ABSTRACT
Puritanism was a complex mix of the modern and the premodern, so that Hartz's thesis, although still very powerful, is oversimplified. A brief exploration of Puritan theological and political ideas illustrates the problem. In somewhat formal, schematic terms, Puritanism can be defined as "theocratic, congregational-presbyterian, Calvinistic, protestant, medieval Christianity". Puritanism presents a difficult historical problem for the Hartz thesis, since, while having clear roots in an earlier time, it equally clearly looks forward to some of the most significant aspects of modernity. The Puritans had a very strong community bound together by a powerful sense of religious fellowship. Whatever the predilections of the Puritan divines, their theories, in a superb illustration of the law of unintended consequences, often contributed to some of the basic ideas and practices of liberal democracy. The rhetorical style created by the ambiguities of Puritan doctrine has deep resonance in American thought and politics.
