Invented Traditions, Myths, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony

During the onset of American colonial history, there were many events which were sensationalized as the years went on. The events took on a new story and new meaning to accommodate various social causes or defend public policies. These events, or “invented traditions” were present in nearly every English colony, but was more prolific and enduring at the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This paper will examine how although these events in Massachusetts were later embellished into something extraordinary, they did possess real historical consequences that would play an important role.

One of the most used myths from American colonial history was that of the landing at Plymouth Rock by the Puritans. The Puritans were trying to escape religious persecution by the Anglican Church and sought after a territory out of reach from their bishops. They settled upon Plymouth Rock and later expanded out, eventually merging with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They did not seek religious freedom for their people; they sought after freedom to practice Puritanism. This would later be transformed into the desire for religious freedom by those who wanted freedom of religion after the creation of the United States.

Articles of Confederation were denounced and the Constitutional Convention was formed, there was some discussion on whether or not to allow an established religion exist in the United States. This was greatly detested by those affected by the control over the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter that there needs to be a clear division between church and state and, after a few decades, it became a precedent that no church would be publicly supported, nor would worship in any one church be mandatory for any American.

The Puritans were cited throughout early American history as the basis for the American system. The Puritans drafted the Mayflower Compact which contains much of the conditions and language seen in the American Constitution. This is evident because the conditions seen in the Mayflower Compact is utilized to maintain survival. This desired goal for continuity is paralleled in the Constitution. The government in Massachusetts that was formed as a result was obliged to rule at the consent of the governed. These settlers were described as writing down the founding principles of a Republican society and setup their community around the idea of independence and the strong avoidance of outside interference. This was merely done to ensure the cooperation of the congregation with the clergy. It set out the basis of organization which the American Constitution would later mimic, not the other way around since the Mayflower Compact was written long before the Constitution.

In contrast to Jamestown, the Puritans were seen as the first ones founding a new country, although that was not their intentions. Jamestown was regarded as a transplant of English society and culture, whereas the Puritans sought complete independence from England. There story was embellished to leave us to assume a divine basis for their settlement, and this idea would later be used during westward expansion and the idea of manifest destiny.

During the Antebellum Period, the Puritans were made a strong example of by the abolitionists. They saw themselves and their cause as a continuation to that of the Puritans. The Puritan colony was layered in freedom by the abolitionists’ quest for freedom from England and their peaceful interaction with the Natives. Abolitionists used the strong Christian faith exhibited by the Puritans to reinforce the idea that everyone was equal in the eyes of God and that slavery was immoral.

There is no doubt that the events we learned of in elementary school and beyond occurred, but there is no reason to assume that the cause and goal of the early colonies was anything but survival. These myths were simply used as a propaganda tool by those looking to advance their own social reforms and to further define what it means to be an American. Looking back in hindsight, it is easy to assume that they were looking to start a new country because of the way the events played out, but for the Puritans at least, it was simply the search for religious autonomy and the will to survive.



Sources:

Ann Uhry Abrams, The Pilgrims and Pocahontas, (Boulder: Westview Press, 1999)