Each group of early English settlers brought its own set of values and aspirations to the Americas. In various regards, some were more successful than others in establishing and maintaining their desired way of life. In building my own colony, I would seek to ensure the greater good rather than give in to the corruptive influence of materialistic desires. Colonial America can be divided into three distinct regions of concern: New England, the Middle Colonies, and the South. New England was a region with some aspirations of profit, but these aspirations were largely overshadowed by a desire to reform or purify English religion. Massachusetts was founded by John Winthrop as a refuge for Puritans escaping persecution. The Puritans were successful in promoting education, creating a sense of social cohesion, establishing a centralized form of government, and fostering a strong work ethic. However, the Puritans were limited by their demand for uniformity and assimilation. Only members of the Church, male members specifically, had any decision-making power. Religious fervor readily fed into hysteria when others failed to engage in traditional practices or beliefs, leading to many exiles and even death. The Puritans also failed to pass on their ideals to future generations. Younger Puritans did inherit a strong sense of work ethic, but it was more oriented towards profit than proving their salvation. The colony thus could not achieve its long term goals. Rhode Island was founded by
Will society ever come together under one belief? Understanding the past changes of certain parts within society will bring you one step closer to opening your own eyes of what you believe in. Throughout the major literary philosophies in the United States, one can see how social requirements to attend church diminished throughout history. Philosophers have done their best to spread their beliefs to see their own change in the world.
In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the
The New England colonies rapidly developed though out the 1600s. This mass of development was influenced by the Puritans, whom founded a majority of the New England and several Middle colonies. The Puritan philosophies and values formed and directed the progress of the colonies. Socially, strict emphasis on church and community was influential in other colonial settlements as well. Politically, unification and representation derived from the Puritans. Economically, ideas such as fair pricing originated through the Puritan minds. It is obvious that the ideas held by Puritans grasped the social, political and economic maturity of the New England colonies in the time period of 1630 to 1660.
The settlers who established on the northern east coast were strictly searching for a land with religious freedom. The Puritans, followers of John Calvin, settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In England, they wished to purify the Anglican Church but were persecuted by King James I. The Puritans believed in well-ordered communities and families. They stressed education and the specific roles for males and females. The Pilgrims, or Separatists, founded Plymouth Colony and wrote the Mayflower Compact as a self government document by taking advantage of a loophole in their charter. This was the first self government treaty in North America. They believed that the English church was so corrupt that they had to establish their own independent congregations. As time passed, the New England settlements grew in population and diversity and split into different colonies such as Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and
It is in one’s moral beliefs that children are the way to a better future. It is instilled in the modern era to the minds of the human race that treating a child a certain way, will lead them to become a certain person. For instance, they will one day become society’s doctors, educators, and politicians, respectable men and women. Yet, in Puritan New England the conditions to raising children to being such was much more intense from modern day’s way of teaching and living. The life for children in Puritan New England was tough and tenacious, because of its strict beliefs in religion, the lack of individualism and expression permitted to the children, and the dire consequences leading to being abused, or at times, being punishable by death.
New England for religious refuge. The puritans were being persecuted in England. Puritans worked to separate from the Church of New England. These separatists strived to model a Christian nation and purge the church of its sins, not just in England, but in the new colonies as well. They were a minority, and most Puritans, including the ones who later founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony, sought to reform the Church from within. One of the founders and first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop, sets the standard for the establishment by stating, “We shall be that city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. However while in the Chesapeake, John Smith kept Jamestown running, partially by implementing the rule, “he who shall not work shall not eat.” One of the riches to be harvested in was tobacco. With the growth of tobacco plantations, more labors was needed exponentially which led to slaves being imported in and more trouble with cutting into Indian
Although the settlers from New England and the Chesapeake region both migrated from England, they each developed different social, political, and economical customs. (Transition Sentence). “The New England population was dominated by Puritan Morals, which not only created a strict moral code, but also fostered a [more unified colony].” The Puritans believed that England had been corrupted by foreign influences, which is why they chose to settle in the New World. The Puritans also believed that they were placed on Earth by God to serve as an example to everyone surrounding them.
