What You Didn't Know About the Puritans l Facts About Puritan Beliefs

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As a result of the reformation, King Henry VIII made himself supreme head of the Church of England. "England shall be taken, accepted, and reputed the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England," he declared. But many believed that the Church of England remained rooted in Roman Catholic liturgy and a group of dissenters became established. The group of unsatisfied worshipers tried to reform the church. However, they utterly failed to change policies, so they broke off into their own group to follow their own hearts. After receiving persecution from the church and the crown, the Puritans set their course into history. Their legacy continues today. Today, when we think of the Puritans, images of Thanksgiving with the Indians come to mind. We think of big hats with buckles and the foundation they set for social order in New England. But they also brought over brought over unique perspectives into the New World. Here is what you didn't know about the Puritans.

They Were Not to Blame for Salem

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They were not hysterical about witchcraft as some might believe. This came from the Salem witch trials and the Puritans were often charged for being leaders in the witch hunts that led to the trial. Yes, they were involved, but they are often blamed for spearheading the effort. People during the time of the 1600s were commonly involved in sniffing out witches. More than half of the people tried during the Salem witch trials were acquitted. Every person during that era, including England, believed that there were witches at the time. After the witch trial ended, mass hysteria started and created a panic in New England villages. Besides the Puritans, there were numerous people who hunted witches down during that time.

Their Relationship With the Indians

The Puritans treated the Indians better than most settlers in New England. Yes, they did not trust the Native Americans since they viewed them as savages and barbarians. But eventually, they did business with them in neighboring settlements and sometimes they even worshiped together. During the King Phillips War, many of the settlers refused to fight against their Indian neighbors. The Quakers were more brutal as they launched a cultural genocide of the Indians. The Quakers were in charge of some Indian reservations and viewed the Indians as subalterns. The Puritans, who could be brutal, looked to convert first before taking radical measures.

They Banned Christmas

One reason that the Puritans left the Church of England was that they wanted idolatry abolished. The Puritans believed that Christmas festivities led to drunkenness, sex and excessive pleasure. There was a ringmaster to drive the masses in this endeavor. Oliver Cromwell not only banned music and theater, but the English military leader and political leader banned Christmas. He believed that a Puritan needs to be pure and live a good life. “Puritans believed Christmas was basically just a pagan custom that the Catholics took over without any biblical basis for it. The holiday had everything to do with the time of year, the solstice and Saturnalia and nothing to do with Christianity.” Cromwell was not a popular figure given his reputation and it was suspected that he was poisoned. However, he propelled the grim reputation of the Puritans as being pious and the ones who banned Christmas.