LITERATURE QUESTIONS
PURITAN LITERATURE
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Women were inferior to men and inherently evil.
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Women were weak and needed protection.
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All women were witches.
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Women should be educated and well spoken.
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Detailed explanation-1: -The Puritans, like many societies in this time period, believed that women were culturally inferior to men. Married women were expected to follow the edicts of their husbands and were unable to interact with local government on their own. In addition, married women were unable to sue for divorce.
Detailed explanation-2: -Puritanism did regard men and women as spiritual equals. The men might be the church leaders, but women were believed to be more disciplined and more moral. Though they had no official standing, women exercised a lot of informal influence.
Detailed explanation-3: -They could not vote, and they lost all their property in marriage (though women had some property rights). Childbearing in colonial times was dangerous, and women and children often died during childbirth. White children in colonial America also had many responsibilities.
Detailed explanation-4: -Gender Roles The men and boys took charge of farming, fixing things around the house, and caring for livestock. The women made soap, cooked, gardened, and took care of the house. Puritan society and politics were dominated by men. Puritan men believed they were the stronger gender.