■ Li Jin
Puritanism came into being in England in 17 and 18 centuries, and then the Puritans set foot on the North American continent to escape political and religious persecution. As the earliest immigrants in New England, Puritans and their Puritanism had a far-reaching influence on the politics, economy and culture of the North American colonies and played an important role in the formation of mainstream American culture and values.
[Keywords:] Puritanism; American society; American values
[Author Brief Introduction] Li Jin, a graduate student majoring in English language and literature in graduate department, Tianjin International Studies University. His research direction is American social culture.
Puritanism and American culture
American culture originated from Puritanism and was introduced to North America from Puritanism. The mainstream values of the United States can be traced back to the Puritan culture that ruled the world during the colonial period.
Puritans were reformists in the English church in the middle of16th century with Calvinism as the banner. They were persecuted because they were dissatisfied with the church reform and demanded the elimination of corruption, and then fled to the North American continent and took root in Puritanism in the United States. They advocate frugality and clean life and hope to build their own mountain city in the new world.
Puritans constituted the main body of North American immigrants at that time, especially in northern New England. Puritanism became the common value of people at that time, and the ideas they advocated mainly included piety, humility, seriousness, honesty and diligence. Under these values, the Puritans overcame all kinds of difficulties without fear of strange and dangerous environment, and soon gained prosperity and prosperity in the wild land. Therefore, they are more convinced of their Puritanism and ambitiously expand their territory. American history is indeed a history of continuous expansion to the west, and the values of Puritanism have also spread to a wider land. "In the vicissitudes of more than 200 years, American culture has absorbed the essence of many civilizations in the world like a melting pot and has become a pluralistic, open and distinctive cultural system. It contains almost all races, nationalities, religions, values and academics in the world, but it has always been dominated by WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestantism) culture, and its core is the Puritan moral tradition of advocating hard work. Historian Bath and others said: "Without understanding American Puritanism, it is impossible to understand American society. "Puritanism laid the foundation of American society, shaped the character of Americans and influenced all aspects of American society.
Second, Puritanism laid the foundation of American democracy.
American democracy is a successful example of world democracy. 1776' s declaration of independence clarified the concept of democracy. The establishment of American democracy depends on early Puritanism.
The ancestors of most American Puritans emigrated to the North American continent in pursuit of freedom and democracy because of persecution at home. The ideological demands of these religious rebels laid the foundation of American democracy.
The first batch of Puritans in North America signed the Mayflower Convention, which embodies the principle that the minority is subordinate to the majority, implements autonomy, and every member enjoys equal and free democratic rights. "The Puritans chose their own priests and managed themselves, which reflected the bourgeoisie's opposition to feudal autocracy and its desire for democracy and republicanism, and became the basis for establishing American-style democracy."
Colonies in New England produced broad-based elected governments, which discussed public affairs and elected representatives to the Great Council. This democratic politics, which started at the grassroots level, laid a solid foundation for future federal democratic politics. Because the colonies were far from the other side of the ocean and domestic political struggles, the British government's rule over the North American colonies was relatively loose. Immigrant ancestors made full use of this freedom and tried to practice the ideal of democracy and freedom. "After a century and a half of colonization, North American immigrants gradually formed an independent new national concept. When the time was ripe, they did not hesitate to issue the Declaration of Independence, announcing the birth of a modern republic and forming a unique democratic system in the United States. The creed of respecting democracy, freedom and equality for all has also become an important aspect of the American value system.
Thirdly, Puritanism and sense of mission
The United States is a country that mainly believes in Protestantism. In the process of migrating to the North American continent, the ancestors of immigrants gradually formed their own national characteristics in the United States on the basis of British Protestantism. One of the most prominent manifestations of this national characteristic is the sense of religious mission gradually formed among Anglo-Saxons. /kloc-At the beginning of the 7th century, a large number of English Puritans crossed the ocean to the North American continent to get rid of religious oppression. "They regard the North American continent as an ideal country for reviving Christianity and a model for establishing a Christian world in the future. In the eyes of these Puritans, they shoulder the mission of saving the world. " With the development of North American colonies and the establishment of the United States of America, "these Anglo-Saxon Puritans thought they were excellent voters of God". Americans firmly believe that their mission is to lead by example to spread freedom and social justice to the whole world and "lead mankind from path of evil to the new Jerusalem on earth" {1 1}. This myth of saving the world from suffering is deeply rooted in American culture and affects Americans' views and attitudes towards the outside world. The Puritans believed that they had a mission to save the world, and they were determined to "live freely in a deserted place according to their own wishes and bring Christ to this distant world" {12}.
They imagine the United States as an "Eden without turmeric and the snake of temptation". Americans are the special voters of God ... We are the pioneers of this world ... The political savior has come, and we do a good thing for the United States and benefit the world. {13}. Melville's words reflect the American sense of mission.
