The Beginnings of the American Tradition

The Beginnings of the American Tradition

1492 -- 1550	Europeans explored the New World looking for all sorts of things to improve their life at home in the Old World. (A faster trade route to the Orient, cures for diseases, rivers of gold, fountains of youth, etc.) Relationships with the Native Americans was o.k. -- for the most part -- since the Europeans were not there to stay.
1550 -- 1620	Interest shifted from exploration to settlement (food was plentiful, poor people can own land, be free, etc.) Relationships with the Native Americans began to deteriorate.
1620 --	100 or so Puritans settle in Plymouth, Massachusetts fleeing the Old World to avoid harassment and persecution. Their influence changed America and its people to what they are today.

Three Beliefs that Shaped the Puritan Writing Style

They wanted to experience "grace", a cleansing of the soul. No amount of praying or Bible reading can give you grace. Grace is given to a person from God -- a rebirth. This encouraged people to examine their lives and the events of their day to find grace or signs of acceptance from God. People wanted to read stories about how others experienced grace or got through hard times to help themselves.

They valued "plainness" They wanted to return Christianity to the simplest forms. The Word of God was all that was important and this was reflected in every way they lived their lives. They dressed in only black and white, covered their hair, had no pictures on the walls of their homes. Their windows were higher to provide sunlight to read the bible, but not to view nature. They had simple homes and churches and did not want to stand out from the crowd or else they would be committing the worst sin: vanity! This is reflected in American tastes today in the simple t-shirt and blue jeans, the plain language we admire in others, how most of us want to be like, dress like, and talk like our peers rather than stand out and be different.

They believed in the ideas of predestination and "Divine Mission." They felt that they were put on this earth at this time in history by God for a purpose. They were to start a New Jeresalem ("Salem") and preach the word of God to everyone and spread that word from sea to shining sea. This idea of predestination is seen in America's foreign policy and commercial mission. Americans still feel that their government and lifestyle is the best and will enter other countries trying to force them to live our way of life.

Puritans wrote about their lives and their struggles in diaries and "spiritual autobiographies"

EXAMPLE: Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana in 1702 (The Great Works of Christ in America) and in William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation not published until 200 years after his death.

Puritans also wrote a lot of poetry: Anne Bradstreet (her poems were first published without her knowledge), Edward Taylor, and Michael Wigglesworth (his "The Day of Doom" in 1662 was so popular it was owned by one third of the population -- roughly 100 million copies in today's market!)

Puritanism as a way of life lasted only a century in America. Cities, new people, leaders dying all contributed to the demise of Puritanism.

In the 1740's there was a brief "Great Awakening", but it was short-lived. The main man in the Great Awakening was a preacher by the name of Jonathan Edwards.

Have Questions Or Comments? Email Jay Edwards

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