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1、CHAPTER1ColonialAmericaAmericanPuritanismThesettlementoftheNorthAmericancontinentbytheEnglishbeganintheearlypartoftheseventeenthcentury.ThefirstsettlerswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthemPuritans.TheycametoAmericaoutofvariousreaso
2、ns,butitshouldberememberedthattheywereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheycarriedwiththemtoAmericaacodeofvalues,aphilosophyoflife,andapointofview,which,intime,tookrootintheNewWorldandbecamewhatispopularlyknownasAmeri
3、canPuritanism.AdominantfactorinAmericanlife,AmericanPuritanismwasoneofthemostenduringshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.Ithasbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,ratherthanasetoftenets,somuchapartofthenationalculturalatmospherethattheAme
4、ricansbreathe,thatwemaystatewithadegreeofsafetythat,withoutsomeunderstandingofPuritanism,therecanbenorealunderstandingofAmericancultureandliterature.AlthoughtheEnglishgovernmentsawthecolonizationoftheNorthAmericancontinentasameansofalleviatingitsownproblems,al
5、argenumberofthesettlersthemselveslefthomeinthefirstyearsoftheseventeenthcenturyinearnestquestofanidealoftheirown.Itistruethattheywishedtoescapereligiouspersecution-andtheEnglishgovernmentregardeditsAmericancolonyasanidealdumpinggroundfortheundesirables,butthey
6、werealsodeterminedtofindaplacewheretheycouldworshipinthewaytheythoughttrueChristiansshould.Whentheyarrivedandsawthevirginforests,thevirginland,andthevastexpanseofwildernessthatstretchedmilesaroundbeforethem,theybecameawarethatGodmusthavesentthemthereforadefini
7、tepurposeandthat,asGod'schosenpeople,theyweremeanttoreestablishacommonwealthbasedontheteachingsoftheBible,restorethelostparadise,andbuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.Whatevertheythoughtmightjeopardizetheirendeavortobuildtheir"CityofGodonearth"was,therefor
8、e,nottobetolerated.Hence,forinstance,theruthlesspersecutionofdissentingindividualsanddenominationsfortheirheresies.TheAmericanPuritans,liketheirbrothersbackinEngland,wereidealists,
