Protestant Reformation
John Calvin
Puritans
King James I
Pilgrims
Captain Myles Standish
Pilgrims (cont.)
Mayflower Compact
(pilgrim life)
William Bradford
Non-Conformists
Chapters 3
religious reform that spread across Europe for more than a century, begun by Martin Luther
from Geneva; elaborated Luther’s ideas in ways that profoundly affected thought and character of generations of Americans; Calvinism became dominant belief to New England Puritans, Scottish Presbyterians, French Huguenots, and the Dutch Reformed church; 1536 published Institutes of the Christian Religion; believed God was all-powerful & all-good, also all-knowing (knew who would go to hell or heaven); the elect would go to heaven and live in happiness; belief called predestination; no one could lead bad life because couldn’t be sure of salvation; people constantly sought signs of “conversion”- an intense, identifiable personal experience in which God revealed to the elect their heavenly destiny; would then be expected to lead holy life showing they’re among the visible saints
English religious reformers who wanted to undertake a total purification of English Christianity after King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic church in 1530s, although he might have agreed to keep some Catholic traditions; grew increasingly unhappy with snail-like progress of Protestant Reformation, wanted to see Church of England completely de-Catholicized; all believed only visible saints should be admitted church membership, Church of England admitted all, angered group called Separatists who wanted to break entirely from the Church of England
Scotsman who headed state and church in England 1603-1625; feared those who defied him as spiritual leader may defy him as political leader, threatened to harass Separatists out of the land
Plymouth Colony
most famous group of Separatists that departed for Holland 1608 to escape king; stayed 12 years, distressed by “Dutchification” of their children; wanted haven where could live as English and purified Protestants, logical choice was America, regardless of terrifying tales of Jamestown
group of the above group negotiated with Virginia Company, secured rights to settle under its jurisdiction; crowded Mayflower, sixty-five days at sea, 102 passengers, “GOT LOST”, arrived 1620, one had died and one was born and named Oceanus (still 102), fewer than half were Separatists
non-Separatist on Mayflower, “peppery and stocky soldier of fortune”, called “Captain Shrimp” by critics; became vital as Native American fighter and negotiator
were lost, took survey of lands, finally chose Plymouth Bay- outside domain of Virginia Company; meant Pilgrims were squatters- without legal right to the land, without specific authority to establish a government
drawn up by pilgrims before departure; set invaluable precedent for later constitutions; was not a constitution; simple agreement to form a crude government and to submit to the will of the majority under regulations agreed upon; signed by 41 adult males (11 had rank of “mister”, not signed by servants and two seamen); was promising step toward genuine self-government; adult male settlers soon met to make own laws in open-discussion town meetings
winter 1620-1621 was disastrous, 44 out of the 102 survived, only 7 well enough to bury dead at one point;
Mayflower set back to England spring 1621, none of Separatists left, believed they were part of “the elect”
autumn 1621 brought bountiful harvest, first Thanksgiving Day; eventually relied economically on fur, fish, and lumber; relied on beaver for food, Bible for soul
colony never important economically or numerically; only had 7,000 in 1691 when it was still charterless and merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony
a leader of the Pilgrims, self-taught scholar who read many languages including Hebrew; was chosen governor 30 times in annual elections; feared independent non-Puritan settlers would corrupt his godly experiment; wrote Of Plymouth Plantation
Massachusetts Bay Colony
sought to reform the Church of England from within; slowly sought support, though hated by bishops and monarchs; 1629 secured royal charter to form the Massachusetts Bay Colony after Charles I dismissed Parliament and allowed anti-Puritan persecutions by Archbishop William Laud; established colony with Boston as capital; used charter as kind of constitution out of royal reach, denied they wanted to separate from Church of England, only from impurities; expedition of 1630 had 11 vessels and nearly 1,000 immigrants, started colony at greater scale than any other English settlement
great Puritan Migration
John Winthrop
franchise
Congregational church
General Court
“Bible Commonwealth”
John Cotton
doctrine of a calling
Protestant ethic
(conduct)
Michael Wiggleworth’s “Day of Doom” (1662)
Quakers
Anne Hutchinson
Roger Williams
Roger Williams
Rhode Island
1630s when continuing turmoil in England brought waves of people to New World; about 75,000 left England, not all Puritans, only about 14,000 came to Massachusetts, many went to West Indies
Massachusetts’s first governor; successful attorney and manor lord of England; accepted offer to become governor, believing he had a calling from God; helped Massachusetts prosper in fur trading, fishing, ship building; led colony to become biggest and most influential of the New England outposts; bay colonists believed they had a covenant with God- agreement to build a holy society as a model for humankind; distrusted commoners and called democracy the “meanest and worst” form of government; “If the people be governors, who shall be governed?”
