Puritans in the 21st Century: A Symposium

What do 17th century Puritans teach us about Christian Nationalism, resistance to tyranny, and American identity in 2026? A lot, as it turns out - more than you ever imagined.

Join us on Saturday, November 7, at the gorgeous American Ancestors building in central Boston or online, for Puritans in the 21st Century: Politics, Myths, and the Future, a day-long reappraisal of the role of the Puritans in America's origin story. Sign up here!

NOTE: this is a hybrid event: join in person ($25/person, $10/students) or online.

Held in honor of the scholarship of Francis J. Bremer, the symposium will move beyond simple adultation of Puritans as founders, leading scholars wil discus topics from the politics of resistance to authoritarian rule to arguments for coexistence with Native peoples to the language and myths of the stories we tell about the Puritans.

If you always thought the Puritans were fun-hating autocrats, an irrelevant part of a distant past, come find out why the Puritans still matter today.

This is the first major gathering of scholars of Puritanism in more than 25 years. Mingle with leading scholars including:

Francis J. Bremer on Puritan resistance to tyranny

Holly Brewer on the royal politics behind English colonial slavery

Adrian Chastain Weimer on Daniel Gookin, the man who proposed living alongside Native people

Lori Rogers-Stokes on why the dour Puritan image is so intractable

John Coffey on a heated religious toleration debate and Christian Nationalism

Abram Van Engen on the mythology of American origin stories

David Hall on the future of Puritan studies

Neal Dugre on students of Puritanism

For a full listing and outline of the day, click here.

This symposium is hosted by six leading Massachusetts historical organizations: American Ancestors, Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Congregational Library & Archives, First Church Boston, Massachusetts Historical Society and the Partnership of Historic Bostons.

The Partnership of Historic Bostons is an all-volunteer organization with a miniscule budget. If you'd like to see more real history of the Puritans, Indigenous people, and all other people of the 17th century, please donate now!

Image: Courtesy of American Ancestors.