What Is Puritanism?

The history, and differences, of English and American Puritanism

By Henry Bowden
Puritans was the name given in the 16th century to the more extreme Protestants within the
Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not gone far enough in reforming
the doctrines and structure of the church; they wanted to purify their national church by
eliminating every shred of Catholic influence. n the 1!th century many Puritans emigrated to the
"ew #orld$ where they sought to found a holy commonwealth in "ew England. Puritanism
remained the dominant cultural force in that area into the 1%th century.
English Puritanism
&ssociated exclusively with no single theology or definition of the church ' although many
were Calvinists ' the English Puritans were (nown at first for their extremely critical attitude
regarding the religious compromises made during the reign of Eli)abeth . *any of them were
graduates of Cambridge +niversity$ and they became &nglican priests to ma(e changes in their
local churches. ,hey encouraged direct personal religious experience$ sincere moral conduct$ and
simple worship services. #orship was the area in which Puritans tried to change things most;
their efforts in that direction were sustained by intense theological convictions and definite
expectations about how seriously Christianity should be ta(en as the focus of human existence.
&fter -ames became (ing of England in 16./$ Puritan leaders as(ed him to grant several
reforms. &t the 0ampton Court Conference 116.23$ however$ he re4ected most of their proposals$
which included abolition of bishops. Puritanism$ best expressed by #illiam &mes and later by
Richard 5axter$ gained much popular support early in the 1!th century. ,he government and the
church hierarchy$ however$ especially under &rchbishop #illiam 6aud$ became increasingly
repressive$ causing many Puritans to emigrate. ,hose who remained formed a powerful element
within the parliamentarian party that defeated Charles in the English Civil #ar. &fter the war
the Puritans remained dominant in England until 166.$ but they 7uarreled among themselves
1Presbyterian dominance gave way to ndependent$ or congregational$ control under 8liver
Cromwell3 and proved even more intolerant than the old hierarchy. ,he restoration of the
monarchy 1166.3 also restored &nglicanism$ and the Puritan clergy were expelled from the
Church of England under the terms of the &ct of +niformity 116693. ,hereafter English Puritans
were classified as "onconformists.
American Puritanism
Early in the 1!th century some Puritan groups separated from the Church of England. &mong
these were the Pilgrims$ who in 169. founded Plymouth Colony. ,en years later$ under the
auspices of the *assachusetts 5ay Company$ the first ma4or Puritan migration to "ew England
too( place. ,he Puritans brought strong religious impulses to bear in all colonies north of
:irginia$ but"ew England was their stronghold$ and the Congregationalist churches established
there were able to perpetuate their viewpoint about a Christian society for more than 9.. years.
Richard *ather and -ohn Cotton provided clerical leadership in the dominant Puritan colony
planted on *assachusetts 5ay. ,homas 0oo(er was an example of those who settled new areas
farther west according to traditional Puritan standards. Even though he bro(e with the authorities
of the *assachusetts colony over 7uestions of religious freedom$ Roger #illiams was also a true
Puritan in his )eal for personal godliness and doctrinal correctness. *ost of these men held ideas
in the mainstream of Calvinistic thought. n addition to believing in the absolute sovereignty of
;od$ the total depravity of man$ and the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace
for salvation$ they stressed the importance of personal religious experience. ,hese Puritans
insisted that they$ as ;od<s elect$ had the duty to direct national affairs according to ;od<s will as
revealed in the 5ible. ,his union of church and state to form a holy commonwealth gave
Puritanism direct and exclusive control over most colonial activity until commercial and political
changes forced them to relin7uish it at the end of the 1!th century.
5ecause of its diffuse nature$ when Puritanism began to decline in &merica is difficult to say.
=ome would hold that it lost its influence in "ew England by the early 1>th century$ but -onathan
Edwards and his able disciple =amuel 0op(ins revived Puritan thought and (ept it alive until
1>... 8thers would point to the gradual decline in power of Congregationalism$ but
Presbyterians under the leadership of -onathan ?ic(inson and 5aptists led by the example of
saac 5ac(us 11!92@1>.63 revitali)ed Puritan ideals in several denominational forms through the
1>th century.
?uring the whole colonial period Puritanism had direct impact on both religious thought and
cultural patterns in &merica. n the 1%th century its influence was indirect$ but it can still be seen
at wor( stressing the importance of education in religious leadership and demanding that
religious motivations be tested by applying them to practical situations.