Puritan Lifestyle in the Colonies

Nicole K, Karla A, Ella B, Giuse N

Puritan Families Puritans had large families.Unlike the Jamestown

colony, there were many women and children in the Mississippi Bay Colony.

They lived about ten years longer than Europeans, and were some of the first people to have grandparents.

Puritan Families (cont)Families were

extremely close.Puritan parents had a

religious obligation to repress their children’s willfulness and teach them to obey God.

The most important job of a parent is to lead their child to God.

Work Ethic● Referring to the diligent work of

puritans work to please god as well as a form of worship

● Living with godly principle and effectiveness

● Many puritans believed in predestination, that one is predestined to heaven

● Believed in a god-centered life, doctrine of calling/vocation, and that life is god’s

● Worked hard to prove “fruitful”/worthy of god to be saved/reach enlightenment

● Work was viewed as a natural part of life,enjoyable, and something that pleased god

● general calling is the same for everyone and consists of a call to conversion and godliness

● particular calling consists of the specific tasks and occupations that God places before a person in the course of daily living.

Richard Baxter's A Christian Directory● Idleness is a robbing God, who is the Lord

of us and all our faculties.● Remember that riches do make it much

harder for a man to be saved.● The devil suiteth his temptations to men's

daily work and business.

Puritan clothing Colonial clothing reflected the religion and

beliefs of the Puritans. Puritans believed in total simplicity, that

everything should be plain.The Puritan style was totally different from

what was favored by other people who lived in England.

The colonial clothing worn by Puritan men and women reflected their belief in austerity.

Puritan clothing (cont)Puritans were strongly opposed to sensual

pleasures and were strong advocates of propriety, modesty, and decorum. the Puritan clothing reflected all those beliefs.

What colors and type of clothing individuals were allowed to own and wear- was and easy and immediate way to identify rank and privilege.

The Puritans views on wearing the simple Puritan clothing was enforced by law in the American colonies; therefore, dictating the styles of colonial clothing.

Another important aspect of Puritan life for males were town hall meetings, where new laws could be discussed and put into practice. This was a precursor to the local democratic governments seen in the upcoming US.

Important distinction that only those who were property owning or influential could vote by inclusion.

“Democracy” and Congregations

The story of the pilgrims mentionsThanksgiving, leading an awkwardpeace from 1621.

In subsequent years, the Puritan’s earthly desires for expansion lead to open hostility with other local tribes. The eradication of several tribes follow in the Pequot War. (Think New Zealand, in a space like Connecticut.)

There were some efforts to convert Natives to Puritanism, but never a significant amount.

Hostility with Natives

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HAVRAN, M. J. "Puritans." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 836-840. U.S. History in Context. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.

Kercsmar, Joshua Abram. "Under Household Government: Sex and Family in Puritan Massachusetts."The Historian 77.1 (2015): 132+. U.S. History in Context. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.

Ryken, Leland. "The original Puritan work ethic: by valuing all of life in relation to God, Puritans gave sacred significance to every activity." Christian History and Biography 89 (2006): 32+. General OneFile. Web. 3 Sept. 2015.http://study.com/academy/lesson/puritan-work-ethic-definition-lesson-quiz.html

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/arthurmillercrucible-090829112032-phpapp02/95/arthur-miller-the-crucible-36-728.jpg?cb=1251555358https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d9/68/a2/d968a2334129fffd4a9c5f5089966fb6.jpg(The Almighty APUSH Book)

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