In order to rearrange the world and benefit the world, the United States constantly promotes their American spirit in diplomatic and international affairs. Since the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Americans have always regarded their country as a "beacon of freedom and a bastion of democracy, bringing light to every corner of the world. They provide assistance and support to poor and backward small countries, but at the same time they try their best to control them. Like a big suzerain, he used his hegemonic position to export culture and infiltrate values to most countries in the world through political intervention, economic assistance and military pressure. This "sense of mission" originated from ancient Puritanism.
Fourth, Puritanism has shaped the national character of Americans.
Calvin advocated: "God has absolute freedom to save people, but people can get the confirmation of God's grace through their achievements in the secular career." {15} Puritans generally accepted this concept of professional labor as the only content, believing that hard work can please God, and hard work is the only means to get rich. Puritans consciously worked hard and regarded work as happiness, which prompted them to explore the frontier, conquer nature and cultivate the spirit of adventure and enterprising. This character has made Americans achieve material success. In a short time, developing a barren wilderness into a powerful industrial country has objectively promoted the development of American capitalism.
The value of saving money is also reflected in the fact that Americans worship those who started from scratch. In a society that respects individuals, everyone believes in "God helps those who help themselves" and believes that everyone has equal opportunities and can succeed through hard work. Inspired by this "American Dream", many Americans are self-reliant, get rid of poverty, embark on the road of prosperity and realize their dreams.
Fifth, pay attention to education.
Most Puritans who first arrived in the United States were educated in classical humanities, and they believed that schools would show people the way. Therefore, they have a new educational concept: educated clergy and educated citizens. In order to emphasize the importance of education, the New England colony promulgated the Old Devil Satan Act in 1674, stipulating that every 50 families and towns must appoint a teacher to teach their children to read and write. Every town with 100 households must establish a Latin law school, and those who do not implement this law will be fined. Puritans taught their children that "if they don't learn ABC, they will be stupid all their lives" {16}.
Today's Americans undoubtedly inherited and carried forward the tradition of Puritan ancestors attaching importance to religion. In today's American society, every citizen has the right and obligation to receive education, and every state has laws and regulations on compulsory education. The national illiteracy rate is extremely low, about 1%. At present, about 60 million people in the United States study in schools at different levels, another 9 million people study in vocational schools, and130,000 people receive education through various forms. There are more than 3,500 universities in the United States, which have developed from mass higher education to universal higher education.
Immutable verbs Puritanism and Pioneering Spirit
"Exploring new fields is the basic character of Americans" {17}. The pioneering spirit of Americans also comes from the consciousness of fulfilling the secular responsibility entrusted by God, that is, "the call of God". "As a task entrusted by God, you should do it all your life and do it with all your strength, and you will have a continuous motivation, that is, pioneering spirit" {18}. The immigrant history of Puritans is a tragic, arduous and outstanding entrepreneurial history. Puritanism believes that getting rich is God's demand for its voters, and poverty is a derogatory to the glory given by God. Under this concept, everyone pursues wealth and success, which encourages people to be diligent, pioneering and innovative. "In the barren land of North America, they cut through thorns, went forward bravely, made pioneering efforts, and built a wild land into a vibrant colony" {19}. This indomitable spirit of self-help and independence permeated the whole New England colony and other colonies later, and this positive and enterprising concept had an important influence on Americans. In the eyes of Americans, "survival is full of risks, and enterprising is survival." Anyone who sticks to the rules and drags out an ignoble existence will be swallowed up by the torrent of life sooner or later, and success and hope only belong to those who work hard and persevere. "{20}. This influence has been passed on to generations of Americans, who will never stop chasing the beautiful American dream.
Precautions:
① Attending {11} {15} Chai Huiting: English Puritanism, page 2 12 ~ 297, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press, 1994.
② ③ ⑤ {1 4} Herry Liu: The Puritanism Roots of American Values, Journal of Shenzhen University,No.12004.
④ Zhu Shida: Contemporary American Culture, 1 page, Social Science Literature Publishing House, 200 1 edition.
⑧ ⑨ Yang Weidong: On the Continental Expansion Thought of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Journal of Tianjin Normal University, No.2, 2005.
{12}{ 17} Ethel Trotsky and Martin Trotsky: An Overview of American Culture and Tradition, 30 pages, translated by Chen Weiya, Tourism Education Press, 1989.
{13}{ 19} Chen Hua: Puritanism and the American Spirit, Journal of Sichuan Normal University, No.4, 2004.
{16} Herbert J. Bass, George A. Bilhas and emma jones Lapsanschi: Our American tradition, Silver Burdett Company.
{18} Xiao Zhao: Understanding Western Civilization from the Perspective of Market Theory, Southern Weekend, April 22, 2004.
(20) Rebecca: "From American Spirit to Pragmatism", "Journal of Nanjing University", No 2, 1998.