Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Protestant Christianity was the source of early political thought among the Puritans and their progeny. In particular, Puritan life and thought are the essential expression of Reformation theology in America. Each successive age of American culture between the time of the Puritans and that of the Civil War expressed some of this theology and thought although the progression was that of steady decline in content and import. The consequences of the defection from orthodox Calvinist Puritanism led to changing political beliefs and structures.
This study traces the historical synthesis between Protestant theology and the American polity, from the Puritans to the Civil War, by examining several figures who embody the shifting times and beliefs. These figures are illustrative of the political and theological ideas existent in their respective periods. It will be shown that as these men, and the cultures that they influenced, changed their worldviews, so changed their political philosophies and practices.