2020 is not only the year of the next U.S. presidential election, it is also the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower ‘Pilgrims’ in North America and the beginnings of Puritan New England. And both the election and anniversary occur in the same month.
There is an undeniable historic link between the origins of Puritan settlement of North America (particularly that in Massachusetts Bay from 1630 onwards) and the remarkable events which have shaken the nation since 2016.
The Mayflower Compact and later covenanting agreements of the Puritan congregations of Massachusetts Bay contributed a profound sense of “calling,” commitment to actively form gated communities and a moral contract as part of a venture which saw itself as an “American Israel.”
Importantly, this “American Israel” was culturally and psychologically armed to dominate the original U.S. inhabitants. The ideas of exceptionalism and divine calling then became secularised in 19-century claims regarding “Manifest Destiny” and the subjugation of the indigenous.
Despite progress since the 17th century, this has had a profound impact on U.S. culture and still informs much of the outlook of many people concerning what it means to be an American. In fact, Thanksgiving celebrates the American exceptionalism of the Puritans.
While Donald Trump is certainly no Puritan, his appeal to evangelicals has 17th century roots. But Puritanism is a global movement, not an American one, so President Trump has ruined an enterprise, a global venture, the Zionist enterprise, for the Zionists, today’s Puritans.
The Puritans left a unique legacy that explains the role of the evangelicals in modern U.S. politics and, ultimately, the Trump presidency. While the Neocons and the Tea Party failed to exploit Puritanism, Trump has harnessed some of its American legacy despite his impropriety.
Puritanism is part of the American story whether we like it or not. blogs.mediapart.fr/nicholas-molod…
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