The Puritans

THE PURITANSThe Early Settlers of New England

The Puritans certainly were a curious people that are easy targets for people to make fun of today.

However, they have had a tremendous influence on our culture. Many of their

ideas and beliefs are still being practiced today, (although often in a much less strict or serious way). The following are some Puritan and other

beliefs still alive in New England.

BELIEFS CONCERNING BABIES

Monday’s child is fair of face,Tuesday’s child is full of grace.Wednesday’s child is dour and sad,Thursday’s child is merry and glad.Friday’s child is loving and giving, Saturday’s child must work for a living.But the child that is born on the Sabbath Day,Is blithe and bonny, good and gay.

If a baby does not fall out of bed at least once before he is a year old, it will grow up to be an idiot.

If a baby sneezes more than once on the day it is born, it will become a financial expert.

If a baby is born with one or more teeth, it will become involved in a business associated with food.

If a baby looks into a mirror before it is a year old, it will become an actor.

If a baby lifts one of its hands when it gives its first cry at birth, it will become a leader of men.

If a baby’s nails are cut with metal scissors before it is a year old, it will become a criminal.

If a baby smiles at everyone who comes near it, the baby will become a lawyer.

If a baby cries on its first birthday, it will become a minister or priest.

MARRIAGE BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS

It will be an unhappy marriage if:

*The bride does not wear something “old” something “new”, something “borrowed”, and something “blue”.

*Someone other than the bride is the first to cut the wedding cake.

*The bride puts her wedding dress on more than an hour before the ceremony.

*The groom does not dance with the oldest woman guest at the reception.

*Anyone sneezes three times during the ceremony.

It will be a happy marriage if the sun shines any time during the day of the wedding.

If unmarried girls who attended the wedding sleep with a piece of the cake under their pillow, they will dream of their future husband.

The bridesmaid who catches the bouquet will be the next to be married.

Throwing rice, a symbol of fertility, helps insure that the marriage will be blessed with children. It also keeps evil spirits busy so they can’t harm the newly wedded couple.

At least one of the couples in a double wedding will be divorced within five years.

If the groom falls asleep before the bride on the wedding night, he will die before she does.

Since there is no beginning or end in a circle, the wedding ring that the groom places on the finger of his bride symbolizes his wish that their union will last forever.

Strangers, your home will be broken into, and a number of valuables stolen.

A wedding or a mountain, a close friend will soon die. A beautiful woman in a red dress, you will go on a long trip. A nest, you will receive an unexpected gift. Getting your hair cut, you will be invited to a party. A fire in your house, you will inherit some money. A crying baby, your harvest will be disastrously small. A laughing baby, your harvest will be larger than anticipated.

BELIEFS ASSOCIATED WITH DREAMS

IF YOU DREAM OF:

A man’s hat, you will be successful in any venture you start in the next seven days.

A woman’s hat, you will be unsuccessful in any venture you start in the next seven days.

Death, you will hear from a friend you thought had died. Bread, you will be blessed with good fortune for thirty days. Flowers, you will become seriously ill in a short time. Corn, you will become involved in an extremely lucrative business

venture. Any grain other than corn, a close relative will soon have a baby. A snowstorm, one of your relatives will be dead within a year. Teeth or hair, one of your relatives will become ill. Of falling from a great height, you will find something that you

thought you had lost. A drowning, one of your favorite books will disappear.

THE BOOGEY MAN WILL GET

YOU!!!

The boogey man is one of the evil spirits brought to New England by the early settlers. Although he is capable of assuming a number of different shapes, he can almost always be identified by his bright red eyes that glow in the dark. One of his duties is to punish children who have been very bad during the day, but his most important responsibility is to carry off incorrigible children to a place where they will never get enough to eat, and from where they will never be able to return to see any of their family or friends.

THE PURITANS, AS PREVIOUSLY TAUGHT TO YOU, LED A VERY STRICT LIFESTYLE. THEY HAD CERTAIN RULES THAT WERE

MEANT TO BE FOLLOWED, AND IF A PERSON GOT OUT OF LINE, THERE

WERE CERTAIN PUNISHMENTS. THE FOLLOWING ARE ALL PUNISHMENTS

THAT EXISTED IN THE WORLD OF THE PURITANS.

A MONETARY FINE OF PERHAPS5, 10, OR 20 SHILLINGS

PUBLIC SHAME OR SCORN

USED TO EMBARRASS OR

HUMILIATE

RECEIVING A SET NUMBER OF LASHINGS OR WHIPPINGS

HEAD AND HANDS IN THE PILLORY

FEET IN THE STOCKS

BRANDING OF THE HAND, CHEEK, FOREHEAD, OR ANOTHER BODY PART FOR

VARIOUS CRIMES

HAVING A HAND CUT

OFF

SPENDING TIME IN JAIL

PIERCING OF THE TONGUE WITH PINS

BEING FORCED TO WEAR A

LETTER NAMING A SIN, SUCH AS

AN “A” FOR ADULTERY, OR A

“G” FOR GAMBLING

BANISHMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY

HANGING FOR

HERETICAL (RADICAL)

BELIEFS OR WITCHCRAFT

THE DUCKING STOOL

PLUNGED THE

ACCUSED INTO

WATER

THE DRUNKARDS CLOAK WAS USED TO DISCOURAGE

PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS

THE BRANKS

CONTAINED A PIECE OF

METAL WITH A SPIKE ON

IT

THE FOLLOWING ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF “SINFUL BEHAVIOR” PEOPLE LIVING IN PURITAN NEW ENGLAND MAY HAVE

BEEN ACCUSED OF.

