Puritanism And Romanticism

The New England colonies developed rapidly, largely due to the influence of the Puritans. The Puritans came to the new world seeking religious freedom and helped found most of the colonies in the New England region. The Puritans wanted a United government that will later become the basis for the Unites States, they believed that the overall well being of the people was more important than the well being of the few, and the Puritans believed that religion, church, and community were important aspects of the people’s lives. The Puritans’ religion allowed them to prosper in the political, economical, and social development of the New England Colonies in the 1630-1660’s.

In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the

Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of

While the Puritans are generally perceived as hard working and God fearing people, they were also a highly educated people and their education found its expression in their writings. Their writings reflected their engrained beliefs, especially religion which was integral to their existence and hence early American literature is infused with religiosity.

Above all, Puritans believed that it was their destiny to settle in what was the New World, and set up an example of the ideal community for the rest of the world to emulate. They also believed they were sent by God on a divine mission to escape persecution and spread their religion freely. Since the United States rose to power its people have been convinced that the democratic system, equality, free markets, and its way of life are the most perfected governing methodology to date. The first trace of this was in Monroe Doctrine, then the civil war, followed by the United States? involvement in World Wars I and II, and above all

The Puritans were a religious group that came to North America in search of religious freedom, and, in the process, greatly impacted the North American church, government, education, social mores, and economy. Many of the things that they implemented in the first colonies are still seen today in the social and governmental structures of the United States. Their beliefs and traditions are still practiced today and many social mores are still being adhered to, even now.

The puritans go create the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They didn’t have strict rules like England, people were not forced to go to church, it all seems great. However, there were many issues. Puritans believed in Calvinism, or predestination. This was the idea that everything is preset by God and nothing you do can change your fate. “Nothing a person did in his or her lifetime could alter God’s choice or provide assurance that the person was predestined for salvation with the elect or damned to hell with the doomed multitude.” (The American

The Romanticism period began its rise with the beginning of the 18th century and gained immense popularity by the 1820s. The movement is seen by many as a literary revolution and eventually came to an end in 1865 with the end of the civil war. Romanticism is characterized by its emphasis on freedom, emotion, individualism and reverence for nature. Its literature defied conventional forms and took liberties in style and traditional storylines. The early 1800s witnessed the transportation and industrial revolution, which led to increased feelings of nationalism. The era was also marked by strong feelings of independence and revolution, left over from the Revolutionary War. The standard of living was improving for many Americans and consumer goods started gaining popularity. The American Romantic period also fell in lie with the era of the marketplace; the economic revolution completely transformed the United States into a market society. Literature was able to become an item of commerce and was much more widely distributed. Education became more common and literacy levels rose. By 1850, nearly 90% of the white male population could read and write. This mass readership and wide audience led to high levels of manufacture and writing began to create profit. Morals were generally higher and feelings of independence eventually led to emphasises on individualism. This era of increased general well being led to assumptions of good and optimism. The Romanticism era appealed to the

The New England colonies developed rapidly throughout the early 1600s. Their development was largely influenced by the Puritans, who had emigrated from Britain and helped found most of the region’s colonies. The philosophies, ideas, and values of the Puritans greatly shaped the development of the colonies in a number of distinct ways. Politically, the idea of a united, representative government, which later became a staple of the United States, was derived from Puritan ideals. Economically, the ideals of fair pricing and the celebrated “Yankee frugality and thriftiness” originated from the Puritans. Socially, emphasis on church, religion, and education was another lasting influence of the

The 17th century Puritans were known to represent a religious group migrating from England to America in order to practice religious freedom. These groups were determined to “purify” churches of England from Catholic practices. Puritans are known for their religious, social, and political influences on early America. Edmund S. Morgan’s novel The Puritan Family highlights a part of history that many would tend to look over upon- that is, the complex structural life of Puritan Families in the 17th century.

In early American literature, there were new ideas constantly being added to the American way of writing, that showed emotion and were religiously based.This style or form was unheard of, but eventually grew throughout the colonies. In early American literature, most writings were based upon a religious view that held great weight throughout the colonial regions. The Puritans were the main religious group that influenced the literature of the time period and they held strict values that had grave consequences. They followed each commandment and were servants of the Lord, who believed in everything the Bible said with an unwavering faith. The Puritanistic view the colonists held, influenced their writing style immensely and gave light to a new form of

American Puritanism formed when the Puritans thought the Anglican Church still had much residue from the Catholic Church- so they sought to start their own religion. Because the Puritans felt this way, they moved to America to start a new life with new beliefs. These beliefs- which they thought were the truest form of Christianity- shaped the way the Puritans lived. They wanted to be an example for everyone (it was denoted as the “City on the Hill.”) In, “The Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne takes a trip back to the 1640’s where he sets the mood around the way the Puritans lived.

The Puritan’s of Colonial America came over on the Mayflower leaving behind the Protestant church in England. Soon after their arrival they headed north. Puritan Scholar Jim Sleeper noted that “Puritanism was, after all, the chief framer and arbiter of a New England way of life that spread westward across the northern tier of the United States”. Their way of life was in stark contrast to the modern western world and, oddly enough, was more similar to the radical sects of Islam in countries such as Iran, Syria, and Pakistan. A core belief of Puritan thinking is called Predestination.

Webster's dictionary states the definition of Romanticism as "a movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization". Romanticism was a movement that helped generated other movements, but brought a new form of literature that was well embraced during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Romanticism was a literary movement that swept through virtually every country of Europe, the United States, and Latin America that lasted from about 1750 to 1870. This period included philosophy, art, music, literature. Romantics believed that men and women should not be guided by rules placed on them by society but led by warm emotions that promoted a sense of freedom. William Blake was one of the poets that began the Romantic Age who promoted self-expression but was weighed down by the importance and standards of religion. (Forward, 2014) Literary work during Romanticism had a strong emphasis in implementing nature, emotion over logic, imagination over reason, and no division between art and literature. These works placed focus on human personality affected by political and social causes. These became dominant themes in romantic poetry which made literature much more complex. (Wartz "The Romantic Era" 1999)