In the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation swept through England and caused people like John Calvin to make up their own religions. Henry VIII made the Anglicanism the official religion of England, and any dissenters, even dissenters who belonged to the Church of England, were persecuted. Puritans were some of these dissenters, and they migrated to the New World seeking religious freedom, a place to live the way they believed was pleasing to God. As the Puritans' lives were shaped by their religion, so too did their religious values and ideas influence the political, social, and economic development of the New England colonies. That their belief that people should obey religious authority and their value of unity shaped the northern colonies' …show more content…
Document B shows how dense New England's towns were. The houses were very close together, and church and school were in the center of town. Their religious convictions influenced this structure because church was a central part of their lives, so they all needed to live close to a church. Because of their religious devotion, education was also important to the Puritans. Schools were founded much faster than in the southern colonies, because the Puritans "dread[ed] to leave an illiterate Ministery to the Churches" (Document E). This point of view, that education was important, is significant because it was unique to the New England colonies. The southern colonies had no need for education because all they came to the New World to do was farm and get rich. As a result, New Englanders were better educated than the other colonies. Document A explains from a Puritan point of view how much community was valued. Their desire for togetherness influenced the way their towns were organized, and, in turn, how close the colonists were to one another. Puritans' value of closeness and community also led to stable families. Family closeness was evidenced by Puritans traveling as whole families, unlike colonists in the Chesapeake, who were mostly single males. Divorce was basically illegal in New England, except under two circumstances: adultery and outright abandonment. Puritan kids usually grew up in …show more content…
Document I shows a Puritan testifying that he had "not lived an idle, lazie or dronish life," but rather he spent his time well to redeem himself in heaven. This distaste of laziness led to hard-working societies in New England. The Puritans did not believe that "worldly gain was not the end and designe of the people of New England" (Document J). John Higginson also explains in Document J that New England was a "plantation of Religion, not a Plantation of Trade." In this document, Higginson calls out merchants who are only looking for money. He insists the Puritans' religion was more important than all other things. Unlike the merchants, who were willing to cheat people so they could get more money, Puritans worked hard to please God. The Puritans influenced economic development in New England by instigating a "Yankee
Early Colonial American society during the 17th and 18th centuries is characteristically bound by strong religious beliefs of Christianity. The New England inhabitants from Britain, who have established their respective colonies in the Americas, have brought with them their cultural histories; thus, this culture had been further developed in the new country to strengthen its new identity and culture as the American society. In colonial America, two religions dominated its cultural history: Puritans on one hand, and the Quakers, on the other. Puritanism was borne from the creation of a religion that seeks to fuse and at the same time,
They wanted a chance to practice their religion without interference and to make a better life out of themselves. The settlers of new england were puritans who left england during the great migration. The journey of the New World began with the puritans, who did not agree with the church of england so they decided to develop the massachusetts bay colony. This colony consisted of Unity and religion.
The Massachusetts Bay colonists were Puritans seeking religious freedom and purity. After being persecuted for their beliefs in England, they moved to Holland. Before long, parents felt their children were being influenced by the more liberal beliefs of Holland. The next option was to move to the New World where they could raise their children in a private community surrounded by like-minded families. As Puritan lawyer John Winthrop envisioned the new colony he said, “Wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us.”
The development of New England’s society differs from the Chesapeake region because of the differences in their economy and politics, their reasons for foundation, and differences in religions and societies. New England was an industry driven economy with a steady economy. It was founded by the Puritans in hope of finding religious freedom. The Chesapeake region had an agricultural driven economy, with an unsteady society that was full of slaves and servants. The Englishmen who settled along the
Even though many had originally come to the New World to practice their own religion freely, not all of them were able to allow others to do the same. The Puritans thought that to ignore God's work was completely unthinkable and when “free-thinkers” such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams chose to speak their minds, conflict was inevitable (“Dissent in Massachusetts Bay”). The economic landscape of the colonies was small and isolated. Tension was inevitable because the colonists did not have much, if any, gold and silver.
