Page "Ethan Allen" Paragraph 5

Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, the first-born child of Joseph and Mary Baker Allen, both of English and Puritan descent.

The family moved to the town of Cornwall shortly after his birth.

The move to Cornwall grew out of Ethan's father's quest for freedom of religion during a time of turmoil: the Great Awakening, when Puritans were separating into churches with differing dogmas, in particular about the proper form of conversion: by works or by grace.

Ethan's lifelong interest in philosophy and ideas emerged against the backdrop of his father's involvement in these Puritan debates and his father's refusal to convert to the covenant by grace.

As a boy Ethan already excelled at quoting the Bible and was known for disputing the meaning of passages.