A Puritan Community and the Enlightened Individual
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The Puritans were a group of Christians who fell out of favor with the Roman Catholic practices. As reformed Protestants, they undertook a new theology which gave birth to the rise of many important literacy authors such as William Bradford and John Winthrop. Another important conflict in history with the Roman Catholic Church and government sparked the enlightenment era. During this time in the 18th century, philosophy boomed with ideas of individual liberty and scientific pursuit in turn leading way to more well-known authors such as Benjamin Franklin and Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. Both groups of writers were skilled in their literacy arts, but were separated by ideals. The puritan writers often emphasized the importance of community, while enlightenment writers emphasized the importance of the individual.
William Bradford was a famous Puritan who served as governor for the Plymouth colony. He was actually on board the Mayflower and was a signer of the Mayflower Compact. His most famous work, “Of Plymouth Plantation” details his travels and the organization of the pilgrim community. He expresses the events throughout this story through the perspective of the pilgrims as a group. William Bradford writes “ So, night coming on, they made their rendezvous and set out their sentinels, and rested in quiet that night, and the next morning followed their track till they had headed a great creek…” (Bradford 77). At this point in the story, Bradford is describing the pilgrims and Native Americans as two communities instead of individual units. Using words like they and their to describe each group magnifies the overall community aspect. Bradford also writes, “All the while the Indians came skulking about them, and would sometimes show themselves aloof off, but when any approached near them, they would run away.” (Bradford 83). This also shows his context grouping simple individuals into one mind. Besides certain characters throughout the story such as Squanto, most of the characters were the groups themselves.
John Winthrop was another Puritan writer who began writing to emphasize his beliefs. Winthrop with the ideals of a selfless community writes, “Thirdly, that every man might have need of other, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in the bonds of brotherly affection.” (Winthrop 91). Clearly the praise and the desire for the community to become a stronger faction during these times of up heel within the church caused puritan authors to write community ideals.
Enlightenment writers on the other hand focused on the individual and their needs. One writer during this time in conflict with the Catholic Church was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin’s “The Autobiography” expresses certain individualism, the title itself shows that he is focused on one’s self. Franklin writes, “And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all Humility to acknowledge that I owe the mentioned happiness of my past life to his kind providence, which led me to the means I us’d and gave them success.” (Franklin 249). This shows his individualism the speaker acknowledging himself and his