The Puritan’s goal of coming to the New World was not to create a new life, but to create the ideal model of living for the “corrupt” inhabitants of England. This was coined “The Errand”, the Puritans desire to establish a City Upon a Hill that others could look up to and imitate in order to receive God’s grace. The Puritans failed at building their City Upon a Hill (creating a perfect religious, economic, and political community), however the long-term effects of their efforts have influenced American moral politics throughout its history. The Puritans forever had the attitude of a community that had successfully established a City Upon a Hill. The Puritan lifestyle was heavily influenced not only by religion, but also inside of that, morality.
The Puritan colonists were bound by laws of morality with judgments with sentences that were the base of fear. The laws were centered on the basics of not going to church daily to practicing witchcraft, adultery, even not having regular sex to procreate. There were many laws of the time with cause and effect that harmed many people. Through the seventeenth century, laws were connected to morality, reflected in the ways Puritans used religious beliefs in the process of rendering judgment and assigning punishments to keep colonists from leaving their colony and gaining freedoms of their own. Puritan Religion ~
The Puritans believed that they had a special covenant with God and that they were chosen to build a new society based on their religious principles period to this end, they established a system of self-governance and communal land ownership that allowed them to thrive in the harsh conditions of the New England wilderness. The Puritans believed in the virtues of industry and frugality, and worked hard to build strong, thriving communities. They were skilled farmers and craftsmen, and their self-sufficiency allowed them to thrive in a challenging environment. They also established a system of public education that ensured that their children would be able to read the Bible and uphold their religious values. This led to the establishment of some of the earliest universities in America, such as Harvard and Yale.
Although all the colonists all came from England, the community development, purpose, and societal make-up caused a distinct difference between two distinct societies in New England and the Chesapeake region. The distinctions were obvious, whether it be the volume of religious drive, the need or lack of community, families versus single settlers, the decision on minimal wage, whether or not articles of agreements were drawn for and titles as well as other social matters were drawn, as well as where loyalties lay in leaders. New England was, overall, more religious than the Chesapeake region. Settlers in New England were searching relief for religious persecution in Europe. Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics were coming in droves to America searching for an opportunity to have religious freedom.
The religion of the people from New England was called Puritan, which that meant
The war was between Wampanoag and Puritans, which led to the end of Native American power in New England. Religion also influenced economic practices in colonial America. The Puritans believed in the idea of a "calling," the belief that God had given each person a specific role in society (American YAWP, 2.6). This belief led to a strong work ethic and an emphasis on industry. It also contributed to the development of the New England economy, which was based on trade, fishing, and agriculture.
“ In time, the Pilgrims replicate the humble little farm communities they had known in England” (Brands et al., 37). The Puritans became fisherman, farmers, artisans, and even developed trade (Lecture, “Economies of Early British Colonies”). The
Twas the year 1630 and a strong, hardworking man that went by the name John Winthrop took the very first group of English Puritans to Massachusetts. Puritans are not as relevant today as they were back then however people should study their beliefs and how it has influenced literature to this date. Surprisingly literature has reflected the values of a Puritan by showing their hard-working skills, presenting their true devotion to god, and elevating the fear aspect of their feelings toward Hell. For starters the Puritans were noted as very dedicated laborers. For instance the journal entries, Of Plymouth Plantation written by William Bradford, “fetched them wood, made them fires, dressed them meat,” After the majority of the Puritans fell sick
They wanted to create pure, moral Christian society based on moral living. By hard working, integration of religion in politics, and social development of certain lifestyle practices, Puritans had a large influence on the development of the New England colonies from 1630s through the 1660s. Puritans believed in hard work as the pathway of success since they thought they were favored by God to succeed (Doc I). They tried to shun idleness and believed that being lazy is not profitable (Doc C).
The Puritans created the Massachusetts Bay colony in the 1620s because they wanted to establish a christian utopia in the New World, free from persecution(Doc A). While the colonists ultimately failed this goal, they still left their mark on New England society, as seen in Document E. In this Document, the Puritans are calling for the regulation of wages in Connecticut . This is because they were against excess, and believed everything should be in moderation. The idea of regulating wages so that they weren’t too big would have been ludicrous to the Virginians.