John Winthrop, Founder of Puritanism

John Winthrop, Founder of Puritanism and Leader of the Puritans

Today, the adjective "Puritan" is often used as a pejorative term by people of different political stripes. This association casts a shadow over the legacy of John Winthrop, who led a group of Puritans to Massachusetts in hopes of establishing the god-fearing "city on a hill" that was no longer possible in England. For Winthrop and his followers, Puritanism was a refuge, a way of life to shelter them from the pope-led Catholic ways that pervaded England. When this became untenable, Winthrop embarked on the task of building a new Puritan colony across the Atlantic Ocean.

This paper examines the faith and leadership of John Winthrop, and its legacy on the Puritan society of seventeenth century New England. The first part of this paper examines the tenets of Winthrop's Puritanism, and his abiding faith in service to God. This part lays the foundations for explaining his actions as a religious and political leader in Massachusetts.

The second part of this paper examines how Winthrop shaped Puritanism in this new colony. It locates his supposed intolerance for female dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and his condescending attitude towards Native Americans within the context of his time and his faith. It evaluates how Winthrop's supposed intolerance should be examined in terms of his faith, his mission to create a "city on a hill," and the threat of growing factionalism within his own religious community.

In the conclusion, this paper argues that by acting on the tenets of his faith and by doggedly pursuing his religious mission, Winthrop served to be a unifying factor, not only for the Puritan community but for the fledgling colony as well. While his legacies in this regard are largely forgotten, this paper argues that Winthrop's actions contributed greatly to the improbable success of one of this country's founding colonies.

Winthrop's Puritanism

John Winthrop was born in 1588 in Suffolk, England, during a time when the English Protestant Church was undergoing profound change. His father Adam was educated in Magdelene College, Cambridge University, where a good number of members of the budding Puritan movement had congregated. Many of the friends Adam made would go on to hold bishop or similar high positions in the Puritan movement. Adam himself continued to read the works of the Puritan divines. John Winthrop was thus exposed to Puritan thought from the very beginning.

The young John was exposed to a Puritanism that had a decidedly Calvinist orientation. His early education included reading notes from his father and grandfather, which included exhortations that "(Scripture) are able to instruct us sufficiently in all points of faith" and "The minister and preacher must tell the people of their sins." Such principles are evident in the actions that John later undertook, both as governor and religious leader.

The emphasis placed on informing people of their sins meant that Puritans placed a strong value on education. Only through education, they believed, could men and women hope to carry out God's will. Unlike religions that demanded blind faith, the Winthrops subscribed to a Puritanism that placed a strong premium on reason. They studied the Bible with great zeal, believing that knowledge and understanding should be the key to obeying God's will, rather than mere obedience to the a religious figure such as the pope.

Researchers further argue that John Winthrop developed his own aspects of Puritanism, one that set him apart from the faith as practiced by his father and grandfather. Puritans strongly believed that the world was inherently sinful, and that humans must therefore devote themselves in full service to God. For John, this further translates into an asceticism, wherein one could exercise control over his or her worldly desires. He resolved "not to eat of more than two dishes at any one meal" and later, to restrain himself from drinking as well.

A number of factors thus precipitated Winthrop's emigration from England, to establish a new Puritan colony in Massachusetts. On a personal level, John was infused with the belief that true Puritanism required a lengthy education process, so that one could understand and follow the will of God. John was also developing his own ideas and practices related to Puritanism, ascetic beliefs that later contributed to the stridency of its followers in the colonies. Furthermore, he was father to a fairly large family, and also had to consider the well-being of his eight children.

On an institutional level, the actions of the Puritans in England were another challenge to both political and ecclesiastical authorities. After all, Winthrop and his colleagues were moving away from papal authority at a time when there was no clear demarcation between religious and lay government. All these factors combined to convince Winthrop that migrating to the New World was the only choice, a place where he could further eschew worldly desires and build a haven for the godly. For Winthrop, the task at hand was the creation of a city on a hill, a "model of Christian Charity," where followers can honor both the laws of nature as laid down by God.

Building the Foundations

The American Puritanism that Winthrop thus established in Massachusetts was markedly different from the tradition practiced in England. Winthrop drew from his Puritan upbringing and his own asceticism to build a religious community away from England. He regarded America as his fresh slate, where "a chosen remnant of the godly would be free to follow the path of righteousness while obeying God's commands to increase and multiply."

Winthrop's imprint is thus clearly seen in the early days of American Puritanism. The Puritan colonies in Massachusetts were as much a "turning away" from the English Anglican Church. Biographers like Bremer write that Winthrop viewed the far-away environment as a "bulwark against the Antichrist," a reference to the Roman Catholic Church and its growing influence over English Anglicanism.

The harsh new environment, however, provided ample opportunities to test the faith and commitment of this supposedly chosen people. It was also the perfect environment for Winthrop's own brand of asceticism, a trait that helped the settlers survive through difficult winters. Winthrop's own "culture of discipline" provided a striking example to the followers who migrated with him from England. This orientation also helped people be more accepting of concepts such as God's will and God's "assurance," especially during the most difficult times.

The harsh environment and nature of social organizations, however, gave rise to challenges among the Puritan congregation themselves. Anne Marbury Hutchinson, for example, gained a strong following in the mid-1600s among Puritan emigrants. The fiery Hutchinson went against the Puritan tenet of a straight interpretation of Biblical texts, which each person had to internalize for themselves. Instead, she held gatherings and commented on the teachings, in much the same way as preachers on a pulpit. As her following grew from a few women to a wider audience that included prominent men, leaders such as Winthrop, who was then governor, sought to stop her. Winthrop, however, described Hutchinson unfavorable, as "thing not tolerable nor comely in the sight of God, nor fitting for [her] sex." Even more unkindly, he referred to Winthrop as "an American Jezebel." Winthrop was later able to have Hutchinson and her family banished from the Massachusetts colony.

Such actions may seem intolerant, especially in light of the pressures the Puritans faced in England. The comments can also rankle modern-day readers due to their sexism, though it should be noted that Winthrop's attitudes were very much in keeping with seventeenth-century mores.

It is important to note that Winthrop was also striving to keep a Puritan colony together under very difficult circumstances. His position as governor, after all, was nothing more than a "precarious balance between magisterial and popular authority." It is also widely believed that he gained the governorship despite his humble status in England because of the perceived unimportance of Massachusetts in the 1600s. Dissenters like Hutchinson therefore threatened the balance of the city on a hill that he strived to build. Furthermore, in his "Model of Christian Charity," Winthrop already laid the foundations allowing for the restraint of people who do not accede to the laws of God or the colonies. By engaging in actions such as challenging the notions of Original Sin, Hutchinson was a clear challenge to the laws.