Life
the legal right to vote that was given to all freemen- adult males who belonged to the Puritan congregation (see below), must be “visible saints”; was not extended to women or unchurched men; was given to 2/5 of adult males (far larger than England); extended more in town governments, male property holders and some others publicly discussed issues and voted by majority-rule; was still not a democracy
term that in time came to refer collectively to Puritan congregations
a representative assembly elected by the freemen, who also elected the governor and his assistants
refers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony; church members must be “visible saints”, purpose of government was to enforce God’s laws according to the covenant; nonbelievers and believers paid taxes to the government-supported church; conducted public interrogations of people claiming to have experienced conversion; in a way had separation of church and state, had seen “political” Anglican clergy in England, now had power of preachers limited and barred clergymen from political office
prominent member of the early clergy of Massachusetts; educated at England’s Cambridge University (Puritan stronghold); emigrated to Massachusetts to escape persecution for his criticism of Church of England; devoted himself to defending government’s duty to enforce religious rules; sometimes prayed and preached up to 6 hours a day
Puritan belief that they are responsible to do God’s work on earth
belief shared by Puritans which involved serious commitment to work and to engagement in worldly pursuits
Puritans enjoyed simple pleasures: ate plentifully, drank heartily, sang songs occasionally, made love; passed laws to keep pleasures simply and to repress certain human instincts (ex. kissing in public); Connecticut came to be called “the Blue Law State” (printed repressive laws called “sumptuary” laws on blue paper
immensely popular poem in New England, sold 1 copy per 20 people; described fate of the damned
Trouble
scorned the authority of the Puritan clergy; were persecuted with fines, beatings, banishment; in one case, 4 Quakers who defied expulsion, one a woman, were hanged on the Boston Common
an exceptionally intelligent, strong-willed, talkative woman, mother of 14 children, sharply challenged Puritan orthodoxy; carried doctrine of predestination to an extreme to form antinomianism- claims that ‘a holy life was no sure sign of salvation and the truly saved need not bother to obey the law of either God or man’, was considered high heresy; was brought to trial 1638, deceived her clerical inquisitors, eventually boasted she had come by her beliefs through a direct revelation from God (higher heresy); was banished before she pollutes the Puritan experiment; went to Rhode Island on foot and pregnant; moved to New York and was killed by Indians
popular Salem minister and young man with radical ideas and an unrestrained tongue; extreme Separatist who urged his fellow clergymen to make a clean break with the Church of England; challenged legality of the Bay Colony’s charter and condemned it for taking Native American land without fair compensation; denied the authority of civil government to regulate religious behavior; 1635 was found guilty of spreading new and dangerous opinions, ordered banished, permitted to stay several more months because of illness, plan to be exiled to England was foiled, formed Rhode Island colony
Rhode Island
1636 fled Massachusetts with aid of Indians; established first Baptist church in America at Providence;
had complete freedom of religion (Jews, Catholics too), demanded no oaths regarding religious beliefs, no compulsory attendance at worship, no taxes to support a state church, sheltered abused Quakers; had simple
Connecticut
Fundamental Orders
New Haven
Maine
New Hampshire
(early native – Puritan relations)
Wampanoag Indians
Squanto
Massasoit
Pequot War
“praying towns”
King Philip’s War
New England Confederation
manhood suffrage at start (later property requirement), opposed special privilege and achieved remarkable freedom of opportunity; inhabitants soon settled other scattered settlements, were usually different except for all being banished, many left because of religious policies of the bay colony; many including Anne Hutchinson settled in “Rogues’ Island”; were known as “the sewer” because planted by dissenters and exiles; began as squatter colony, finally established charter 1644
