Calvinism and Colonial Social Beliefs

The Impact of John Calvin on American Colonies

Aug 27, 2010 Michael Streich

Calvinism Taught the Importance of Family - Library of Congress Photo Image

John Calvin's theological system served as the core belief structure of many colonial societies including Pilgrims, Puritans, Presbyterians, and Huguenots.

As the 16th Century Reformation swept through central and northern Europe, a variety of differing theological interpretations evolved, each identifying with the greater movement called Protestantism. Within this movement, the teachings of French-born reformer John Calvin had a significant impact on the early English colonies in North America. Although colonial religions exhibited diversity within the movement, many colonial faith traditions represented the beliefs of Calvinism. This included the Pilgrims and Puritans (later the Congregationalists), Presbyterians, Dutch Reformed, and French Huguenots.

Calvinism Put into Practice in Colonial American Communities

John Calvin is often associated with Predestination, taken from his theological interpretation of “limited atonement.” While frequently misunderstood, Calvinists like the Puritans viewed this belief in terms of salvation or election. Members of the elect lived righteous lives which included hard work, keeping the Sabbath, and focusing all aspects of everyday life on giving glory to God.

Loving God was to cherish him and in a real-life experience, that entailed godly pride in everyday tasks. In later generations, this would be referred to as the “Puritan” or “Protestant” work ethic. Every occupation was blessed, whether lowly or socially important, because every man worked to give God glory and to exhibit outwardly to the community that he was a one of the elect.

Education and the Family Based on Calvinism

The Bible was the chief source of inspiration and instruction in any reformed church that followed Calvinism. Jonathan Edwards, the foremost colonial theologian during the Great Awakening, reminded his listeners that the Bible was, “a book that the great Jehovah has given to mankind for their instruction, without which we should be left in miserable darkness and confusion.”

Early childhood education, the purview of mothers in the household, utilized the Bible not only to teach reading and writing, but to instill morality and the cultural and social norms of a Calvinist theocracy (such as in Puritan New England). Harvard, the first college established in Colonial America, was a seminary for ministers and like Princeton, followed the theological principles of John Calvin.

Strong family identification was part of all Protestant beliefs. Much like Martin Luther, Calvin saw the father as the patriarch of the family with absolute authority over wife and children. According to historian Edmund Morgan, the “first premise of Puritan political and social thought” related to the family and focused on how the entrance of evil into the Garden of Eden perverted the perfect relationship between Adam, Eve, and their Creator.

For Puritans and other faith traditions embracing Calvinism, God not only blessed the family but deliberately chose the family through which church and state would evolve. Strong families preserved social order. After detailing Cotton Mather’s writings on how he trained his own children in spiritual things, Morgan comments that, “If the family failed to teach its members properly, neither the state nor the church could be expected to accomplish much.”

Legacy of Early Calvinism in Colonial America

Many of the applications of Calvin’s practical and moral theology found in colonial communities survived in American history. This included the notion of a work ethic and a strong sense of what constitutes a family. Twentieth century social debates on divorce, child custody, inter-racial marriages, and common-law marriage arose in opposition to these perceived traditional norms in American society.

Today, opponents of same-sex marriage frequently evidence accepted norms that, historically, are traced to Colonial beliefs founded on Calvinist principles. Although other Colonial faith traditions such as Quakers and a variety of Pietists did not accept some of the views of either Luther or Calvin, the core Protestant notions of family and hard work helped to form a near universal American basis that influenced future generations of Americans.

Sources:

• Jonathan Edwards, The History of Redemption (Grand Rapids: Associated Publishers and Authors, Inc.)
• Donald K. McKim, editor, Readings in Calvin’s Theology (Baker Book House, 1984)
• Edmund S. Morgan, The Puritan Family (Harper, 1966)
• Steven Ozment, Protestants: The Birth of a Revolution (Doubleday, 1992)
• Edwin H. Palmer, The Five Points of Calvinism (Baker Book House, 1972)

Copyright Michael Streich. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.