The Puritans, Essay Example

Puritans were a group of individuals who in their search for perfection strived hard for purity. Many stereotypes have that the puritans were dour, emotionless, cold pious and that they were denied any form of enjoyment. However, this was not the case since the puritans were neither dull prudes nor were they repressed as many believes. They simply regarded excess pleasure as being sinful, for example the consumption of alcohol up to the drunkenness point. According to Kupperman (p 109-p111), there was a belief that alcohol and smoking were condemned but rather the fact was that, they enjoyed both smoking and alcohol. Excess consumption is what was being objected.

Although the puritans had strict laws concerning with relationships between opposite sexes, the intimate relation among the couples was greatly valued (Nash 231). In fact, marriage was greatly encouraged and considered as desirable in God’s eyes. The puritans regarded marriage as a best option for those who take their faith seriously. Rather than being looked as a stumbling block, marriage was a stimulus for godliness since it is ordained by God for companionship, procreation and reduction of sexual morality. For wife and husband, sex was therefore something important.

The dressing mode of the puritans was not severe as it was perceived (wearing dark clothing and black hats for men).They did never dress only in black but wore clothing of every hue and color and also had their houses brightly painted. We can depict that they had a strong sense of beauty. Even though immodest dressing was discouraged, there were restrictions based on class differentiation and not more on moral reasons. The lower class of individuals was not to dress as extravagantly as the upper class since it was to be regarded as a dishonor to God.

The puritans should not be considered as emotionless but rather deeply emotional people who were intense lovers and intense haters. They could not do anything unfeelingly or unthinkably. The puritans demonstrated their “humanness” since they really valued other people’s dignity regardless of their social class. They were also for hence stressed on the importance of education and had a belief that education and religion complimented one another. To them, life mattered a lot and whatever they did was more important than any other thing. This belief rendered them with extreme emotions (Reich 200). They were egalitarian since for them, salvation depended on a sole individual’s merit rather than a person’s social class, ability or wealth. They committed themselves with their own principles and not those of others or institutions.

They also regarded secularism as a form of deism which had denied the divinity of Christ and had undermined their intimacy with God. The puritans had fear on the new generation that it would not measure up to the piety of their fathers and mothers. They talked about the loss of faith in their children. This showed less trust hence no being entirely pious.

The image of the puritans has therefore been misinterpreted and it is necessary to not that they were not severe as originally thought. They were not opposed to pleasure and did not frown in marriage.

References

Kupperman K.  Major Problems in American Colonial History. (2^nd ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

Reich J.  Colonial America. (5^th ed). New York: Prentice Hall, 2000.

Nash B. Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early North America.
(5^th ed). New York: Prentice Hall, 1999