History Reflection Paper
Samantha Manley
Mr. Worley
History 120
20, June 2013
Chapter 4 TWWL Response Paper When I hear the word puritan, I think of perfect families, with perfect children, who live together in a harmonious, yet extremely strict atmosphere. In all honesty, I wanted to know the actual definition. When I googled puritan, I found a few different meanings. The one that is easiest for me to understand came from “The free dictionary.com. It says, “Scrupulous moral rigor, especially hostility to social pleasures and indulgences with extreme, often excessive strictness in moral or religious matters. I believe no family is perfect, so I was excited to read the Essay. In “The Godly Family of Colonial Massachusetts,” the society’s structure is shown to be built strictly around religion. The towns in which the Puritans dwelled were centered on living religiously and upholding Christian values, especially in regards to having a close-knit loving family. Puritans didn’t really think of their family as a private household, but as an essential part of society. The father was the authority figure in the family. He represented his family and supported the family. His wife, servants, and children were to submit to his authority. Communities often tied families to each other by birth or marriage. The communities of the seventeenth-century had many marriages and remarriages that created a sort of large family, which is difficult for me to understand. In-laws and distant cousins were known as brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and cousins. This relationship was very important in the social, economic life of the community, because it helped to develop trading networks and investments. However, I found the idea of the perfect family in Puritan society to be quite disturbing. The women were punished if they refused to have sex with their husbands. Adultery committed by them was held over their head till death. The children lost their inheritance if they didn't
Mr. Worley
History 120
20, June 2013
Chapter 4 TWWL Response Paper When I hear the word puritan, I think of perfect families, with perfect children, who live together in a harmonious, yet extremely strict atmosphere. In all honesty, I wanted to know the actual definition. When I googled puritan, I found a few different meanings. The one that is easiest for me to understand came from “The free dictionary.com. It says, “Scrupulous moral rigor, especially hostility to social pleasures and indulgences with extreme, often excessive strictness in moral or religious matters. I believe no family is perfect, so I was excited to read the Essay. In “The Godly Family of Colonial Massachusetts,” the society’s structure is shown to be built strictly around religion. The towns in which the Puritans dwelled were centered on living religiously and upholding Christian values, especially in regards to having a close-knit loving family. Puritans didn’t really think of their family as a private household, but as an essential part of society. The father was the authority figure in the family. He represented his family and supported the family. His wife, servants, and children were to submit to his authority. Communities often tied families to each other by birth or marriage. The communities of the seventeenth-century had many marriages and remarriages that created a sort of large family, which is difficult for me to understand. In-laws and distant cousins were known as brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and cousins. This relationship was very important in the social, economic life of the community, because it helped to develop trading networks and investments. However, I found the idea of the perfect family in Puritan society to be quite disturbing. The women were punished if they refused to have sex with their husbands. Adultery committed by them was held over their head till death. The children lost their inheritance if they didn't