The Influence of Puritan Migrants upon the Establishment of North American Colonies - Report Example

The Influence of Puritan Migrants upon the Establishment of North American Colonies (YOUR (THE Introduction The British Empire’s colonization of North America was marked by the Great Migration of the Puritan race from homeland England. The English settlements upon the American soil in this early part of North American history can be treated as the major origin for what the American way of life had become in the subsequent years of the New World’s existence. This paper will show that the early English settlers of the British Empire had created colonial societies which exhibited a Puritan-influenced environment within the New World. It will primarily discuss the Puritan culture – its colonial communities and religion in particular - emergent within Massachusetts and Virginia as the British Empires earliest North American colonies. Community Development within Massachusetts and Virginia Both Massachusetts and Virginia were newly constituted lands for the English settlers during the early seventeenth century. Hence, it was imperative for the town settlers to establish their new homes from scratch. As each group of migrants poured into the settlements, they had to find some type of home for their families. Some who did not manage to build homes for themselves settled in nearby caves. Given the climate in the northeastern part location of New England, there was intense snow fall during the winter with the intense cold that punctured the bones.1 With the context of the climate, the new settlers had to adapt their homes to fight the extreme conditions of the area. The first homes of the migrant Puritans were rectangular in shape. They were simple. The walls were composed of rough hewn timber and the roof was sloped in order to make the snow slide to one side. The roof was then thatched with long tough grass. At first, the roofs were made of logs daubed with clay. This made it fireproof. Eventually, the chimneys were replaced with bricks. Later developments recorded that clapboards covered the timber walls and the roof was shingled instead of thatched.2 This made the Puritan house durable and safe from the cold environment. Although difficult at the beginning, house building became a tradition for the Puritans. Home building became a community effort and a social event because the labor was evenly distributed amongst the limited members of the Puritan community. They sharpened tools together- tools of which came from England. As the migrants became used to the kind of life they had to embrace in the New World, they became experts in their skills. The skill of carpentry, due to the community tradition of home building, was honed through time. The Puritans eventually built homes that were more like that of those in the middle class societies of England. As some of the Puritan migrants elevated in social status, they already managed to afford houses of middle class in nature.3 Migration patterns of any race of man who undergoes this type of adaptive mechanism where an individual rise up from the society they belong to and innovate according to what the type of environment he dwells in. In a typical seventeenth century home, rugs, curtains, sheets and mirrors were rare. Thus these objects become a symbol of improvement and high standard of living for the Puritan migrants. Also, the family life centered on the fireplace. It was only natural for this tradition to occur within Puritan towns because the fireplace was an essential place for heat.4 The Puritan Religion and Beliefs within the British Colonies As what was explained, the beginnings of the migrants within the New World were hard and challenging. However, the colonies were eventually well established especially in Massachusetts in the New England region and Virginia. With the community development underway, the Puritan religion and beliefs began to make its mark in the North American soil. What were the religious and social beliefs that had transcended into the communities of the Northern American colonies? Puritan beliefs and religion in colonial America was extensively discussed in the 15th chapter of the book, Colonial North America and the Atlantic World: A History in Documents. According to the account, the Puritans have five basic norms: first is total depravity which explains that through Adam and Eves fall, every person is born sinful. This norm entails the concept of Original Sin. Second is unconditional election. This explains their adherence to predestination- God saves only those he wishes and that only a few are selected for salvation. Third is limited atonement, Jesus died for the chosen only and not for everyone. Fourth is the irresistible grace. This explains that Gods grace is freely given and it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God. Fifth is the perseverance of the saints. The last norm explains that those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. It also tells that if anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God. In addition to this, the Puritans also believe in typology. This is explained as the belief that Gods intentions are present in human action and in natural phenomenon. However, the failure to understand these intentions is part of human limitations. The Puritans also believed in a cyclical or repetitive history. They recognized the concept of backsliding as well. Backsliding is the belief that the saved believers, those with visible signs of grace, can fall into temptation and become sinners. To prevent this, believers were expected not to become smug, they were forced to do constant soul-searching, be introspective, and pray constantly. Lastly, the Puritans believed in manifest destiny. The concept of manifest destiny is as old as the first New England settlements.5 Manifest destiny was constant within the dogma of American expansionism up to the Modern Age. Their belief in this concept owed them the victory in many disputes, may it be in wars or in diplomatic issues. The same chapter discusses that when it comes to religious scriptures, the Puritan migrants regarded the New Testament as their model and their devotion so that the morals within the writings were injected unto the Puritan society. People who strayed from the common religious dogma were often asked to dismiss the community. The migrant Puritans believed in conversion not repression. With this said, it can be seen that the Puritans were somehow still repressive to those who contradicted their general beliefs. Yet, they still valued the importance of conversion as a means to avoid the dismissal of some Puritan wayward. The Puritans were constant in the rejection of worldly pleasures. They choose to value a man’s morality first than to accept him because of his riches. Their beliefs in the evil force of the devil were strong. They adhered to the fact that every evil deed is the doing of the devil. In lieu of this, constant watch amongst each of everybody’s actions must be kept in order to escape from the devil’s clutches.6 Conclusion Indeed, the early English settlers of the British Empire had created colonial societies which exhibited a Puritan-influenced environment. They had migrated and adopted the challenges given to them by the American soil. In turn, with the British Empires first colonies such as Massachusetts and Virginia along the New England region, colonial societies were established which spearheaded early colonial-American community developments. Along with such were social and religious beliefs transfused into the colonial society patterned after the Puritan precepts of the British Empire which can still be seen in the present American society. Bibliography Rushforth, Brett and Paul W. Mapp. Colonial North America and the Atlantic World: A History in Documents. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2008. Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. Read More