About the Puritan Belief on Adultery

Puritans were a Christian religious group whose pious values formed the foundation of American culture. Their strict moralistic views toward marriage and adultery were important in maintaining order in their society.
Puritanical ideals regarding sexuality and marriage can still be seen today.

History

The Puritans were a devout Christian group who dissented with the Church of England. Persecuted for their beliefs, they came to America. They believed absolutely in the words of the Bible and felt that the Church had become corrupt. They were called the Puritans because they wanted to purify and cleanse both the Church and their own lives, and devoted themselves to religious, social and moral reform.
Upon migrating to America, the Puritans settled into the New England area and lived strictly pious lives, in which the family and the bonds of marriage were the basis of societal order.

Time Frame

Puritan separatists, who had originally fled to the Netherlands from England, arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts on the Mayflower in 1620 and settled as the Pilgrims. When William Laud became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633, it fueled the Great Migration of Puritans to the New England region. The death of Oliver Cromwell and the crowning of Catholic Charles II as the King of England in 1660 also led to large numbers of persecuted English Puritans to migrate across the Atlantic. Between 1640 and 1700, the population of Puritans in the New World increased from 17,800 to 106,000.

Significance

The Puritans achieved an ordered society through strict ideas and rules about marriage, social behavior and chastity. Puritan ministers stressed the idea that the love and responsibility between a married couple were equal to a moral and religious duty. In doing so, they made the institution of marriage one of the basic means through which to control and bring order to their society.
In Puritan society, adultery was considered the ultimate sin, a moral violation of God's will. Adultery was a capital offense, and people who committed it could be put to death. The memorable character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is condemned to wear a scarlet letter "A," symbolizing the word "adultress," for the rest of her life. Adultery was punished publicly, with the intention of inflicting shame and humiliation, because it was a clear breaking of the moral and religious marriage contract between husband and wife. By threatening the bonds of marriage, the Puritans also viewed adultery as a threat to societal order.

Misconceptions

Contrary to many stereotypes about the Puritans, they were not repressed, dull prudes. Although their laws regarding adultery and any sexual relationships outside of marriage were severe, they valued the intimate relationship between man and wife. They also did not prohibit alcohol, although they did not value the quality of drunkenness. They prized the arts, poetry in particular, and enjoyed vivid colors like red and blue. They were also an egalitarian society, and strongly believed in education for all.

Effects

The Puritan's beliefs and attitudes towards sexuality, marriage and adultery can still be seen in America today. By being a part of the founding of the original colonies, the Puritans played an important and vital role in shaping America's values. They directly contributed to many American beliefs about morality, work, patriotism, and community. There are 8 million Americans who can trace their ancestry back to the Puritans who first came to New England between 1629 and 1640.