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1、CHAPTER1ColonialAmericaAmericanPuritanismThesettlementoftheNorthAmericancontinentbytheEnglishbeganintheearlypartoftheseventeenthcentury.ThefirstsettlerswhobecamethefoundingfathersoftheAmericannationwerequiteafewofthemPuritans.TheycametoAmericaoutofvariousreasons,butitshouldb
2、erememberedthattheywereagroupofserious,religiouspeople,advocatinghighlyreligiousandmoralprinciples.TheycarriedwiththemtoAmericaacodeofvalues,aphilosophyoflife,andapointofview,which,intime,tookrootintheNewWorldandbecamewhatispopularlyknownasAmericanPuritanism.Adominantfactori
3、nAmericanlife,AmericanPuritanismwasoneofthemostenduringshapinginfluencesinAmericanthoughtandAmericanliterature.Ithasbecome,tosomeextent,somuchastateofmind,ratherthanasetoftenets,somuchapartofthenationalculturalatmospherethattheAmericansbreathe,thatwemaystatewithadegreeofsafe
4、tythat,withoutsomeunderstandingofPuritanism,therecanbenorealunderstandingofAmericancultureandliterature.AlthoughtheEnglishgovernmentsawthecolonizationoftheNorthAmericancontinentasameansofalleviatingitsownproblems,alargenumberofthesettlersthemselveslefthomeinthefirstyearsofth
5、eseventeenthcenturyinearnestquestofanidealoftheirown.Itistruethattheywishedtoescapereligiouspersecution-andtheEnglishgovernmentregardeditsAmericancolonyasanidealdumpinggroundfortheundesirables,buttheywerealsodeterminedtofindaplacewheretheycouldworshipinthewaytheythoughttrueC
6、hristiansshould.Whentheyarrivedandsawthevirginforests,thevirginland,andthevastexpanseofwildernessthatstretchedmilesaroundbeforethem,theybecameawarethatGodmusthavesentthemthereforadefinitepurposeandthat,asGod'schosenpeople,theyweremeanttoreestablishacommonwealthbasedontheteac
7、hingsoftheBible,restorethelostparadise,andbuildthewildernessintoanewGardenofEden.Whatevertheythoughtmightjeopardizetheirendeavortobuildtheir"CityofGodonearth"was,therefore,nottobetolerated.Hence,forinstance,theruthlesspersecutionofdissentingindividualsanddenominationsforthei
8、rheresies.TheAmericanPuritans,liketheirbrothersbackinEngland,wereidealists,
