Family and Community in Colonial America
New England "godly communities" were rooted in theological and Old Testament beliefs that clearly defined the roles and responsibilities of community members.
Early colonial life is described as “family” and “community oriented.” Although usually applied to Puritanism and other colonial groups that adhered to strict religious values, some scholars see the elements of family and community in colonies established for commercial reasons as well, such as in Virginia. [1] While most scholars identify a significant overall and long term social influence with the notions of family and community, they usually don't connect those strong colonial bonds with religious theology. Strong colonial families and the emphasis on community must be seen in the light of early Protestant Reformed theological views.
The Strength of the Community Rests with the Strength of the Family
Discussing early Protestant family structures, Steven Ozment writes that, “Both spiritually and socially, Lutheran theology held the community formed by a husband and wife to be society’s most fundamental.” [2] John Calvin’s views, subscribed to by many colonial groups including the Puritans, were very similar. Historian John D’Emilio states that “Most migrants to early New England sought to create godly communities built upon the centrality of the family, a well-ordered and stable ‘little commonwealth.’” [3]
How did the Puritans come upon the notion of a godly community that subordinated the individual to the overall good of the community? One answer lies in Puritan theology that saw Puritans as the “New Israel.” Social order was the visible sign of God’s kingdom. Early American Christians tended to be Old Testament oriented and took examples from the patriarchal nature of God’s chosen people, incorporating them into their own beliefs and social structures.
The community was responsible for the behavior of its members lest God punish the entire community. This fit into the covenant idea: God blesses if the community follows his commandments. This idea of community “spying,” as some have called it, was a “holy watchfulness” that, in the 19th century, figured so prominently in Nathanial Hawthorne’s novels and short stories.
Protecting the Community
Helena Wall writes that, “The ideal product of the well ordered family was a literate, thrifty, sober, self-supporting, God-fearing adult, one who recognized authority and submitted to it, who knew his duty and performed it.” [4] If all members of the community followed these precepts, God would bless everyone therein. Part of this assessment mandated the proper education of children, both male and female, toward community goals as expected of adults.
Marriage was held sacrosanct and although Calvinism permitted divorce, adultery and fornication were severely punished. Husbands were required to maintain the welfare of families to avoid women and children becoming dependent on community assistance through the local church. This was true in the Chesapeake colony as well. In fact, many laws governing individual behavior deemed inappropriate were duplicated in all of the colonies.
Scholars have pointed out that strict community and family models in colonies like Massachusetts were in the process of being transformed in England as population groups shifted from the rural areas to the cities. Hence, scholars point out that the Puritans, for example, sensing encroachment upon their godly communities toward the end of the 17th century, resorted, in part, to a renewed, vocal warning of evil, perhaps resulting in the infamous witch trials. But this fit with the larger notions of community dictated by theological assumptions.
This view, however, fails to take into account the innate nature of Calvinist beliefs within the established social structures. One can say the same of later groups like the Mormons that also relied upon Old Testament models to help formulate their community, set apart from non-believers. Shakers referred to non-believers as “the world’s people.” The fundamental nature of all early American community-based societies cannot be fully understood without incorporating the theological elements.
Sources:
[1] Helena M. Wall, Fierce Communion: Family and Community in Early America (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990)
[2] Steven Ozment, Protestants: The Birth of a Revolution New York: Doubleday, 1992) p.164.
[3] John D’Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America (New York: Harper & Row, 1988) p. 3
[4] Wall, p. 9
See also:
Edmund S. Morgan, The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England (New York: Harper & Row, 1966)
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