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New England Model: Massachusetts Bay Colony Immigrant group: The Puritans Central Focus: To create a utopian society based on religious ideals of Calvinism Puritans migrated to the colony of Massachusetts because they wanted religious freedom. These men, women and children were Puritans, a Protestant religious sect that emerged in England as part f the Protestant Reformation. Specifically, Puritans followed the theological principles established by John Calvin. Among Calvin's ideas, Puritans embraced wholeheartedly the concept of predestination. Predestination is based on Calvin's principle that faith is a "divine gift" from God, and this gift is awarded only to a few --- the "elect." The "elect" were the only ones "predestined" to realize eternal life. Puritans, as followers of Calvin, believed they were among the "elect --- they were God's "saints" on earth. The Puritans came in two distinct groups. The first --- best known as Pilgrims --- sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. The second, and more substantial, began arriving in 1630. Though both groups came to British America for religious freedom, each group interpreted differently the practice of that freedom. The Pilgrims wanted to separate completely from the Church of England. Living in the New World offered that opportunity. Alternatively, the Puritans that settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony wanted to reform the Church of England by setting an example. Considered as a mandate from God, this second group set out to establish a utopian community shaped by the specific religious beliefs and practices of Calvinism. Considering themselves as God's elect, these Puritans decided to create God's kingdom on earth --- a "city on a hill" that would serve as a model to be emulated. Led by William Bradford, the Pilgrims, arrived in the Mayflower in 1620. Their first winter was especially harsh; over half the settlers died. With the help of the Wampanoags, indigenous peoples that lived in Massachusetts, the remaining Pilgrims learned how to built appropriate shelter and use the land and sea for acquiring food. In 1621, the Pilgrims declared a day of thanksgiving, a feast day that had long been part of the culture of the Indian tribes that inhabited Massachusetts. Over the next several decades the Pilgrims managed to establish small fishing villages along the seacoast of Cape Cod. In 1691, they were absorbed by the thriving, populous Massachusetts Bay colony.
1630 marked the beginning of a larger and more significant influx of Puritans to Massachusetts. Organized by the Massachusetts Bay Company and led by John Winthrop, the first group reached Boston Harbor in June 1630; another 1,300 setters arrived the following spring. Over the next 20 years, another 18,000 colonizers would migrate to New England, settling primarily in the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. From the beginning, the Puritans thrived in their establishment of Massachusetts Bay Colony. New settlers continued to come, and most immigrants were part of a family unit and trained artisans and farmers. These factors provided the means to establish economically viable communities comprised of families who considered Massachusetts Bay as an opportunity to put down roots and begin a new life for themselves and their children. Yet the success of these settlers extends beyond demographic characteristics: The Puritans believed that they were carrying out a divine task to build a utopia on Christian principles. As Governor John Winthrop told the first group who arrived in 1630, "We shall be as a city upon a hill [and] the eyes of all people are upon us." This sense of vision and responsibility energized the Puritans in the process of establishing a viable colony, and these infused a visionary sense of mission that has shaped a distinctive American self-image since that time. The goal of establishing a utopian community in the New World had several implications on the ways that Puritans organized their settlements in Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the initial years, the over riding consideration was total support for the belief in the divine mission of the settlement, and with this, the establishment of a political, economic and social system driven by religious purpose. Conformity, not diversity, of opinion and action were the objectives of Puritans, and strict adherence to the established rules was expected. Those that challenged the system or, more particularly, challenged the religious beliefs and practices of Puritans, were told to leave Massachusetts Bay Colony. Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson are two of the most prominent examples, and a close study of the Salem Witchcraft Trials also reflect this unyielding demand for conformity among the Puritan's actions in founding their "city on the hill." The Puritan's approach also introduced the concept of self-governance. During the first year of settlement, Reverend Cotton Mather developed a system of self-governing congregations (congregationalism) unique to America. Congregationalism was designed to demonstrate that the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts Bay Colony still considered themselves spiritual members of the Church of England, but rejected the administrative control of the English church. The more significant effect over time, was that Mather's system of congregationalism made the practical considerations of the church more democratic. Relocating control of each congregation to the local membership meant that the members of the local church chose their minister, elected "elders" to handle finances, and otherwise controlled their church. This system was in direct contrast to the system used by the Church of England, in which only a few wealthy members of the landed gentry controlled each congregation. The significance of self-governing congregations extends far beyond church organization: It introduced a concept of self-governance, which implies a rejection of state authority. The concepts of self-governance and local control extended into the political and social systems of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and, eventually they became central to colonists demand for independence and attitudes for forming a national political system. The Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony also established other social structures that were essential to their utopian experience as well as instrumental in shaping the major themes of American identities. Puritans considered that a strong family unit was crucial to the community's welfare: The "well-ordered family" served both as the foundation for a cohesive community and as the best model for a social hierarchy based on rights and responsibilities. Drawing upon Biblical passages, Puritans defined the well-ordered family as one in which the husband/father was head of household, and, in descending order of status, his wife, children and servants were subjected to his authority. In return, however, the male head of household was morally responsible for taking care of the needs of the members of his household. Though structured as a hierarchy, the well-ordered family was sustained by a contractual agreement of rights and responsibilities. A second important implication of the Puritan experiment was the importance of literacy. To sustain strong religious practice and the theological principles of Calvinism required vigilant efforts by every person within the community. Key to this effort was daily reading and study of the Bible and other religious writings. Therefore, assuring literacy for all children and women, as well as men, within the community were literate became a high priority. To accomplish this, a public school system was an intrinsic part of the each community established in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The combination of a belief in a divine mission and the demand for social conformity put Massachusetts Bay Colony on firm footing in the initial years of settlement. However, second- and third-generation Puritans sustained neither of these. Economic success and a demand for more diversity and individual freedom challenged the Puritan's hope to sustain a tightly controlled utopian community founded on Christian principles. Yet, Puritans, as well as the Pilgrims, introduced into British America basic themes that defined the new England region of British's America and that defined some of the major themes of the emerging American experience. Consequences:
01/04/2006 |
History Lives
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