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A. Colonial and Revolutionary America 2. the Founding and Early

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A. Colonial and Revolutionary America 2. the Founding and Early A. Colonial and Revolutionary America 2. The Founding and Early Years of England’s Northern Colonies to 1700 i. Purpose : In contrast to the formation of the Southern settlements, students will be exposed to the religious beginnings of the New England colonies. To ensure better understanding, the Reformation in England will be outlined, as well as Protestantism in general, and Calvinism in particular. Students will learn how Puritan society functioned and how its adherents reacted when they perceived it under threat, both from “heretical” fellow settlers and from “savage” Indians. ii. Background Websites : 1. http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/winthrop.htm 2. http://pilgrims.net/plymouth/history/ iii. Key Terms : 1. The English Reformation 2. The Massachusetts Bay Company 3. The Pequot War 4. The Salem Witch Trials 5. King Philip’s War iv. Key Concepts : 1. In which ways did the “character” of the northern colonies differ from those to the south? 2. What does the phrase “City on a Hill” mean? Where did it come from? Who said it? What did it mean? What were its implications for the European settlers in New England? 3. Were the Puritans a model of Christian charity in the “New” World? v. Documents: 1. Thomas Morton, Description of the Indians in New England: http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/08-mor.html 2. The Examination of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson at the Court at Newton: http://personal.pitnet.net/primarysources/hutchinson.html 3. Edward Randolph's Description of King Philip's War (1676): http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/45-ran.html 2 I. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Protestant Revolution God preordained, for his Reason is the greatest own glory and the enemy that faith has; it display of His attributes never comes to the aid of of mercy and justice, a spiritual things, but - part of the human race, more frequently than not without any merit of their - struggles against the own, to eternal salvation, divine Word, treating and another part, in just with contempt all that punishment of their sin, emanates from God. to eternal damnation. Martin Luther (1483-1546) John Calvin (1509-1594) i. Luther The origins of Puritanism trace back to the English Reformation in the 16 th century In 1500, the church in England, like all the other churches in Western Europe, owed allegiance to the Pope in Rome. It was a unified, universal church…however, things were about to change! Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church in protest at certain doctrines in approximately 1520. He believed in the maxims, sola fide , sola scriptura , and the priesthood of all believers. His ideas found quite a following throughout Europe, and by the turn of the 17 th century a number of Protestant religious groups were established ii. Calvin John Calvin took Luther’s ideas and built on them in terms of his agreeing with Luther's criticisms of the Roman church, and with most of Luther's fundamental religious ideas, such as justification by faith and not by works. (Augustinianism) But unlike Luther whose influence was limited mainly to Germany and Scandinavia, Calvin's doctrines would become much more widespread even to America today. John Calvin and his brand of Protestantism can be seen to this day. Calvinism had many profound social implications—in particular, that thrift, industry, and hard work are forms of moral virtue and that business success is an evidence of God's grace. These views created a climate favorable to commerce, Calvinism played a role in the establishment of capitalism. 3 II. Henry VIII’s Split with Rome After long and fruitless negotiations with all parties involved, Henry VIII became the first monarch to assert himself against the doctrines of the mother church. Although he had at first condemned Luther as a "venemous serpent," he was ready, by 1529, to abandon the church's authority in favor of his right to marry whomever he pleased--in this case, Anne Boleyn, and later, four other wives. Infuriated by the issue of divorce, Henry set out to found his own church, now called the Church of England or the Anglican Church, over which he would be sole executor and which would grant him his divorce in 1533… Henry VIII (1491-1547) i. Henry VIII and his Problem Basically, Henry got his split with Rome by wanting to divorce his (first) wife, Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Henry also wanted a son, Catharine could not produce! Despite Henry trying his damnedest to get the Pope to agree to the divorce (only the Pope could do that back then), the Pope (who was actually a relative of Catherine’s!) would not do it! Because the Pope wouldn’t give him the divorce Henry said to heck with you then! Parliament recognized Henry’s divorce and so he was free to marry Anne Boleyn, who was already pregnant with Elizabeth. ii. Henry’s Reformation During the early years of the Reformation, the English church remained within the Catholic fold. King Henry VIII, the King of England at the start of the Reformation was, at first, such a loyal Catholic that the Pope bestowed on him the title of Defender of the Faith. However, Henry understood that handled the right way, the Reformation was a golden opportunity for him to make some money! A break with the church in Rome would allow Henry to take sole control of the Church in England – which meant that the church taxes that had always gone to Rome would now go into Henry’s pocket; the enormous landholdings of the church would belong to him; the power to appoint priests, bishops, and archbishops in England would be his; and the prestige and majesty of the church would be identified with the English monarchy. In short, Henry VIII realized that a rupture with the Catholic Church could make the church in England serve his purposes Essentially, Henry outlawed the Catholic Church in England in name but the “new church” was still pretty much the same as it had been before – except that Henry was head of it – and that it was now called the Church of England 4 III. Charles I and his Church of England As King of England, Charles I became involved in a dispute with Parliament over the extent of his prerogative and the ordering of religion, a dispute that resulted in civil war and, by later resolution, in the development of limited monarchy in England. King Charles I (1625-1649) i. The Reformation Unleashed In the short run, the English Reformation allowed Henry to achieve his political goal of bringing the church under the dominion of the monarchy. In the long run, however, the English Reformation brought to England the political and religious turmoil that Henry had hoped to avoid. For more than a century after 1534, English politics revolved around the question of the extent and character of the E. R. Henry himself sought no more than a halfway Ref. Many English Catholics wanted no Ref. at all; they had hoped to return the C. of E. to the pope and maintain Catholic doctrines and ceremonies. But many other English people insisted on a genuine, thoroughgoing Ref.; these people came to be called Puritans… 5 ii. Life Under Charles’s Dad: James During the 16 th century, Puritanism was less an organized movement than a set of ideas and religious principles that appealed strongly to many dissenting members of the C. of E. The puritans sought to purify the church along the lines of the Protestantism that had been developed by Luther, Calvin, and others on the European continent. This meant that they demanded the church hierarchy to be abolished, and that ordinary Xians be given greater control over religious life. They called for a reformed clergy composed of educated moral men dedicated to the spiritual life of their parishioners. Many Puritans also believed that ministers should be appointed by their congregations Also, they emphasized an individual’s personal relationship with God through Bible study, prayer and introspection. They insisted that religious faith should have a powerful influence on the daily lives of individual Xians, disciplining them to think and act according to God’s biblical commandments. Although there many varieties and degrees of Puritanism, all Puritans shared a desire to carry the Ref. to its logical Protestant conclusion By the reign of James I (1603-1625), English Puritans petitioned for further reform of the C. of E., or Anglican Church The King authorized a new translation of the Bible, known ever since as the King James version. However, neither James I nor his son Charles I, who became king in 1625, were receptive to the ideas of the Puritan reformers. Increasingly hostile to both Puritans and Parliament, James and Charles moved the C. of E. away from Puritanism rather than toward it. They enforced conformity to the C. of E. and punished dissenters. The monarchy’s anti-puritan policies made many English Puritans despair that they would be permitted to live and worship in peace. A few Puritans decided to remove themselves from the political and religious repercussions they suffered in England. They sought refuge where they could build a society in harmony with their beliefs. 6 iii. The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony The Puritan emigration to New England resulted from the religious and political turbulence created by the Ref. during the 16 th century. They went there to create a society in which they could worship God away from the turmoil of England and to build a new, orderly society that conformed to God’s plan for humankind.
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