I WILL SHARE THE SITUATION WITH YOU, AND YOUR JOB IS TO PREDICT WHAT THE PUNISHMENT MAY HAVE

BEEN.

SITUATION A: BREAKING THE SABBATH

In Puritan life Sundays are set aside as a serious day of communion between man and his maker—a day of worship, sacrifice, and prayer. Breaking the Sabbath is everybody’s business in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The accused was caught violating the Lord’s Day by chopping wood to heat his house and to cook food for his family. His wife on the same day, sang and danced under the trees in the brilliant sunshine. She said she was doing it “to celebrate her happiness.” Several of her children were seen dancing and laughing with her. The husband should control himself, as well as his wife and children.

PREDICT THE USUAL PUNISHMENT

A 10-SHILLING FINE

OR

5 LASHES WITH A WHIP

SITUATION B: GAMBLING

In Puritan society, gambling—in any form– is strictly forbidden. It is a sinful violation of the law of honesty and industry. A man’s work, not chance, should determine his success in life. The accused was caught with a deck of cards he brought over from England and kept hidden. He had asked several friends from Salem Village to join him in games of cards involving money. Dice were seen at one such gathering. Just to possess dice or cards is illegal.


WEAR A “G” ON CHEST

OR

A FINE OF 20 SHILLINGS

OR

10 “STRIPES” OR WHIPPINGS

SITUATION C: THEFT

In one of the Bible’s Ten Commandments, stealing is condemned. The accused, during a brief “starving time” last February, stole bacon, ham, and venison from the smoke house belonging to the community’s blacksmith, John Armstrong. He also took several pints of oatmeal from the entryway. The Armstrong family could ill-afford the loss of food from its supply as the wife expects their fourth child in June. The nefarious act of thievery shows a lack of discipline and self-reliance, to say little of the absence of good work habits and self-respect.


BRAND A HT (HOG THIEF) ON FOREHEAD

OR


OR

CUTTING OFF ONE HAND

SITUATION D: IDLENESS

Idleness is scorned in the Puritan community. It is like a quicksand waiting to devour the weak and lazy. Devoted Puritans must carry their own load in society. As the Bible’s book of Proverbs says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise.” After his crops failed, the accused has refused to work at jobs cleaning out privies (toilets) offered by townspeople. He said, “Such degrading tasks are beneath me, for I have spent two years studying at Harvard College.” Recently, he has lived off relatives for six months, a real burden for that family. Any money he earns now seems to go for grog and cards.


3 DAYS IN THE PILLORY

OR

JAIL TIME UNTIL HE FINDS A JOB

SITUATION E: SELLING GUNS TO INDIANS

Relations with the local Indians have not always been good, especially the Pequot tribe. Nevertheless, the accused did, in fact, store up excess gunpowder and guns and decided to sell, at a profit, both these materials to a potential enemy of this holy community. The savages have little respect for rules of war or for the Christian society that we Puritans represent. This is a second offense for this crime, and this amoral man must be severely punished as an example for the whole community.


JAIL TIME

OR

BRANDING OF THE CHEEK WITH AN “I” USING A HOT IRON

SITUATION F: REBELLION AGAINST PARENTS

We Puritans have a law which states that if any child above age 16 curses, smites, or is rebellious towards his father or mother, or does not obey his parent’s command, such a son may be put to death by his natural parents. The accused has run away to another village after refusing to obey his father’s command to clean up the animal pens near the barn. This time, the boy brandished a hoe and threatened his father before running off. What will our community’s youth think and do if the accused gets away with behavior such as this which undermines family authority in our society?


IF GUILTY, POTENTIALLY DEATH

OR

MINIMALLY, A PUBLIC WHIPPING AND CONSIDERABLE TIME IN THE STOCKS

SITUATION G: BLASPHEMY/VULGAR LANGUAGE

There is no more certain sign that a person’s moral code has weakened than the use of profanity. Cursing in oaths, using the Lord’s name in vain or anger is an abomination. The 14-year-old accused has used a profane tongue both in and outside the school within the ears of other youth. The elders have reprimanded his parents, but to no avail. In retaliation, the youth was seen throwing two stones at the windows of one elder’s home. The boy even sent an obscene note to the elder’s wife with 24 words of blasphemy and inappropriate comments.


FIVE STRIPES (LASHES) WITH A WHIP

OR

PINS STUCK THROUGH THE TONGUE

SITUATION H: DRUNKENNESS

All Puritans, especially the church elders, are deeply concerned about excessive drinking in our community taverns and inns. The sin is drinking in excess, when words are slurred and behavior—vomiting and lisping—is outrageous. Our community must always remember the Bible’s warning: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosever is deceived thereby is not wise.” The accused spends much of his time in the Leaning Tree Tavern and imbibes copious amounts of beer and alcohol, and not for reasons of body warmth in the winter. He wastes several shillings a week on grog, money which would be better spent on his family.


