Puritanism And The Formation Of American Political Culture

The separation of Church and State is one of the basic rules in American politics, while Christianity has been exerting continuous influence to political system and political culture since the Puritans reached American continent. Puritanism is regarded as the core of American culture. In the colonial times, Puritanism was not only a system of theology, but also set up a series of rules of political thinking, commercial activities, family lives and even details of individual's behaviors.Although the process of Secularization developed acceleratively, the influence of religion has never disappeared. Religion played such an important role in colonists' lives and opinions that modern people could not believe. Therefore, the central idea of part one is how Puritanism becomes a life style during the period of the formation of American political culture. Puritans tangled their religion with secular livings, meanwhile, Puritanism comprehensively dominate the ways of political socialization, such as family, education, pubic life etc., to guide the formation and transmission of political culture. With the prosperity of reasonalism and the waning of religious impulse, Puritanism altered their emphases and ways from comprehensively dominate to indirectly permeate.In order to clearly set force the interaction between Puritanism and the conception of American political culture, the doctrine of Calling and Covenant which lay great importance in Puritan theological doctrine are selected in the second part to analyze the evolution of the conception labor, property, liberty, individualism, and separation of Church and State, etc.. These conceptions are contained in religious terms and logic, but their contents are exactly the same as the implication of the conception of political culture in Revolution era. American political culture comes out of puritan society, and its value and conception comes out of Puritanism.Religion rite and organization is so saint to the believers that they would shake their hearts and sign a deep impression. Different sects have different ways to run their organization, while Congregationalism was generally accepted among the sects in the New England. According to Congregationalism, all the members in the church are equal before the God, have rights to elect their minister and govern their church themselves. Different churches are also equal and independent. The successful operation of puritan churches, which is the former organization in American continent, not only cultivate participants the consciousness of subject and participation, but also provide soul conception such as equal, democracy, autonomy and localism to the founding and running of American political organization.In the formation of American political culture, Puritanism is not the only essential element or motive power. What we can say definitely is Puritanism is the key element of the formation of American political culture, and it also provided basic conceptions, values, models and continuous power to American political thinking and activity.