How Did The Puritans Affect America Today

First of all, the Puritans were reformed Protestants from England in 16th and 17th centuries, who wanted to purify the church from Roman Catholic practices. They were dressed in simple and modest clothing; Puritans spent most of their time praying. They believed in the notion of predestination, which means that every human’s fate is known at birth. Moreover, many Puritans moved to America fleeing from religious persecution.

One major contributor was Cotton Mather. His sermon help the Puritans' ideas of God and the individual person. Another idea that was discussed during the Enlightenment, was "natural rights." The  colonists questioned their actions to the king in Britain as well.   Education was also advanced during this time.

Puritans, faced with harsh religious persecution, were forced to flee Europe and head to the New World in order to freely practice their religion. Pressed with the need to develop a prosperous society, they turned to God. Through a fire-and-brimstone view of the Lord & the teachings of the Bible, Puritans manifested a thriving society dedicated to the glorification of God politically, economically, and socially. To begin, living in constant fear of their angry God, New England Puritans developed a social order they believed would please Him. John Winthrop writes about Puritans living with a certain “meekeness, gentleness, patience and liberalty” so their God would not, “withdrawe his present help” from them (D - A).

What events (inventions, migrations, changes) shaped the Puritan vision and why? The three main components that shaped Puritan perception was the invention of the printing press, the discovery of America and the advancement of Protestantism. All aspects added a needed ingredient in developing Puritan ideologies through textual, geographical and spiritual elements to create the New World. The creation of the printing press was critical in the Puritan expansion because they were essentially people of the book.

Protestant Reformation to shape the landscape which they lived in. Protestants and Catholics were constantly trying to reinvent to common social norms that were already in placed in order to please their denomination. In the 1630s the Puritans, led by John Winthrop, settled in Boston with hopes of reforming the Church of England and emplacing their religion and its social values with of those who are already there (primarily Native Americans). Around twelve years later some Puritans, such as Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and Thomas Hooker, tried to reinvent the morals and theology of the Puritan Community. Years later in the 1730s and 1740s there is a revival called the Great Awakening which focused on reinventing the way people conducted their life and a call for personal choice.

The Puritans though that brotherhood, community, and religion to be the most important social standings in their colonies, yet were violent towards non-Puritans. The New England colonies were very religiously active compared to other colonies like Virginia, were religion was an afterthought. Because of the Tobacco craze in Virginia, it was only until the mid-1700’s when religion actually became a part of the colony. In general the Puritans were extremely intolerant of other beliefs that were not theirs, and history shows that they could become quite violent towards non-believers. Anyone who was an outsider or deemed non-Puritan would be banished or executed; in Puritan society, the fear of outsiders was ingrained into the mind of Puritan followers,

The Puritans were an extremely religious lot that came to America from England in hopes of finding religious freedom. In doing so they not only founded the colony of Massachusetts but also created some of the most memorable religious poems and sermons to this day. Two writers Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are to writers who wrote on the same subject,but they had very different approaches to addressing that matter. Anne Bradstreet wrote a poem about God’s wrath and mercy titled “ Upon the Burning of Our House.”. In the poem her house burns down and subsequently killed her husband.

The Puritan’s Influence on the Development of the New England Colonies Sander Cochran In the seventeenth century as the English colonized North America a group of religious dissidents known as the Puritans began to settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony and greatly influenced the colonies early development. The Puritans effected social development of the colony by stressing the importance of literacy and education, the creation of a model Christian community, and the advancement of the common good. Puritan settlers influenced economic develop by introducing a strong religiously rooted work ethic and a focus on agriculture.

The Puritan colonies in New England were characterized by a church centered society. In England, the Puritan Christians desired to purify the Church of England. They did not agree with how the church system seemed corrupted by Catholic values and theology. Following the lead of John Calvin, the Puritans believed in the

In the mid-1600s, the New England Puritans had a vision: they were to create the perfect Christian church and settlement, one that was made according to their interpretation of the original church Jesus had visualized. They were a very religious group and wanted to build a place of refuge for themselves. Unlike the colonist of the Chesapeake Bay colonies, they did not immigrate to make a fortune. The main reason the Puritans traveled to America was because they wanted to build a “City Upon a Hill”, since they were persecuted in England for their beliefs. From the 1630s to the 1660s, the Puritan’s beliefs greatly influenced the political, economical, and social development of the New England colonies.

The puritans were religious reformers whose main beliefs were predestination, God, hard-work, and education. The puritans beliefs have carried out even today people who come to this country succeed through hard-work and persistence. The puritans lifestyle was very plain and based around what god thought of them every decision they would make they would base it around if god would be happy with them. The puritans’ way of life was very different to what we are used to today. They believed that everything that happened to them was because they were destined to.

The values held by the Puritans influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New england colonies in many ways. The Puritans were very strict when it came to religion. Massachusetts was sought out to create a holy commonwealth. In the New England colonies only member of the church were allowed to vote. The Puritans were so strict that some colonist formed other colonies after being expelled from Massachusetts.

Krishni Alalasundram THEOLOGY 1000C When one thinks about the Puritan society, a society dominated by the church and where it was considered a crime to not attend church and where it was considered a crime to not attend church on the Sabbath, it is difficult to trace our society today back to the roots of Puritanism. In our society today, religion does not play as big of a role as it did in the mid 1600s. However, what many people also failed to see in Puritan society is that behind a wall of “God laws” is the foundation of their own constitution. Thus due to their strong values and commitment to self-government, the Puritans had a more important and lasting impact on both Massachusetts and the United States than any other ethnic and religious

From then on, Puritans’ unique culture spread to the New England and they remained one of the dominant cultures until 19th century. Their lives had essential influence on the economic growth, religion culture and education of new colonies and early American culture. By 1629, fearing the punishment by God to the church of English, a group of rich Puritans got together and established Massachusetts Bay Company. And then they transported more Puritans through this joint stock company to their new colony——Massachusetts Bay Colony. Later on, the money that Massachusetts Bay Company gained became capital to create new lives in New English and as simulation of economics to all colonies.

The Puritanism shape today’s American culture to a large extent, for example, it has a great influence on the American political culture, the idea Individualism and capitalism are raised from the Puritanism. And the value of individualism has permeated every corner of American society today. And it also shapes the educational culture of America. The Puritans had a zeal for education, “The idea that everyone should be educated is a remnant of the Puritan emphasis” on education,. They desired education and enlightenment for everyone and to spread their faith.