LATE SIXTEENTH AND EARLY SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES
 The movement was primarily religious, but due
to the close ties in England between religion and
government, it affected politics and society as
well.
 The Puritans immediate goal was to reform, or
“purify,” the Church of England by eliminating
certain Roman Catholic traditions.
 As protestants, the Puritans rejected the belief that
divine authority is channeled though one particular
person, such as a pope.
 Instead they believed individuals had the power to
receive spiritual enlightenment directly from the
teachings of the bible.
 Puritans also objected to the “top-to-
bottom” structure of the national church, in
which the king or queen appointed bishops,
who, in turn selected local ministers.
 Puritans wanted a bottom-to-top structure
in which congregations chose their own
ministers.
 Puritans spread their vision through their
writings—political pamphlets, books of
religious instruction, and stirring sermons,
which were published and widely read.
 While Queen Elizabeth I and her successor King
James I generally tolerated the Puritans, King
Charles I, James’ son and successor, did not.
 Charles angered Puritans, and moderate
Protestants alike by supporting plans to restore
some Roman Catholic traditions and strengthen
the power of the bishops.
 In response, some Puritans left England for
America.
 Those who stayed steadily gained power in
Parliament.
Elizabeth I
James I
Charles I
Charles II
 Political tension soon
erupted into civil wars,
and in 1649 the king was
found guilty of treason
and beheaded.
 A new government, the
Commonwealth, headed
by the Puritan Oliver
Cromwell, took over.
 Once in power, the Puritans tried to make
English society conform to their strict
beliefs.
 They forbade the celebration of Christmas
and Easter.
 They prohibited activities such as playing
chess and dancing.
 All public theaters were closed, and
writers risked being censored unless their
work supported the Puritan way of life.
 Despite these restrictions, the Puritan era
did produce enduring literature.
 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress was one of
the most influential books of its time.
 John Milton, best known today as the author
of Paradise Lost, a masterpiece epic of
poetry, wrote fiery pamphlets in support of
the Puritan cause as well as pamphlets
supporting religious and civil liberties.
 The unpopular Commonwealth ended in
1660, when the monarchy was restored, but
the Puritans left their mark.
 Their religious and political beliefs
influenced attitudes in both England and
America for centuries to come.