Lecture 6 - The Puritans and Education

1630 - Puritans establish Massachusetts Bay Colony (Boston)
Charles I (King of England) granted charter for Massachusetts Bay Colony (the Massachusetts Bay Company was mostly Puritan businessmen).  John Winthrop was chosen to be governor.  In 1630, 700 Puritans sailed for Massachusetts.  The Puritans hoped to offer the world a complete example of Christian civilization.  Governor Winthrop challenged his people with the words: "for we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill, the eyes of all people [shall be] upon us."  They established the city of Boston and several other towns.  By 1642, about 25,000 Puritans had migrated to New England.  

Important political principles that were emphasized:
1. the government should be limited by the consent of the governed
2. citizens should participate in government by choosing their leaders
3. government should protect private property

The Puritans did not clearly separate the church and state (They still members of the Church of England, which they tried to purify, and this was the ruling authority).  This led to political and religious problems.  Within churches, it led to hypocrisy instead of purity.  Outside the churches, it led to discrimination and even persecution. 

Puritans promoted biblical morality, individual responsibility, industry, frugality, and education.  The "Puritan Work Ethic" (AKA as Protestant Work Ethic) believed that work was a gift from God and a way to glorify Him.  Puritans believed education nearly as important as the preaching of God's word.  Freedom can survive only among educated people capable of ruling themselves wisely. 

1636 - Harvard is founded
America’s first university was founded by Reverend John Harvard (Puritan). He gave half of his property and his entire library to start this institution in the town of Cambridge, next to Boston.  "For Christ and the Church" is its official motto.

The founders of Harvard stated the purpose of the college as:

Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore lay Christ in the bottom, as the foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.  

The college was for maintaining educated ministers, to perpetuate the clergy. 

106 of the first 108 colleges in America were founded on the Christian faith.  By the time of the Civil War non-religious universities could be counted on one hand.  The first universities, where were really seminaries (no like most modern seminaries though), were started for the central purpose of perpetuating a learned clergy.