Predestination
The Calvinist doctrine that God has foreordained some people to be saved and some to be damned.
Ex. "Good works could not save those whom 'predestination' had marked for the infernal fires.
Elect
In Calvinist doctrine, those who have been chosen by God for salvation.
Ex. "But neither could the elect count on their predetermined salvation....
Conversion
A religious turn to God, thought by Calvinists to involve an intense, identifiable person experience.
Ex. "They constantly sought, in themselves and others, signs of 'conversion.' ...
Visible saints
In Calvinism, those who publicly proclaimed their experience of conversion and were expect to lead godly lives.
Ex. "all Puritans agreed that only 'visible saints' should be admitted to church membership.
Calling
In Protestantism, the belief that saved individuals have a religious obligation to engage in worldly work.
Ex. "Like John Winthrop, the [the Puritans] believed in the doctrine of a 'calling' to do God's work on this Earth.
Heresy
Departure from correct or officially defined belief.
Ex. "... she eventually boasted that she had come by her beliefs through a direct revelation from God. This was even higher heresy.
Seditious
Concerning resistance to or rebellion against the government.
Ex. "[His was] a seditious blow at the Puritan idea of government's very purpose.
Commonwealth
An organized civil government or social order.
Ex. "They were allowed, in effect, to become semiautonomous commonwealths.
Autocratic
Absolute or dictatorial rule.
Ex. "An autocratic spirit survived, and the aristocratic element gained strength....
Passive resistance
Nonviolent action or opposition to authority in accord with religious or moral beliefs.
Ex. "As advocated of passive resistance, [the Quakers] would ... rebuild their meetinghouse on the site where their enemies had torn it down.
Asylum
A place of refuge and security, especially for the persecuted or unfortunate.
Ex. "Eager to establish an asylum for his people....
Proprietary
Concerning exclusive legal ownership, as of colonies granted to individuals by the monarch.
Ex. "Penn's new proprietary regime was unusually liberal....
Naturalization
The granting of citizenship to foreigners or immigrants.
Ex. "No restrictions were placed on immigration, and naturalization was made easy.
Blue laws
Laws designed to restrict personal behavior in accord with a strict code of morality.
Ex. "Even so, there were some 'blue laws' aimed at 'ungodly revelers.'....
Ethnic
Concerning diverse peoples or cultures, specifically those of non-Anglo-Saxon background.
Ex. "...Pennsylvania attracted a rich mix of ethnic groups.
Protestant ethic
Mid 1600's; a commitment made by the Puritans in which they seriously dwelled on working and pursuing worldly affairs.
Mayflower Compact (1620)
A contract made by the voyagers on the Mayflower agreeing that they would form a simple government where majority ruled.
Fundamental Orders
In 1639 the Connecticut River colony settlers had an open meeting and they established a constitution called the Fundamental Orders. It made a Democratic government. It was the first constitution in the colonies and was a beginning for the other states' charters and constitutions.
Navigation Laws
In the 1660's England restricted the colonies; They couldn't trade with other countries. The colonies were only allowed to trade with England.
The Puritans
They were a group of religious reformists who wanted to "purify" the Anglican Church. Their ideas started with John Calvin in the 16th century and they first began to leave England in 1608. Later voyages came in 1620 with the Pilgrims and in 1629, which was the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
General Court
A Puritan representative assembly elected by the freemen; they assisted the governor; this was the early form of Puritan democracy in the 1600's
Separatists
Pilgrims that started out in Holland in the 1620's who traveled over the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower. These were the purest, most extreme Pilgrims existing, claiming that they were too strong to be discouraged by minor problems as others were.
Quakers
Members of the Religious Society of Friends; most know them as the Quakers. They believe in equality of all peoples and resist the military. They also believe that the religious authority is the decision of the individual (no outside influence.) Settled in Pennsylvania.
