Anglo-Protestant stereotypes
Anglo-Protestant stereotypes have evolved since early colonial times, reflecting both the positive and negative perceptions of early settlers in America. These stereotypes are rooted in the significant influence of Anglo-Protestants, particularly Puritans and Pilgrims, on religion, politics, and society in New England. Positively, they are often characterized as self-disciplined, hardworking, and pious individuals who contributed to the cultural fabric of America, notably celebrating early holidays like Thanksgiving with Native Americans. Conversely, negative stereotypes highlight their perceived rigidity, intolerance, and hypocrisy, stemming from historical events such as the Salem witch trials, where religious leaders are seen as both victims and aggressors exploiting fear for power.
The concept of the “Yankee” further complicates the image, presenting a figure that embodies Calvinistic values of hard work, yet is sometimes depicted as emotionally cold or unsympathetic. The acronym WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) emerged in the mid-20th century, denoting a socio-economic elite with northern European, Protestant heritage, which has, over time, taken on a more derogatory tone, suggesting a disconnected aristocracy out of touch with societal changes. Overall, these stereotypes encapsulate a dual image of Anglo-Protestants as both influential and contentious figures in American history and culture, blending admiration with criticism.
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Anglo-Protestant stereotypes
Anglo-Protestant stereotypes began in early colonial times and include a variety of positive and negative images of the early settlers that reflect their contributions to American life. Because whole congregations and followers of influential preachers dominated most New England towns, religion and politics were closely connected. For this reason and others, Anglo-Protestants dominated the political, economic, and social life of America in colonial times and afterward, even though they constituted only a plurality of Americans by the end of the Revolution. Their ability to remain prominent in American political and financial affairs in the succeeding centuries contributed to their enduring reputation as a “power elite.”
Another stereotype is based on an image of early Anglo-Protestant settlers as self-disciplined, hardworking, pious men and women. Prominent among the early Anglo-Protestants were the Puritans and the Pilgrims in Massachusetts, the latter of whom were befriended by Native Americans and thus able to survive the harsh conditions and celebrate the first American holiday, Thanksgiving. However, the Puritans tolerated little deviation from their religious and moral scruples and drove Roger Williams, a Puritan minister and theologian, from their midst because of his religious and political views. They also supplied the English language with the term “puritanical,” which reflects the popular belief that Anglo-Protestants are inflexible, intolerant, and given to a degree of hypocrisy.
A similarly negative stereotype, which was spawned partly by the Puritans’ religious views and also by the Salem witch trials, depicts Anglo-Protestant religious leaders as harsh, overzealous, black-robed ministers who used the threat of an afterlife teeming with fire and brimstone to increase their power and influence and for their personal financial gain. Within this stereotype is an element of anti-intellectualism, in that these preachers and local officials used their education and eloquence to stir up communal anger and suspicion to divide and dominate those who relied on them for guidance and leadership. In Salem, the religious leaders were both victims and victimizers, having initially been misled by a group of “innocents” whose personal desires for power and revenge were unrecognized or ignored. In a frightening abuse of power, the town’s religious leaders accepted the group’s accusations as truth and exploited the fear that they and the trials fostered.
Another Anglo-Protestant stereotype is the popular caricature of the New England Yankee. The Yankee is an American version of the English rugged individualist who possesses a Calvinistic drive for hard work. He is as careful in dealings with others as he is with his religious conviction, because both are bound together in his perception that he will reap the profits of his moral convictions in this life and in the next. (However, some literary descriptions of the Yankee portray him as an unscrupulous businessman.) The Yankee is often described as "cold," "hard," "dyspeptic," or "impotent," conveying the idea of both physical and mental-emotional deficits.
The acronym WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestants) has been associated with wealthy, White protestants since the 1940s when the phrase was used by author and activist Stetson Kennedy in an article for The New York Amsterdam News. However, usage of the phrase was popularized by E. Digby Baltzell in his book The Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America (1964). The phrase Anglo-Saxon originally referred to those people of Germanic descent who occupied England between the fifth century through the Norman Conquest. The term WASP in America eventually became more of a sociological stereotype, denoting individuals with northern European, Protestant heritage who hold a certain powerful, affluent status in America. In the 1960s, though, the label became associated with The Establishment, a conservative, ruling political elite that some felt compelled to disassociate with. WASP took on a more derogatory connotation and thus became the stamp of a snobbish, aristocratic type who was out-of-touch with the changing cultural landscape of America.
These historical stereotypes combine in the modern image, which portrays Anglo-Protestants as hardworking, self-disciplined, God-fearing, powerful go-getters who at the same time are intolerant, puritanical, and overzealous in matters of church and state.
Bibliography
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