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1、CHAPTER1ColonialAmericaAmericanPuritanismThesettlementoftheNorthAmericancontinentbytheEnglishbeganintheearlypartoftheseventeenthcentury.ThefirstsettlerswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthemPuritans.TheycametoAmericaoutofvariousreasons,butitshouldberememberedthattheywe
2、reagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheycarriedwiththemtoAmericaacodeofvalues,aphilosophyoflife,andapointofview,which,intime,tookrootintheNewWorldandbecamewhatispopularlyknownasAmericanPuritanism.AdominantfactorinAmericanlife,AmericanPuritanismwasoneofth
3、emostenduringshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.Ithasbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,ratherthanasetoftenets,somuchapartofthenationalculturalatmospherethattheAmericansbreathe,thatwemaystatewithadegreeofsafetythat,withoutsomeunderstandingofPuritanism,therecanbenorealund
4、erstandingofAmericancultureandliterature.AlthoughtheEnglishgovernmentsawthecolonizationoftheNorthAmericancontinentasameansofalleviatingitsownproblems,alargenumberofthesettlersthemselveslefthomeinthefirstyearsoftheseventeenthcenturyinearnestquestofanidealoftheirown.Itistruethattheywishedtoescaper
5、eligiouspersecution-andtheEnglishgovernmentregardeditsAmericancolonyasanidealdumpinggroundfortheundesirables,buttheywerealsodeterminedtofindaplacewheretheycouldworshipinthewaytheythoughttrueChristiansshould.Whentheyarrivedandsawthevirginforests,thevirginland,andthevastexpanseofwildernessthatstre
6、tchedmilesaroundbeforethem,theybecameawarethatGodmusthavesentthemthereforadefinitepurposeandthat,asGod'schosenpeople,theyweremeanttoreestablishacommonwealthbasedontheteachingsoftheBible,restorethelostparadise,andbuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.Whatevertheythoughtmightjeopardizetheirendeav
7、ortobuildtheir"CityofGodonearth"was,therefore,nottobetolerated.Hence,forinstance,theruthlesspersecutionofdissentingindividualsanddenominationsfortheirheresies.TheAmericanPuritans,liketheirbrothersbackinEngland,wereidealists,
