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How Did The Puritans Influence The Value Of Literacy

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In the early 1600’s, a particularly radical group of the Protestant reformers believed that the post-reformation practices of the Catholic church were not pure enough and wanted to strip further and purify the religion; they were accordingly named the Puritans. Eventually, they came over to the New World to have more control. The Puritans’ ideas about government, unique gender roles, and value of literacy influenced the way they colonized the New England area.
To understand the puritans origins, one must understand the Protestant Reformation. Since the 4th century, the Roman Catholic Church was the dominating religious institution, and it had significant influence in the political systems. The pope often had more power and control than the king. Corrupt practices such as indulgences, monopolizing religious texts, and ex-communication exponentially increased the domination of the church. Being outside of the good graces of the pope meant economic and political downfall. Martin Luther recognized the corruption and channeled his outrage into writing ninety-five theses and nailing them to the door of the Catholic church. He pointed out the flaws in the indulgences and the Roman Catholic Church practices themselves. This act of opposition sparked an entire reformative movement. Another act of defiance is exemplified in King Henry VIII establishing himself the ruler of his newly formed Protestant Church of England created to bypass the Catholic divorce restrictions. The 1500’s

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