We're pleased to present this lecture by Dr. Marilynne Robinson that was originally crafted to commemorate the 400th anniversary of America’s first Congregational service in 1620.
One of America's most acclaimed living authors, novelists, and essayists, Dr. Marilynne Robinson has received numerous honors, including a Pulitzer Prize, the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, and the National Humanities Medal.
In her lecture, Dr. Robinson invites us to take a closer look at New England's puritans and reconsider their frequent characterization as "dogmatists, as narrow, pious simpletons." Through a fascinating discussion of legal standards, religious texts, and political conflicts during Hugh Peters' lifetime in both England and Massachusetts Bay, Marilynne paints a new picture of 17th century puritans as a progressive and enduring force in shaping the American story, concluding that "these puritan revolutions were about deeper things than we are led to suppose."
You can find Dr. Robinson's 2022 essay on Hugh Peters, "One Manner of Law: The Religious Origins of American Liberalism," published in Harper's Magazine here: harpers.org/archive/2022/08/m...
Find the CLA's 2022 digital exhibition, "We Do Give Up Ourselves to One Another: Exploring Congregational Disciplinary Records," mentioned in the video here: congregationallibrary.quartex...
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Welcome and Introductions
5:26 Rationale for reevaluating the puritans
7:15 Connecting Shakespeare with the puritans and de-segmenting history
9:38 Hugh Peters and other forgotten founding fathers
11:08 The negative connotations of puritanism
12:53 Discovering the 1641 Massachusetts Body of Liberties
15:21 Peters' historical importance
16:34 The English Civil War, the Puritan Revolution, and the French Revolution
18:05 Puritanism's radical liberality
20:14 Massachusetts' departure from typical colonial legal systems
29:33 The revolutionary, progressive importance of Massachusetts' colonial law
32:05 The historical importance of religious dissent and conflict
33:15 Notably radical rights guaranteed under Massachusetts' law
38:06 Peters' 1651 "Good Work for a Good Magistrate"
47:24 The lasting impact of Peters and puritanism
48:00 Final Thoughts and Thanks
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We're thankful to the Colonial Society of Massachusetts for co-sponsoring this program. You can find them online at: www.colonialsociety.org