The words puritan and puritanical today imply a zeal for keeping people from enjoying themselves. I hope that's not the case for you this holiday, dear readers.
I'm getting in the car this morning for the drive to Tuxedo, N.Y., and the Burke-clan Thanksgiving.
If you'd like some Puritan-inspired reading for your ride, check out this and this from Christianity Today or this from the Wall Street Journal about Sarah Vowell's new book, "The Wordy Shipmates," about the American Puritans.
You can also listen to this hilarious podcast that includes Vowell's snarky tale about taking over her family's Thanksgiving celebration.
Also, check out the Thanksgiving package that ran in today's York Daily Record/Sunday News.
Puritan
noun
A group of radical English Protestants that arose in the late 16th century and became a major force in England during the 17th century. Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England by eliminating traces of its origins in the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, they urged a strict moral code and placed a high value on hard work (see work ethic). After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, they controlled the new government, the Commonwealth. Oliver Cromwell, who became leader of the Commonwealth, is the best-known Puritan.
Note: Many Puritans, persecuted in their homeland, came to America in the 1620s and 1630s, settling colonies that eventually became Massachusetts.
Source: The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
Leave a comment