Puritans’ Effects on New England Colonies Throughout the 1600s, the New England colonies rapidly developed in many aspects. The development of the colonies was greatly affected by the Puritans— a group of English Reformed Protestants hoping to model a perfect Christian society. Their values and philosophies led to the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies. Politically, the Puritans’ representative government would later result in the establishment of the governing system still in place in the United States today. Economically, the idea of a part-to-whole ratio for Puritan communities was recreated throughout the colonies.
Towns were seen as a social unit for the community of the Puritan society. Because of the close nit lifestyle, the Puritan ways tied the people to be religiously and socially connected to the town in a peaceful manor. Due to this the town did not need input from the colonial government of Britain. And the New England Colonies second to the Middle were the most peaceful within the thirteen.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was one of the thirteen colonies of North America found on 1630. John Winthrop, founder of the colony, brought along the Puritans on the Arabella to settle in the New World. The Puritans strived to establish a religious society in which they can practice and express their beliefs and ethics freely. One in which was required to be strictly followed throughout the entire community. The belief of god was very important to the Puritans. They believed that the Anglican Church, England’s religious establishment, needed to be cleansed of the influence of Catholicism. They believed that God makes all decisions and that God chose them to be who they are. However two revolutionists named Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson
Over the years, people broadcast the Puritans as a group of people who were extremely legalistic and against anything that would be considered fun in the modern world. This incorrect broadcast of the Puritans has led to many misconceptions about how they lived when they came to the New World and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans were not legalistic, but rather sought to please God by creating a society that focused on fulfilling their calling through the institutions of family, work, education, and government in a positive environment. This led to a fruitful society when it followed in its original intentions.
It is difficult to draw parallels between the staunch beliefs of Puritan society in colonial America and the freedom experienced in the country today. The Puritans lived strict lives based on a literal interpretation in the Bible, and constantly emphasized a fear of God and a fear of sin. Modern society looks at this negative view of humanity as a whole as an out-dated opinion from the past, believing that, "Now people know better than that." However, faults in human nature can not be completely erased by the passing of time and the modernization of society. People still have emotions of love, compassion, envy, and pride; and many types of interpersonal relationships within their community. Puritan literature
Puritanism was a religious movement that began in the late sixteenth century. The puritans were a group of reformed protestants who sought to “purify” the Church of England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, puritanism was not just a historical movement, it was a lifestyle that the puritans brought to New England. Puritanism can be defined by predestination, calling, covenant, Protestant ethic, and conversion.
Colonial America was shaped by the many Christian denominations of its founders. Christian ideals were one of the most important intellectual discussions on the mind of America’s founders. The Puritans were a separatist religious group that came to North America from England to escape religious persecution in the mid-seventeenth century. Its followers arrived to the northern English colonies in the New World and settled almost exclusively in the New England region. Led by John Winthrop, the Puritans formed the colony of Massachusetts, where their faith would prove to have an enormous impact over almost every aspect of colonial society. Their goal was to build a “city upon a hill”, representing a spiritually pure and idyllic society. Puritanism greatly influenced the political, social, and cultural aspects of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The strict nature of Puritanism is one factor that aided in making Massachusetts distinguishable from the rest of colonial America.
In the Colonial/Puritan Era of Literature, which lasted from 1650-1750, a major event that helped develope the Puritan’s writing was their migration from Europe to North America. Puritan’s were strong believers in God. Puritan’s had one goal they felt was most important; the desire to glorify God. They let fate control their lives and wanted to be leaders for other Christians to follow. Most of these people had strict customs by which they must follow and rules that were enforced with great power. The writings of this time frame related to the Christian faith and included God in some aspect of the writing. God was higher and more valued than anyone else. Satan was strongly believed in my all Puritans.