger that they had posed to themselves. The apostolic church in the New Testament served as their model for way of living and the accountability is both individual and by church congregations wherever they were. They believed in predestination which actually affected their understanding of other aspects of their lives. One of which was what was termed as a strong Protestant work ethic (Kizer, â€Å"Puritans†). Conclusion            Much can be said about the reformation that started in England which was successful in their day and the migration to America that further changed the landscape of what this country has since become after they came. After spirituality that they protected and communicated down their descendants and shaped others who came to their influence, the Puritans’ foremost contribution is the intellectual development and progress that marked America. Religion was the fuel for this intellectual pursuit, and even scientific breakthroughs came about as a result of the Puritans’ emphasis in education. The resulting healthy economy, strong political convictions from the biblical emphasis, and consistent formal learning hallmarked the Puritans and perhaps no other group of people contributed much to the preservation of the American way of life even until today. Works Cited Page Kizer, Kay. â€Å"Puritans.†Accessed August 28, 2007 http://: www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/puritans.html 9k            Johnson, Paul E., and Woloch, Nancy. United States (History). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.
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