“Now to the King, immortal, eternal and invisible, the only wise God, be honour, and glory for ever and ever, Amen.”  (Bradstreet 437)  Anne Bradstreet’s letter “To My Dear Children” shows the parental concern and interest of religion at the time. I think the letter is a good example because it shows how much parents thought about the salvation of their children, and emphasize it’s importance in their lives. This relates to the picture as a whole, children were taught religion in the home and in the classroom. It shows how religion was a fundamental part of everyday life, and cannot be overlooked.  

"From an edition of Bunyan's Divine Emblems published in 1791.  The emblem of the hourglass can also be found in the New England Primer."

This picture, (the second picture on the page of the hourglass) symbolizes something that is common for children to dwell upon during the seventh and eighteenth time period, but is something we tend to keep from our children now. The hourglass figure represents life running out, or ones lifespan, and evokes the emotion, that there is a possibility of death around every corner. Because illnesses were not as treatable back then as they are today, death among the young was common, and something that was faced every day.  This constant threat makes religion and moral behavior much more important, because their was a much greater chance of losing a child due to disease or illness. The hourglass is yet another a constant reminder that your days are numbered, and judged, so be the best you can be while you have life.  

“By originating American history in New England and proclaiming the carefully edited New England Puritan as the national type, they hoped to create a commonality, instilling all citizens to those traits they thought necessary for the future: Self-reliance, Self- control, and acceptance of hierarchy” (Baym 460).  

In the seventeenth and eighteenth century children did not have the luxury of acting or playing a traditional child’s role. They were expected to be serious, much like an adult, and often faced the same realities that their parents did. On the other hand, they were still children and had to be taught to read, write etc. but the methods and materials were extremely rigorous and reflective of a society plagued by fear of death, and molded by serious Biblical principles. For example, the alphabet used to teach children was a not only a tool used to teach the letters of the alphabet, it was a constant reminder of moral and Biblical principles that parents wanted ingrained in their children’s heads. 

I find this very important because these are some of the ideas that we consider part of our founding ideas. It’s that “pull you up by your bootstrap” view that is a fundamental part of our American ideology.  In order to create such strong views in a society you usually start with a few members who firmly believe this and then start young. Meaning that in order to instill all citizens with these traits, it would have to be integrated into the school system to give all a similar belief system about such morals. 

“Yet there is a devotion generous, liberal, and humane, the child of more exalted feelings than base minds can enter into, which assimilates man to higher natures, and lifts him "above this visible diurnal sphere," Its pleasures are ultimate, and when early cultivated continue vivid even in that uncomfortable season of life when some of the passions are extinct, when imagination is dead, and the heart begins to contract within itself.” Once again this portion of the text shows the significance of religion in the time period. There is not much tolerance for the unbeliever. You are considered nothing and dead without it. The pressure to follow the religion is so contradictory to the way we view it today. It was integrated into every part of life, repetition seems to be a common factor. 

This article discusses some of the dynamics of Puritanism, and goals of the society at the time, “Foster remarks. Their first aim was a reformulated church, but that was only preliminary to the larger goal of a better educated, more orderly, and more responsible populace” (Robinson 740) This social reform is so important because I believe it is what made America a successful nation. Even though the environment was not ideal for kids during this time, children were given the tools or viewpoints needed to build America’s foundation. I know that that might sound a preachy, but without these strong values out country may not have stood as strong.