Dbq Puritan Ideas And Values

In New England, the Puritans had a strong belief in frugality, believing money spent on entertainment or anything unprofitable was wasted. This directly affected the economy because of the large population of Puritans in New England; they were constantly working and rarely rested. Their work ethic influenced other groups in the area because they had to keep up with the business that the Puritans were doing. In Document I, Robert Keayne writes “…many spare hours to spend unprofitably away or to refreshe myself with recreations…but have rather stuyded and endeavored to redeeme my time as a thing most deare and precious to me…” This excerpt shows how a Puritan would do business. The Puritans made very humble livings in the early days of America. They typically made livings by being farmers and ministers. Others were merchants and sold goods. The merchants were the wealthier of the puritan people. Many of the women in Puritan society helped to make a living in society by creating clothing and food to sell to other villagers.

Religious uniformity was very important as they were intolerant of any other religion, and only church members were part of the government at first. Citizens were required to attend Church services as part of the law. Most of the people in New England had been merchants or small farmers in England. In New England however, the rocky soil made it hard for a lot of farming, so the Puritans turned to the coast. They built up major industries such as shipbuilding and fishing, and established trade routes with England, and the Caribbean. The New Englanders were a very pious and hardworking people, very different from their southern neighbours.

With religious reforms causing controversy in England came the Puritans, known for their simplicity in their way of life. They wore basic clothing and were against consumption of alcohol and sex (unless married). With the disagreements of the religious conflicts happening in England, the puritans “wanted to purify the Church of England from within.” The sole reason the idea sparked to settle a colony in America was in search of a Puritan lifestyle and the freedom to do so. On March 4, 1629 King Charles gave the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter while not knowing the true nature of what this colony was to become and for the reasons behind it. Still, the Puritans left for America in March 1630. In contrast to the type of people who immigrated to Virginia, the Massachusetts population was mostly nuclear families, meaning husband, wife, and kids. Also differing from the colonists in Virginia, the settlers in Massachusetts Bay worked together for the common good of the colony. Along with their lives and beliefs, their government and politics were religiously based as well and soon they decided upon a Congregationalism form of church government. Their churches were a matter of choice but in order to become a member they had a strict regulation “In order to join one (a church) a man or woman had to provide testimony–a confession of faith–before neighbors who already had been admitted as full members.” Because religion was the bases behind Massachusetts being colonization crimes and religious disagreements called for serious

The New England colonies developed quickly and rapidly through the early 1600s. The colonies’ development was largely influenced by the Puritans, who had helped found most of the colonies in the region after emigrating from GB. The philosophies, ideas, and values of the Puritans greatly shaped the development of the colonies in a number of distinct ways. Politically, the idea of a united, representative government that later became a staple of the US was derived from Puritan ideals. Economically, the ideals of fair pricing and the celebrated “Yankee frugality and thriftiness” originated from the Puritans. Socially, emphasis on church, religion, and community was another lasting influence of the Puritans. Clearly, the values held by the Puritans greatly influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 to 1660.

The Puritan people migrated to what is now present-day America due to their persecution in Europe. Their religion observed many beliefs that did not agree with other European Christians. These ideals stayed with the Puritans as they settled in America to build their idealistic, utopian society. Even though Puritan society was largely unsuccessful in meeting their expectations, several of their fundamental values are still exemplified by Americans today. These beliefs included the dislike of anything dull, an intense hatred of tyranny, and the idea that America is a shining example for the rest of the world to follow.

Rather, they wanted to create a haven where Puritanism could thrive in its worship of god. John Higgins reminded the Puritan people that “New England is originally a plantation of religion, not a plantation of trade.”(Doc J). His intended audience was the Puritans and his purpose was to remind them to put their religion above the temptation of greed. This did not mean, however, that the Puritans did not strive to establish a strong and successful economy. Puritans preached that remaining unproductive and idle was a sin, which motivated the Puritans to lead productive and entrepreneurial lives. In his last will and testament, Robert Keayne wrote that his accounted books “Testify to the world on my behalf, that I have not lived an idle, lazie, or dronish life” (Doc I). The purpose of this was to show that Keayne utilized his time on earth like a pious Puritan, rather than leading a fruitless and pointless existence. Like Keayne, most Puritans strove for constructive and worthwhile lives, causing most men to get either a job or an apprenticeship which contributed to low unemployment within the colony. Additionally, Puritans valued financial independence, or the ability to own land. With this value in mind, Puritans worked hard and long to ensure financial success so as to remain self sufficient. Ultimately, the Puritan ideal of a fruitful life and the value of independance contributed to New England economic

