The Literature of Colonial America 1620-1776

The early religion of the colonies was one based primarily on Puritan dogma. The Puritans were a fundamentalist group who felt that the church had become corrupt and that it was the scriptures not the trappings that were important to the religion. Finding no tolerance for their views in Europe they chose to risk their fates in the colonies where they could institute the biblical paradise that they believed in so strongly. Among these early Puritans were the fabled pilgrims who founded Plymouth colony and countless others that followed.

The Puritan belief system was a harsh one which felt that all men were fundamentally evil because Adam, in his original sin, had broken his covenant to God. However, they also believed that a certain select group were descendents of Abraham and thus were eligible for a second covenant that allowed them to receive God’s mercy. Thus a paradox was created. Although the Puritans believed in the fundamental equality of man, a spiritual upper class consisting of ministers and patriarchs was created and ruled their makeshift divine kingdom with fervor.

For the most part women in the Puritan colonies where negated to their traditional roles as the homemakers. The ideal Puritan housewife was based on the biblical figure Bathsheba who displayed skills at house work and was a charitable soul. Women were responsible for spinning weaving, making soap, preserving food, overseeing cooking and laundering. Three women stood out from the crowd at this time. Anne Hutchinson challenged the Puritan status quo by claiming her own interpretation of the bible but that was considered heresy by Puritan law and she was banished from the Bay Colony. Also significant was Mary Rowlandson. She was acclaimed because she used her skills as a housewife proved so formidable that despite capture by the Natives she was kept alive for that purpose. Finally there was Hannah Dustin who took a slightly different approach than that followed by Mary. Upon being captured by Native Americans she slew “10” of them and returned with their scalps. She was praised and compared to the warrior Jael from the scriptures.

The Puritan relationship with the early Americans was tenuous at best and downright vicious at worst. Some felt that they were remnants of the Lost Tribes of Israel while other simply believed that they were hell spawn. Thus in a typical fashion conversion or destruction was the basis of Puritan foreign policy with the Natives. The Native Americans, for their part, were equally mystified by the European colonists. They truly believed in the equality of all living things and held a very spiritual view of the natural world. The Puritans on the contrary believed that

Some topics in this essay:
Native Americans, William Mary, Beliefs Puritan, Religious Background, Americans Women, England South, Robert Boyle, Italians American, American Colonies, Anne Hutchinson, native americans,