A 10-SHILLING FINE

OR


OR

TIME IN THE STOCKS UNTIL SOBER

SITUATION I: ADULTERY

Adultery, when one of our members is unfaithful outside his or her Christian marriage, is a dreadful sin. This immoral act surely dissolves the trust between man and wife. The two accused—both from two separate marriages—are guilty of being unfaithful. The accused woman is now three months with child by the accused male. The death of his wife a year ago does not release him from this unpardonable and embarrassing sin. The woman accused, tempted the male just as the snake tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.


BOTH MUST WEAR A LARGE LETTER “A”

ON THEIR CLOTHING AT ALL TIMES FOR

AT LEAST A YEAR; THEY MUST MARRY

WITHIN TWO WEEKS

SITUATION J: IMMODESTY, DANCING, AND LONG HAIR

Wickedness abounds in one house in particular. The accused wears loose clothing and short dresses so that she continually displays her flesh (her arms are often bare) like a Biblical harlot. She also wears adornments such as lace embroidery and sashes. She is a mountain of vanity violating the 7th commandment. She even dances in the Leaning Tree Tavern with a long-haired sailor, and their bodies frequently touch in an inappropriate manner.


A PUBLIC REPRIMAND

OR

TIME IN THE STOCKS

OR

CUT HAIR SHORT

SITUATION K: HERESY

No crime within the Puritan religion is worse or more dangerous than heresy—challenging the orthodox church doctrine with false and evil ideas. Such is the case of the accused. She has defended the Catholic faith, attacked the Church of England, and currently harbors two Quaker youth within the home. At times witnesses have seen the accused making faces during the sermons on Sunday. Once she is said to have taken coins out of the collection plate. She stares right in the eyes of the elders and other males, showing no shame when she is accused of not being the ideal wife recommended by the Apostle Paul in the Bible.



OR

HANGING FOR HERETICAL IDEAS

SITUATION L: GOSSIPING

A Puritan who spreads malicious rumors does the community no good. Women especially have a weakness that results in their talking negatively about other women and children. Our Twelve Good Rules state that we should “repeat no grievances, reveal no secrets, and maintain no ill opinions.” The accused woman has continually been gossiping, even in the company of men outside her family. She is causing all our community’s women to snoop into everyone’s lives from dawn to dusk. Fires of rumors are burning all of us, and suspicion is loose in the land.



OR

ONE’S TONGUE BRANDED WITH A “G”

OR

SEVERAL DIPS ON THE DUCKING STOOL

GROUP ACTIVITY

Break yourselves into groups of 3 or 4 I will randomly present each of you

with an activity card Read the card, and prepare a 2-3

minute response to share with the class.

GROUP #1 Does public humiliation help prevent

future crime? Should corporal punishment (swatting

with a paddle), be allowed in public schools today?

Would your behavior improve if you knew you might have to spend time in the stocks?

GROUP #2 The Massachusetts Bay Colony actually

had a law (1633) that stated: “No one could spend time idly or unprofitably.”

Is idleness in any society bad for its people?

Suggestions for today’s stress management usually include “doing nothing” and enjoying it. Is there danger in idleness?

GROUP #3 In 1994, an 18-year-old American was

caned as punishment for crimes committed in Singapore.

Was being beaten with a cane “cruel and unusual punishment” for his crime of spray-painting several expensive cars?

Was the U. S. justified in asking the young man to not be caned because he was a U. S. citizen?

GROUP #4 What particular

advantages/disadvantages would you see if the Sabbath (Sunday) were set aside for meditation and renewal, with athletic events forbidden, movie theaters, and shopping malls closed, etc.?

GROUP #5 Puritans made 16 the age when youth

could be put to death for irresponsibility, cursing, or general rebelliousness.

Would the behavior of 16-year-old individuals change dramatically if this particular law were enforced today?

What if school administrators used the stocks, pillory, or ducking stools instead of detention or suspension?

GROUP #6 Are people you talk about for being

“Puritanical” or “goody goodies” laughable and silly, or are they just better, superior, and more civilized than the rest of our society? Explain.

GROUP #7 Since the Biblical method of stoning was

considered cruel punishment, the Puritans adopted hanging as a common form of execution. At these hangings, large crowds gathered to witness criminals and heretics (rebels) die by the noose.

Do we today flock to scenes of car accidents in much the same way? What attracts human beings to death and suffering?

GROUP #8 The Puritans obeyed several “good

rules” to help them be good. Examples were: Pick no Fights, Reveal

no Secrets, and Lay no Wagers (bets). Create 4 or 5 rules you think would

improve our society if most Americans obeyed them.

GROUP #9 What do you think a 17th-century

Puritan and a Las Vegas rock star would talk about if they met and walked down the streets of Las Vegas at midnight this decade?

Documents

The Puritans