New England Spreads Out
English and Dutch settled valley of Connecticut River, one of the few highly fertile lands in New England; Hartford founded 1635; 1636 saw beginning of long move westward as group of Boston Puritans under Reverend Thomas Hooker entered Hartford
document written by settlers of new Connecticut River colony 1639, was a modern constitution, established a regime democratically controlled by “substantial” citizens; features were later borrowed by Connecticut for its colonial charter and ultimately its state constitution
place where 1638 another flourishing Connecticut settlement began to spring up; prosperous community founded by Puritans who desired an even stronger church-state alliance than Massachusetts; established by squatters with no charter, dreamed of making New Haven a flourishing seaport; sheltered two judges who condemned Charles I to death, fell into disfavor with his son, Charles II, who 1662 merged New Haven with Connecticut
land of lakes and forests where fishermen and fur traders were active on coast of Maine for a dozen or so years before founding of Plymouth Colony; 1623 Sir Ferdinando Gorges unsuccessfully attempts to colonize Maine; 1677 absorbed into Massachusetts after formal purchase from Gorges heirs; remained part of Massachusetts for nearly 150 years before becoming a separate state
granite-ribbed land that sprang (between Maine and Massachusetts) from fishing and trading along coast; absorbed 1641 by Massachusetts under strained interpretation of Massachusetts charter; Charles II was annoyed by this selfishness, separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts 1679, made it a royal colony
Puritans Versus Native Americans
pre-1620 (arrival of Pilgrims) epidemic triggered by contact with English fishermen kills over ¾ of coastal natives; Pilgrims encountered deserted Indian fields, skulls and bones, and Indians ready for attack
realized they’re in on condition to fight pilgrims, befriended them instead; tribe of Squanto; had Massasoit as chieftain; helped Pilgrims celebrate first Thanksgiving
Wampanoag Indian who facilitated cultural accommodation with pilgrims
Wampanoag Indian who signed a treaty with Plymouth Pilgrims 1621 and helped celebrate first Thanksgiving
began as more English arrived and pushed into Connecticut River valley; 1637 English settlers vs. powerful Pequot tribe; Pequot village on Connecticut’s Mystic River was besieged with help of Narragansett Indians, fleeing survivors shot; results: powerful Pequot tribe no longer powerful and virtually annihilated, 40 years of uneasy peace
Puritan places where mere handfuls of Indians were gathered and exposed to English God and culture; Puritans made only some efforts of converting Indians, never as much as Catholic Spanish or French
1675 led by Massasoit’s son, Metacom (called King Philip by English), who created pan-Indian alliance and led series of coordinated assaults on English villages in New England; results 1676: 52 Puritan towns attacked, 12 destroyed entirely, 100s of colonists & many more Indians dead, Metacom captured beheaded drawn and quartered head carried on pike back to Plymouth and displayed for years, Metacom’s wife and son sold into slavery, slowed westward march of English for several decades, inflicted lasting defeat on Indians, were never again serious threat
Colonial Unity and Independence
1643 band of 4 colonies; primary purpose: defense against foes or potential foes (Indians, French, Dutch mostly); also dealt with intercolonial problems (runaway servants/criminals who traveled across colonies); each colony had 2 votes, displeased most populous Massachusetts Bay; Puritan club with 1.) Bay Colony (Massachusetts), 2.) Plymouth (Massachusetts), 3.) New Haven (Connecticut), 4.) scattered Connecticut settlements; first milestone toward colonial unity
Charles II
Dominion of New England
Navigation Laws
Sir Edmund Andros
Glorious Revolution
First American Revolution
(Dutch affairs)
Dutch East India Company
Henry Hudson
Dutch West India Company
New Netherlands
patroonships
New Amsterdam
Wall Street
(hate for Dutch)
