How is the innovative spirit of the American people formed?

Puritans and the Formation of American Spirit

Abstract: As a superpower, no one can deny that the United States is powerful. What makes it so powerful? In my opinion, this is largely attributed to the American spirit, which is characterized by advocating freedom, pioneering, industrious and pragmatic. In the process of the formation of American spirit, religion has exerted an inestimable influence. The appearance of Puritans, doctrines and their practice set the tone for the American spirit.

Keywords: Puritans; American spirit; freedom

Text: The history of the Middle Ages in Europe can be said to be a religious history. People have been under the oppression and rigid rule of Christianity for a long time, which is called "dark Middle Ages". However, with the development of productive forces, the rise of humanism and the influence of the Renaissance, people who have been suppressed for a long time yearn for freedom and get rid of the suffocating air like dry seedlings. As a result, a new "Reformation" storm swept across the European continent. 15 17, Martin? Luther first raised the banner of religious reform, which marked that Europe entered an extraordinary history: the western Christian world split and Protestantism appeared. In Britain, the divorce case of Henry VIII became the fuse of religious reform.

Through the religious reform, Protestant theory was introduced into Britain, and then religion was diversified. Among these diverse religions, one had a great influence on the later North American colonies and the later United States, and that was the Puritans. Protestantism is a rebellion against traditional religions, while Puritans are rebels within Protestantism. Because there are many factions within Protestantism, there are constant struggles, which are not allowed by other religions, and often conflict with the British monarchy. Therefore, the Puritans were constantly hit and weakened in Britain. In the end, they were fed up with the rulers, and they either obeyed and stayed or deported them.

The devout Puritans did not obey the feudal monarchy in Britain, but chose to leave, leaving the sinful and hopeless Britain. However, they have not given up their ideals. Their pursuit of freedom and happiness has not stopped. When one door closes, God opens another door. At this time, the vast free land of North America called to the Puritans. /kloc-At the beginning of the 7th century, British businessmen organized the North American colonial company to expand into the New World. When the Puritans proposed to colonize North America, the British government welcomed it. As Adam Smith said, "Britain bought a large piece of land for its restless subjects in a distant place." As a result, Puritans and those with dreams of opening up a new life crossed the waves and the vast sea to the new world to realize their dreams. 1620165438+1October, after six weeks of turbulence, a poorly equipped sailboat carrying 102 passengers touched the thick land of North America. This ship is the famous "Mayflower", and the people on board are the Puritans who were later called "the ancestors of immigrants" and the people who longed for freedom. Since then, groups of Puritans have followed in the footsteps of their predecessors. No one would have thought that it was these Puritans' spirits that laid the spiritual foundation of a country, which later dominated the world.

Under the call of God, the Puritans came across the ocean to this land far from home with good hopes and yearning for the "pure land". However, God's test for them is not over yet, and the Puritans' "pure land" is a lonely and terrible wilderness. Faced with the harsh environment such as hunger, cold, disease and terrible beasts, the Puritans were not discouraged. "They are clear-headed and strong-willed people. They are people with clear goals. They are serious people. They are determined to make a final resistance, and they will leave the old continent without hesitation. In any case, they decided never to return to evil Europe. " Although they are material dwarfs, they are spiritual giants. They are determined to turn the wilderness into a land of hope and a paradise on earth.

The doctrine of Puritanism originated from Calvinism and formed its own doctrine after reform. They think that people are born guilty and not worthy of redemption, but before the start of time, God chose a group of people as the objects of redemption, which is "God's elect", so that they can get rid of the natural state and achieve eternal life, and at the same time, they can open their hearts and understand God's will, so as to do good wholeheartedly, that is, "fatalism." Because of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross, the original sin of the voters was forgiven. But if the voters can't act according to God's will, it will lead to God's dissatisfaction and God will take back his favor. But God's arrangement is so mysterious that no one knows whether he is God's chosen person. So everyone should work hard and make achievements to prove that he is God's darling. In this way, everyone may be God's chosen person, and everyone may be saved. Puritans thought they were the darlings of God. They listened to God's call and came to the wilderness to build their own free homes. In this way, it was God's will to open up a new world, which gave the Puritans unlimited spiritual motivation. They are shouldering the mission of God. "They are destined to become a country. According to the Lord's will, they will turn the wilderness into civilization and make it into Eden and paradise. " "Of all the people God created and placed on the earth, they are God's chosen people. They are the new world. Just as Christ brought a new apocalypse to the world and replaced the old apocalypse, these voters of God brought a new mission. " It is this sense of mission and this spiritual motivation that made Puritan immigrants take root in the wilderness and changed the face of North America with their creativity. The Puritans advocated freedom, diligence and pragmatism, pioneering and enterprising, and passed this spirit on from generation to generation, which enabled the younger generation to break the shackles of all oppression and promoted the American people to establish a world-famous "city on the top of the mountain".

The Puritans could not bear the oppression of their motherland, left their homeland in Europe and came to North America to seek precious freedom and realize their dreams. He struggled with the sky, the earth and the wild animals and composed a song of struggle on the North American continent. They set up a management system according to their own wishes and live in their own way. However, when they came to North America, the Puritans made the same mistake as the Anglican Church: practicing religious unity, excluding dissidents, persecuting pagans and not tolerating other sects. However, suppressing freedom is to gain freedom, and resisting repression is also to gain freedom. The spirit of striving for freedom, being diligent and pragmatic, and pioneering and enterprising has penetrated into the bone marrow of North Americans and passed down from generation to generation, becoming a valuable national wealth.

Puritans were born in the wave of religious reform in Europe, inherited the elements of Protestant rebellion, formed the characteristics of advocating freedom, being diligent and pragmatic, and pioneering, and then practiced their ideals on the North American continent. This positive factor sets the tone for the American spirit and runs through the process of American history. It is under the impetus of this spiritual power that the American people cut off contact with the British grandmother and established their own country through the arduous eight-year war of independence. Through the Civil War, slavery was abolished, and it continued to grow, striving for freedom and going forward bravely. The American people have gradually matured and built a great country today. Therefore, Puritans played an important role in the formation of American spirit and had a far-reaching impact on the development of American history.