The New England colonies thrived in trading fur, timber, and fish. They’re still known in the country today as a major port and fishing market. The trading kept a nice stable economy for the people of New England. Work was one of the most important thing in their lives. Puritans believed that a hard working man would be sent to heaven as long as he put god in front of all temptations and desires. This led them to become unified as everyone worked together to do their jobs and love one

During the seventeenth century, the Puritans values and ideas had a great influence towards New England. Puritans believed that the government made the church a political struggle, therefore, they believed that leaders should have a limitation to their power. Their goal for union based on economy and rise of education affected England both socially and economically. The main reason most Puritans believed that leaders should have a limited amount of power was due to the fact that they thought the government had turned the church into a political struggle. As John Cotton had stated in, “Limitation of the Government” in Document 4, that men and leaders themselves should have a limited amount of power because no man can have or should try gaining as much power as God himself.

They attempted to separate church and state. Only freemen- male church members- were allowed to vote for government officials. This was done, so that only Godly men could elect Godly officials (Roark, 80). These voting practices reinforced Puritan ideals and kept the society wholly religious. This is, in my opinion, hypocritical because the union of church and state in England is one of the policies that they disliked in the first place. In addition to this, they banished those who began to practice alternative forms of Puritanism. Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan housewife who became a makeshift, in-home preacher for other women.This was deemed inappropriate due to her gender and belief that people could be saved by faith alone, rather than by following God’s commandments exactly. She was excommunicated and moved to New York where she was killed by indigenous people (Roark, 81). Eventually, Puritans were forced to relax their laws and adopt the concept of Halfway Covenant, meaning that someone could baptize their children, but could not vote or partake in communion. This had to happen because people believed that Sainthood was inherited from parents, so they became more lackluster about actively practicing Puritanism.

Puritans took a large part in our history due to their religious beliefs and ways. Their lives were driven by the Bible and they would stop at nothing to carry on God’s Word. Attending church was mandatory, for the Puritans, and those who didn’t attend were given a fine. If an unjust act was committed, they

For the Puritans in the early New England colonies life was by no means easy, but there was the possibility to expand their beliefs free from the persecution from Church of England. They had the opportunity to create their ideal society under God with the bible as their law from which they would define how to live. The Puritans set out to create their model society which could spread and cull the impurities from the church. But how did these beliefs and goals ultimately effect their society?

Puritan Project There are many similarities and differences between the puritan’s society and the American society typically, in today's society America is known as a place of freedom, where a person's opportunities are limited only by his or her ambition and ability and not by his or her race, social status, gender, or other circumstances uncontrolled by birth. The puritan society was a group of people who worked towards religious, moral and societal reforms, they had fixed lives with not as many freedoms as the American society. The Puritans believed that the Bible was God's true law, and that it provided a plan for living. Both cultures valued work to some degree. The puritans, unlike the Americans today, who lived slow paced lives, tried

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.

The Puritans, arguably the most well-known group of early English colonists settled in the Massachusetts Bay colony in the 1600’s, and are considered catalysts to modern American culture. The Puritans are famous for their theological insights, advances in the sciences, and for the establishment of the first public schools in America. The Puritans however are infamous for their potentially brutal punishment, and harsh discipline. To the devout Puritan punishment was love, this was evident in the ways they raised children, punished criminals, and how they lived. These policies played a major role in shaping American society for many years and in part made America what it is today.

Puritan societies are built on the principles of a theocracy. The ideals of a theocracy appear in theory work, but when mortal people claim to be the voices of God, the society will inevitably be unstable. The idea of relying completely on God is good; however, the Christian beliefs of the Puritans are heretical, made up beliefs of the authorities’ creation and are panic- inflicting as well as outlawing individual freedom. Unlike typical Christian religions, Puritans did not believe in happiness or forgiveness to any extent.