Blog:3 Puritans at Play

Daniels attempts to give a historical account of how the puritans played. Do you feel like Daniels is successful with his work? 

A: Yes, he explains what was going on, the changes that are being made, and what time period things are taking place. By doing all of these things I find that Daniels is successful with his work.

In Section Four, Men and Women Frolic Together, Daniels covers topics such as puritans and dance, romance, sex, and alcohol (pages 109 – 159). Did anything from this section surprise you? Explain. What motivated puritans to engage or not engage in the above list?

A: After reading pages 109-159 of Puritans at Play by Bruce C. Daniels, I found that the Puritans lives were constantly changing with the times. This fact is still true because cultures all over the world have been and continue to change with time. Thus it did not surprise me when Daniels comments on how the Puritans began living less restricted lifestyles and instead began to imbibe in romance, sex, dance, and alcohol. Puritans were motivated to engage in these activities in the same way people today are, in that the urge to perform these activities is a part of human nature. Although in modern day we have become quite lenient with these activities. The Puritans however were lenient, but to lenient so as to disrupt others who discouraged these activities. Puritans engaged in sex, romance, dancing, and alcohol, but they did so in a more religious and mild manner than we do in modern times.

Do you feel that he gives an accurate account? If not, expand on what is missing (and/or faulty).

A: Bruce C. Daniels does give an accurate account to a degree, in that he explains how things were happening from the side of the people reforming. I do feel however, that Daniels fails to write from the perspective of the Puritans who disapproved of these actions and in doing so, Daniels write a rather one-sided version of what took place.

Comparing the cultural atmosphere you grew up within and the puritan world Daniels describes, what are some of the differences/similarities of opinion on topics such as dance, romance, sex, and alcohol?  Do you think there has been a progression of ideals or not? Explain.

A: When one looks at the society described by Daniels in his book Puritans at Play, and compares it to the cultural atmosphere of today many similarities and some differences can be seen. On the topics of dance, romance, and sex, there has most definitely been a progression of ideals and freedoms. Dancing is viewed all over the world and is not considered scandalous in most scenarios, minus adult dancing. And the topics of romance and sex are discussed on TV, radio, and the internet all the time. Not to mention the fact that books have been written based entirely on romance and sex and have sold millions even if they were pieces of crap (cough...Twilight...cough..). Although romance, dance, and sex have progressed in modern society, alcohol can still be seen as somewhat restricted. For instance, one could argue that the U.S. government deciding the age 21 is appropriate for alcohol consumption, is more restrictive than the Puritans of the past who could be seen allowing their "women, children, and even ministers to drink". So, although the cultural atmosphere of today is more lenient in most ways, one can still see a case where Puritan beliefs were held with less restriction than those of today when looking at alcohol. 

Early American Settlers

Humanity has traversed much of the world and discovered many new and fascinating places along the way. One of these discovered places was America and it became a place where many traveled to for various reasons. The reasons I believe that early American settlers chose to leave their home countries and start anew in a foreign land was because they sought religious freedom and untold fortunes that they believed waited for them in America. Whether or not this is true for all people is up for debate, however, it is my opinion that for these two main reasons people traveled to America. Of these two motivations, religious freedom and fortune, I firmly believe that fortune was the more primary reason behind American settler’s actions. I believe that back then, just like in these modern times, people were constantly seeking out the next big thing that would make them richer or more powerful. Fortune was essentially the biggest thing being sought here in the New World because unlike religious freedoms, fortune could go with the discoverer wherever they went, including back to their home country. This fortune seeking lifestyle then essentially became ingrained in our society, making it what it is today.

All decisions made in this country, and truly in this world, come down to two things, money and fear. Whether people are willing to admit this or not doesn’t really matter because either way things will not change. Humanity’s biggest motivator is fear. Fear of not being good enough, fear of losing to the other tribe, fear of becoming that which you hate, fear of not being powerful. Fear is such a powerful motivator that it can be and has been used to accomplish most everything we see today. Fear is indeed a powerful motivator and it can be seen in the motivations people had for fleeing their homes to start a new life in America. This fear had an effect on America and it is the reason why American culture is what it is today. America’s fear has been its biggest success and its biggest failure as a country. We started out as almost a joke of a country, yet we embraced our fears of failure and instead rose to the occasion, creating what is arguably one of the best places to live in the world today. America became powerful but unfortunately its foundations were built upon fear and money, not love and equality. To me it seems very obvious that money is the major driver behind all things that take place in the world. Money, it seems, has become just as great of a motivator as fear, because in a sense money is fear. People either fear that they won’t have enough money or they fear that once they have money they will lose it. This, my friends, is the American Dream, To Make Money. You can even see this sense of money motivation when you look at our capitalistic society. In Africa there are still tribes, and in these tribes people go out and hunt and gather for the tribe. These people are what humans began as, hunters and gatherers. This is not the case in America and other developed parts of the world. People in America are no longer hunters or gatherers; instead people in America are consumers. The fears that American was raised on are indeed what caused us to become great, yet they are also why we have the problems we have today. Along with fear, money is the single biggest motivator in America because of the fact that we are all consumers and in order to “consume” in this modern world one needs money. Simply put, America’s foundation was based on motivators, fear and money, and these motivators have indeed influenced and shaped the country we live in today.