In what ways did the Puritans influence America in economics politics and religion - Essay Example

Influence of Puritanism on America in Economics, Politics, and Religion Puritanism was the most influential mode of cultural history in the colonial America during the 17th century. In the beginning of the intellectual life, it was the Puritan above all others, who carried the seed of future while hiding in the ungainly robes of religion. This pragmatism and idealism was carried through subsequent generations on high flights of thought. The Yankee pragmatism and Puritan idealism became the two sides of the American coin, which united in the New England character for a primitive synthesis of the native mind Influence of Puritans on the American Economics To the Puritan, therefore, the drama of salvation, with its quest of certainty, seemed like an economy of redemption, with its promise of success. In the influence of the American economy, the New England Puritan was engaged in a great game of transcendental politics, playing in the market of chance with a sovereign god whose dice were always loaded. However, Fey (19) supported that, the Puritans’ typos influenced the economy of redemption thus balancing and harmonizing the economy of the 18th century that gave way to a more radical evolutionary conception of the economy in nature. Puritans looked favorably on the economic success, another characteristic of individualistic values. Puritanism balanced the endorsement of economic activism with the aim of deterring behavior that led to poverty. In addition, Puritan moralists readily admitted that the poor were part of the human community and that charity could not earn spiritual merits. They suggested that those of means had a moral obligation to assist those poor whose poverty was no fault of their own. Puritan ethic affirmed human relationships. Some economics in America have considered a society’s view on the legitimacy of market-pricing and the charging of interest on loans to the main indicators of its friendliness to capitalism. As noted earlier, these issues were relatively small compared to the much broader issues of economic morality. But on pricing and marketing issues, the Puritans hewed to their logic: individual freedom in pricing and interest-collecting was endorsed, but this freedom was considered being absolute in the American economy. For instance, extreme price increases in time of scarcity were viewed not as a morally neutral, technical process that involved the supply and demand ideologies but as potential exploitation of others during the time of hardship. Various merchants including Robert Keayne discovered such limits on the market freedom when he was tried for excess profiting. As noted, property rights, wealth, and freedom to change interest or set prices were never viewed as absolute rights of individuals, but were contingent on serving a common good as well. Puritans were individualistic expressed mainly through a relational individualism that resisted tears in the human fabric (Frey 19). Influence of Puritans on the American politics According to Johnson (51), Christians of the early Roman period and for Puritans of the 17th century, prejudice was neither racist nor sexist but religious. That is what was commonly defined by many as cultural impact. This culturist behavior distinguishes exclusively most of the ideologies on the basis of moral character between some sense of the elect term and moral conscious. The same ambiguity was applied in large groups at the top and bottom of the social pyramid that English Puritanism characterized as the unproductive and parasitical individuals thus categorized as the apathetic. Cultural prejudice is a declining influence in modern American life. In it the conservative Puritan politics speak to a need for the accumulation of minorities; a mainstream theory of national identity as opposed to the mosaic theory for which most liberal minority leaders express preference. The Puritans made the social revolution to be slow in reaching the country. That allegation has been exempted not because the problem was solved, but because the Puritans were confronted. It promised a long-drawn grapple of contesting forces which may well make the heart of every American patriot sink within the political leaders. In addition, it was realized that religion can play (and must play) a momentous part in this irrepressible conflict. However, politics during the puritan’s era in America was believed to have inspired by God. The immigrants were highly encouraged to participate fully in attaining leadership as prompted by the will of God. Leadership in this context was believed to be of Godly nature hence more people were encouraged to engage in the practice of leadership. According to Kubiak (54), the party system of politics that relied on a certain charisma on the part of the candidate was linked in many people’s minds with the snake-oil pitch of the charlatan. The ethics of the Puritans led to the dangerous direction of American politics that seemed equally clear. The hypnotic and charismatic demagogues were rising up to enslave a generation of American youth for selfish and unprincipled gain. For that matter, the appearance of American style stump politics required the earlier appearance of the con man on the landscape. Just as the empiric (or scam artist) precedes the scientist, thus the conman setting the stage on for politics and ideology in America. Influence of Puritans on the American religion According to Dean (6), the Puritans perceived America as the land of God’s elect, a new Israel destined to fulfill God’s promise. For that matter, America was to be returned to a pure condition function with the help of Puritans in order to fulfill God’s promise. In the process of attaining this condition, three phases of exception were used as considered to be the Puritan’s three-part jeremiad, version proceeding from the promise, to declension, to a prophecy according to which the original promise would be fulfilled. The puritans’ three-part Jeremiad version was mainly established in America due to the following reasons: First, America had received the promise to be God’s or reasons or intuitions exceptional people. Second, America had violated the terms of the promise and fallen into the declension, and finally America would accomplish what was prophesied for it and become an ideal people. Calvin as one of the Puritans structured church leadership in America into four levels with different roles: pastors, teachers, elders, and deacons. The above mentioned leadership values were known to play a fundamental role in establishing an elaborate interrelationship between church and civic structure. Puritans influenced the American religion by proposing that churches and other religious denominations should adhere to the thoughts of Calvin as an alternative to participation in the church. The emergence of Puritans in the America, therefore, changed the religion pattern with an aim of converting people to appear godly. Initially the Native Americans used to oppose what could be termed as the will of God through scientifically reasoning. Scientific facts were mostly entrusted before the emergence of puritans. Considering this perspective, religion grew in a paramount state that led to the conversion of the larger percentage of non-believers. The predominant religious ambiguity was in Christianity that was attributed to the Puritan’s perception of God. Today, most of the Jews and people of color have inherited the Puritan’s Biblical figures especially in America thus having a greater impact on religion. Works Cited Dean, William D. The religious critic in American culture. New York: SUNY Press. 1994. Print Frey, Donald E. America's economic moralists: a history of rival ethics and economics. New York: SUNY Press. 2009. Print Johnson, Ellwood. The Goodly Word: The Puritan Influence in American Literature. Ontario, Canada: Clements Publishing. 2005. Print Kubiak, Anthony. Agitated states: performance in the American theater of cruelty. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. 2002. Print Read More