Ttc - Prof. Patrick N Allitt - American Religious History (2024)

The course begins by contrasting the diverse religious traditions of Native Americans with the arrival of European settlers. Allitt focuses heavily on the Puritans of New England, who sought to establish a "City upon a Hill"—a model Christian society. He explores how their rigid theological framework paradoxically sowed the seeds of its own fragmentation through internal dissenters like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. 2. The Great Awakenings and the Revolution

The core of these early lectures focuses on the Protestant Reformation’s arrival in New England. Allitt masterfully distinguishes between the Pilgrims (Separatists) and the Puritans (Reformers). He explains the doctrine of "covenant theology" and how John Winthrop’s vision of a "City upon a Hill" created a lasting template for American exceptionalism. However, he does not shy away from the darkness: the persecution of Quakers, the banishment of Roger Williams (who founded the first Baptist church in America), and the Salem witch trials are dissected as symptoms of a closed, anxious society. TTC - Prof. Patrick N Allitt - American Religious History