“What one thinks is right is not always the same as what others think is right; no one can be always right.” (Roy T Bennett) From the moment Christopher Columbus first set foot on the land of America, which has already been inhabited by the natives, until now, the land of freedom reached 525 years old. The first major group to actually colonize America was the Puritans, who came to search for religious freedom and was referenced largely in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. However, their strict belief system, thought to be liberated, had significant effects on the actual Puritans society and modern American society now. It has been often discussed whether any modern society would be more or less moral compared to the past ones. The question itself raises many concerns since applying contemporary ideals to historical standards could be unfair. Under today’s judgements, the Puritan society would have been condemned as being immoral, however, it is essential to remember that both time periods have very different opinions and both considered themselves to be right.
Even though the Puritans were leaving to search for freedom to practice their religious beliefs, they brought with them a rigid structure and rules of what was right and wrong. They had very clear standards of how people should behave and gave punishment to the ones that did not obey. The Salem Witch Trials was a major event that ended up prosecuting seventeen to twenty innocent people. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams falsely accused innocent women for witchcraft, who were either sent to prison or hanged, without any evidence. A whole society was living off of words being thrown around and making decisions based on them, regardless if they were right or not. Even the Judge Danforth, responsible for bringing justice to light, claimed he “cannot pardon these [people] when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.” (Miller 113) It is ironic how Danforth said so since he has sentenced 12 people to death with no justification, and then claimed it would not be ‘just’ to not kill other people who were accused for the same crime.This highlighted how prejudiced and judgmental the Puritans were even with their own people.
The Scarlet Letter is a representative of how severe and impactful the punishment would be if the laws are broken. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin of adultery has condemned them. It has been revealed that “[Hester’s] penalty thereof is death. But, in their great mercy and tenderness of heart, they have doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom.” (Hawthorne 43) Hester’s punishment was supposed to be death, but due to the so-called generosity, she had to stand on a scaffold for three hours with a scarlet letter “A” to symbolize her sin. Puritan believed strongly in staying faithful to the point that their penalty would be considered dramatic to modern society.
In modern society, death sentence would not have happened simply due to false accusation of witchcraft or adultery. There is more acceptance and investigation in one’s behavior in a rush moment rather than jumping to conclusion. Cheating on one another is a matter of daily life now, and is usually resolved among individuals rather than taking it to the officials. In America, there are still 21 out of 50 states that consider adultery as illegal (Rhode). However, the penalty for infidelity is either a fine or jail time, which range around half a grand and three months in jail, not being hanged or publicly shamed for the rest of their lives. Those are also marriage dishonesty, and many would be resolved by divorcing. Today’s society has value in self instead of wasting effort in condemning others.
Even though the two time periods would conflict if they ever came into contact to each other, but it all boils down to the question of what is the objective of comparing them in the first place. America is a young country and has gone through a dramatic course of history that had major effects on today’s society. “The simple answer is that it matters because our civil society depends, as theirs did, on linking an ethics of the common good with the uses of power …Getting the Puritans right won’t change what we eat on Thanksgiving, but it might change what we can be thankful for and how we imagine a better America.” (Hall) The past might have passed, but the past still remains today. In Americans there are still leftover traits of Puritans and Americans are technically the Puritan’s descendant. Being aware of one’s ancestors history and having compassion is essential for modern society to thrive and prosper. Hall made a point that Thanksgiving was an atrocious act that will never be forgotten, but it is a holiday that is so ingrained in American tradition, removing it will not mean anything. However, having a different approach to it and being more cautious with thankfulness will make a change for American future.
America is not the same as it was 500 years ago. Today’s judgement of the past would be condescending, but if Puritan society had seen modern society, they would probably think it is insane. It all depends on each point of view and how it has developed because society changes constantly every day. Puritans belief of jumping to conclusion is a hyperbole in today’s point of view. So when comparing to widely apart time periods, it is essential to keep in mind that what is the purpose of the question and how to judge it squarely using present’s judgement.
Works Cited
Hall, David D. “Peace, Love and Puritanism.” The New York Times, The New York
Times, 23 Nov. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/opinion/24hall.html.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: a Play in Four Acts. Penguin Books, 2016.
DeMaiolo, James F., and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. Applause, 1996.
Rhode, Deborah L. “Why Is Adultery Still a Crime?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2016,
www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-rhode-decriminalize-adultery-20160429-story.html.