took English throne 1660, Puritans lost hope of purifying old church; was determined to aggressively manage colonies, which were nearly virtually independent before; saw defiance in Massachusetts, punished them by: 1662 giving squatter rival Connecticut a charter, 1663 rival Rhode Island receives charter, 1684 London authorities revoke Massachusetts charter
First American Revolution
further punished Massachusetts; created by royal authority and was imposed from London; contained all of New England, and later included New York and East/West Jersey; aimed at 1.) bolstering colonial defense for wars with Indians, 2.) promoting efficiency of English Navigation Laws; was headed by Sir Edmund Andros
required that America trades only with countries under English crown; reflected intensifying colonial rivalries of 1600s; meant to stitch overseas possessions closer to motherland; resulted in smuggling
able English military man who was head of the Dominion of New England; tied with Church of England, nevertheless established headquarters at lived in Puritan Boston; curbed town meetings, restricted courts, press, schools, revoked land titles, taxed people without consent, enforced unpopular Navigation Laws and suppressed smuggling; colonists hated noisy profane soldiers
1688-1689 “Bloodless” Revolution overthrew despotic/unpopular Catholic James II and replaced with Protestant/Dutch William III and his wife Mary, daughter of James II
started when Americans heard of the Glorious Revolution, collapsed the Dominion of New England ‘like a house of cards’; Boston mob rose against regime, Andros tries to flee in woman’s clothing, caught and shipped to England; results: Massachusetts becomes royal colony and loses charter (staggering blow to proud Puritans, who never recovered), suffrage given to all qualified male property holders (not just church members), more incompetent, corrupt English officials appointed by Old England staffed American courts, who prevented local government
Old Netherlands and New Netherlands
late 1500s Netherlands wins independence from Catholic Spain with aid of Protestant England; 1600s was golden age for Dutch, major commercial/naval power; challenged former ally, England, in 3 great Anglo-Dutch naval wars, huge blows on each side
virtual state within a state that gave the Dutch Republic enormous and profitable empire in East Indies; had at one point 100,000 men and fleet of 190 ships; deployed Henry Hudson
English explorer deployed by the Dutch East India Company; disregarded orders to sail northeast, instead went 1609 to ascend Hudson River hoping he sailed the shortcut through the continent, instead ended up claiming land for Dutch
much less powerful than Dutch East India Company; maintained profitable enterprises in the Caribbean’; occasionally more interested in raiding than trading, 1628 captured fleet of Spanish treasure worth $15 million; established outposts in Africa, flourishing sugar industry in Brazil; established New Netherlands; bought Manhattan Island from Indians for worthless trinkets, 22,000 acres of most valuable land today
established by the Dutch West India Company 1623-1624 (claimed by Hudson employed by Dutch East India Company) along Hudson River area; was strongly aristocratic for generations; had patroonships; had incompetent director-generals, company shareholders who demanded their dividends at expense of company’s welfare
vast feudal estates fronting the Hudson River that were granted to promoters who would settle fifty people on them, one in Albany was slightly larger than later state of Rhode Island
later became New York; run for Dutch West India Company and investors, who didn’t care for religious toleration, free speech, democratic practices, religious dissenters opposed to Dutch Reform church, Quakers; had very diverse population with different immigrants
Dutch Unrest and Friction with Neighbors
name derived from a Manhattan wall created to defend from Indians angry at Dutch cruelties
Connecticut ejected intruding Hollanders from Connecticut river valley; 3 of 4 members of New England Confederation voted to wipe out New Netherlands with force, Massachusetts (most powerful) vetoed
New Sweden
Peter Stuyvesant
English New Netherlands
Duke of York
(Dutch influence)