Topic: THE NEW ENGLAND PURITANISM DISCUSSION
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE NEW ENGLAND PURITANISM DISCUSSION
You are on the board of a New England town council during the Great Awakening, which has revived religious fervor and pointed
to flaws in the people’s practice of Puritanism. You and your fellow council members are discussing the state of Puritanism
in your town: Have the town’s members fallen away from the Puritan ideals and lifestyle?? Based on recent events, such as
Anne Hutchinson’s, Roger William’s, and Thomas Hooker’s banishment and the Salem Witch Trials, you can’t help but wonder if
New England’s Puritans are fulfilling Governor John Winthrop’s original vision. How do the people involved in these recent
events affect Puritanism in your town? Have you, as Puritans, lived up to your ideals of a colony founded upon the principles
of religious freedom?
You are required to make one individual post of two-three paragraphs in length and respond to two separate students’ posts.
Your responses to the two students’ posts should be one-two paragraphs in length. One of your responses must be to a
statement with a viewpoint that is opposite of your viewpoint. Feel free to debate with each other and respond to each other
as if you really were on a town council!
You’ll need to consult Learning Modules 3 and 4 , Chapters 4 and 5 in your textbook, and the weblinks to the following
required readings to complete the assignment.
Use the following readings: Weblinks to these readings can be found in the Weblinks icon under Course Tools as well as in the
Required Readings folder.
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
The Almost Christians
Model of Christian Charity
Famous American Trials: The Salem Witchcraft Trials
You may also wish to consult the links on Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria as well.
When composing your statement, think about and answer the following questions:
1. What were the basic principles and beliefs upon which the Puritans were founded in North America?
2. Did the Puritans truly fulfill their goal of religious freedom? Did they allow the religious freedom they sought?
3. How did the Puritans handle dissent and dissenters? How did the Puritans react to differences of opinion? Use Anne
Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and Thomas Hooker as examples of dissenters.
4. Do you think the Salem Witch Trials ultimately exemplified the Puritans’ religious beliefs and original intentions and
goals?
5. Do you agree or disagree with the ideas and principles preached in the above sermons of the Great Awakening? Why or why
not?
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=http://www.reformed.org/documents/Whitefield.html
http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/charity.html