Massachusetts Bay Colony
One of the first settlements in New England; established in 1630 and became a major Puritan colony. Became the state of Massachusetts, originally where Boston is located. It was a major trading center, and absorbed the Plymouth community
Dominion of New England
In 1686, New England, in conjunction with New York and New Jersey, consolidated under the royal authority -- James II. Charters and self rule were revoked, and the king enforced mercantile laws. The new setup also made for more efficient administration of English Navigation Laws, as well as a better defense system. The Dominion ended in 1688 when James II was removed from the throne.
Pilgrims
Separatists; worried by "Dutchification" of their children they left Holland on the Mayflower in 1620; they landed in Massachusetts; they proved that people could live in the new world
New England Confederation
New England Confederation was a Union of four colonies consisting of the two Massachusetts colonies (The Bay colony and Plymouth colony) and the two Connecticut colonies (New Haven and scattered valley settlements) in 1643. The purpose of the confederation was to defend against enemies such as the Indians, French, Dutch, and prevent intercolonial problems that effected all four colonies.
Calvinism
Set of beliefs that the Puritans followed. In the 1500's John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, preached virtues of simple worship, strict morals, pre-destination and hard work. This resulted in Calvinist followers wanting to practice religion, and it brought about wars between Huguenots (French Calvinists) and Catholics, that tore the French kingdom apart.
Predestination
Primary idea behind Calvinism; states that salvation or damnation are foreordained and unalterable; first put forth by John Calvin in 1531; was the core belief of the Puritans who settled New England in the seventeenth century.
Freemen
Colonial period; term used to describe indentured servants who had finished their terms of indenture and could live freely on their own land.
visible saints
A religious belief developed by John Calvin held that a certain number of people were predestined to go to heaven by God. This belief in the elect, or "visible saints," figured a major part in the doctrine of the Puritans who settled in New England during the 1600's.
covenant
A binding agreement made by the Puritans whose doctrine said the whole purpose of the government was to enforce God's laws. This applied to believers and non-believers.
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Revolution was a religious revolution, during the 16th century. It ended the supremacy of the Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant Churches. Martin Luther and John Calvin were influential in the Protestant Revolution.
King Philip II
He was king of Spain during 1588. During this year he sent out his Spanish Armada against England. He lost the invasion of England. Philip II was also the leader against the Protestant Reformation.
John Cotton
John Cotton, a puritan who was a fiery early clergy educated at Cambridge University, emigrated to Massachusetts to avoid persecution by the church of England. He defended the government's duty to enforce religious rules. He preached and prayed up to six hours in a single day.
Sir Edmond Andros
Head of the Dominion of New England in 1686, militaristic, disliked by the colonists because of his affiliation with the Church of England, changed many colonial laws and traditions without the consent of the representatives, tried to flee America after England's Glorious Revolution, but was caught and shipped to England
Patroonship
Patroonship was vast Dutch feudal estates fronting the Hudson River in the early 1600's. They were granted to promoters who agreed to settle fifty people on them.
Thomas Hooker
1635; a Boston Puritan, brought a group of fellow Boston Puritans to newly founded Hartford, Connecticut.
William Penn
English Quaker;" Holy Experiment"; persecuted because he was a Quaker; 1681 he got a grant to go over to the New World; area was Pennsylvania; "first American advertising man"; freedom of worship there
John Winthrop
John Winthrop immigrated from the Mass. Bay Colony in the 1630's to become the first governor and to led a religious experiment. He once said, "we shall be a city on a hill.
Henry Hudson
Discovered what today is known as the Hudson River. Sailed for the Dutch even though he was originally from England. He was looking for a northwest passage through North America.
William Bradford
A pilgrim that lived in a north colony called Plymouth Rock in 1620. He was chosen governor 30 times. He also conducted experiments of living in the wilderness and wrote about them; well known for "Of Plymouth Plantation.
Peter Stuyvesant
A Dutch General; He led a small military expedition in 1664. He was known as "Father Wooden Leg". Lost the New Netherlands to the English. He was governor of New Netherlands
John Calvin
John Calvin was responsible for founding Calvinism, which was reformed Catholicism. He writes about it in "Institutes of a Christian Religion" published in 1536. He believed God was all knowing and everyone was predestined for heaven or hell.