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Puritan Facts & Worksheets

Puritans were members of Puritanism and thought that practices and ceremonies not found in the Bible should be removed as they saw the Church of England as too close to the Roman Catholic Church.

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In the late 16th century, Puritanism, a religious reform movement, emerged within the Church of England. The Puritans were members of the said movement. They thought that practices and ceremonies not found in the Bible should be removed as they saw the Church of England as too close to the Roman Catholic Church.

See the fact file below for more information on Puritans, or you can download our 25-page Puritans worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • According to Thomas Fuller’s Church History, the first use of the word “Puritan” was in 1564.
  • The term “Puritan” refers to many groups and not one during the 17th century.
  • Puritan, then, was a derogatory term marking Protestant groups as extremists. 
  • Before, the Puritans themselves did not use the term. Instead, they described themselves as “the godly”, “professors”, “saints”, or “Godchildren”. 

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

  • The historical significance of Puritanism was due to its existence over a period of a century. It all happened before the development of New England. 
  • In 1559, the Church of England was established as a Protestant church by the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, causing the taking down of the English Reformation. 
  • The Church of England was viewed as a reformed church of Elizabethan Puritanism during the rule of Elizabeth I.
  • The Book of Common Prayer’s formal liturgy, episcopal polity, cathedrals, traditional clerical vestments, and church choirs were among the preserved characteristics of Medieval Catholicism.
  • In the 1570s, the Puritans and the authorities had a discourse concerning the Church government’s appropriate form. The Queen blocked all reforms through Parliament.
  • John Field and Thomas Cartwright were among the Puritan leaders who privately continued to promote presbyterianism, which was discovered during the Marprelate controversy in 1580.
  • Jacobean Puritanism started during the rule of James I in the early 1600s.
  • The Millenary Petition is a Puritan declaration from 1603 calling for reform of the English church. 
  • The Millenary Petition arrived with James I’s entry on the throne of England, but James had other theological aspirations.
  • In 1604, the Hampton Court Conference was called by James I and heard the teachings of Laurence Chaderton and three other prominent Puritan figures, but ultimately sided with and opted to follow his bishops.
  • Holy Communion kneeling, the Book of Common Prayer, baptism’s sign of the cross, and use of non-secular vestments such as cap and gown during services, are among the Roman Catholic practices that the Puritans resisted in the Church of England.
  • King Charles I of Scotland, Ireland, and England was the successor of King James I after he died in 1625.
  • Thousands of English Puritans occupied New England in North America in the early 17th century, which is known as the Great Migration that happened from 1630 to 1640. 
  • This happened as they opposed the church policy of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I.
  • The 1629 Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1635 Saybrook Colony, 1636 Connecticut Colony, and 1938 New Haven Colony happened because of non-separating Puritans. 
  • Many Puritans during Jacobean Puritanism remained in the Church of England. From 1643-1653, the English Parliament’s council of divines and members called for the Westminster Assembly and appointed a reform in the Church of England.
  • Officially, the Directory of Public Worship, as well as the Westminster Standard, was adopted by the Church of Scotland in 1645.
  • In 1646, the Westminster Assembly agreed with the coherent Reformed theological stance known as the Westminster Confession of Faith.
  • The Divines of the assembly were divided into factions of four reformed general church polities: congregationalism, Erastianism, presbyterianism, and episcopacy.
  • In January 1649, when Charles I was executed, the Church of England of the Interregnum started.
  • The Savoy Conference conducted at the Savoy Palace in 1661 was a liturgical discussion after King Charles II’s English Restoration in 1660.
  • The Puritans were deferred after the restoration of the Church of England to its pre-Civil War constitution with minimal changes as stated in the 1662 Act of  Uniformity.
  • In 1662, the Great Ejection occurred, during which historian Edmund Calamy said that approximately 2,400 Puritan clergies abandoned the Church.
  • The term “Puritan” was included under the term “Dissenter”, which encompasses 17th to 18th-century Christians who detached from the Church of England.
  • The ratification of the 1688 Toleration Act paved the way for the position of the political faction Whigs, allowing the Dissenters to worship independently from the Church and legalizing building chapels and authorizing ministers.
  • In the mid-18th century, the title “Dissenter” was replaced by the term “nonconformist”.

BELIEFS

  • The Puritans’ beliefs were mostly from covenant theology.
  • The concept of covenant theology refers to the interpretation of the original framework of the Bible in Christian theology.
  • Calvinism, which refers to a branch of Protestantism that obeys John Calvin’s and other theologians’ set Christian practices.
  • Predestination, the belief of people’s destiny by God to grace and salvation or Hell, is one of the beliefs that other Calvinists share with the Puritans.
  • The Puritans also believed in unconditional election and irresistible grace.
  • The process of regeneration of non-Christians to Christianity is called conversion.
  • Puritans did not believe in the concept of conversion and viewed it as irrelevant, but later learned its importance through the connection of Puritan theologians’ framework of authentic religious experience. 
  • Bible study, introspection, and listening to preaching are ways of conversion to show remorse for sin in the preparatory phase followed by humiliation.
  • The experience of the realization of sin is because of divine mercy through imputed righteousness, which is the regeneration of both the mind and heart.
  • The Puritans considered this as being born again or spiritual rebirth. They also believed that conversion is followed by sanctification or the state of making holy or sacred.
  • Puritans were also compliant with Sabbatarianism, a whole day keeping away from recreational activities and focusing on worship.
  • Churchgoers would attend two sermons and lectures on Sundays and as many as possible on weekdays.
  • Puritans believed that the Lord’s supper and baptism were the two religious sacraments but disagreed with baptism practices such as baptismal vows to the child’s father instead of godparents and the priest making the sign of the cross.
  • In terms of family life, salvation, love, and procreation were recognized as reasons for marriage.
  • Husbands held the authority in prayer and family direction while wives served their husband and God with submissiveness and humility.
  • In terms of education, boys were taught vocations and leadership, while girls received religious and domestic knowledge.

Puritans Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Tisha B’Av across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Puritans, who were members of Puritanism and thought that practices and ceremonies not found in the Bible should be removed as they saw the Church of England as too close to the Roman Catholic Church.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. United Kingdom Puritans Facts
  2. Guess and Express
  3. Puritans Bingo!
  4. Remove a Lie
  5. Fill It Out!
  6. Learn More From Before
  7. Stacked Facts
  8. Unlock the Puritans
  9. Broadcast the Past
  10. Time Travel
  11. Then and Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What were the Puritans known for?

Puritanism was a religious reform movement in the Church of England during the late 16th century. Puritans believed their church should return to its Biblical foundations, divesting itself from rituals or traditions not supported by scripture.

What are three things the Puritans believed?

The Puritans firmly asserted that God had selected preaching as the vehicle to reveal humankind’s redemption from sin. An individual must enter into a covenant with Him to gain this salvation. Furthermore, they believed it was only through the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit could liberate people from their sinful state.

How did Puritans live?

Puritan households typically led a quiet life in tiny, one-room homes. A fireplace was the only source of heat and cooking within these dwellings; having all family members living together in such a confined area often made them quite foggy – especially during colder seasons.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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