Puritan Politics: Issues In Town Meetings

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 event of Bacon’s Rebellion told by Schweikart showed that the success in colonization was the underlying cause of the rebellion. To start, in Jamestown, there were members elected for the legislative assembly that was divided into an upper house consisting of the governor and council with a lower house made up of burgesses. This participation in politics portrayed the theme of Politics and Power while Schweikart described the background of Bacon’s Rebellion with the white frontiersmen fearing the Indian’s attacks. Nathaniel Bacon Jr. became the governor of Virginia to be involved in the politics by leading the Virginian commoners to rebel for protection against the Indians. Moreover, the Virginians were angered by the fact that Berkeley

The Puritans’ beliefs were a leading role for New England, which evolved into the Settlers having many differences from Chesapeake. John Winthrop dreamed of creating a “city on a hill” so the Church of England would think highly of the colony. The Puritans put in place congregational rule later evolving into town meetings which gave the New England more political control. Additionally, they established

Bacon’s Rebellion was a conflict led by Nathaniel Bacon from 1675 to 1676 in Jamestown, Virginia. Bacon believed the colony should expand into Native American territory. Governor Berkeley of Jamestown was against this idea. He believed that a needless war with the natives would cost a great deal of money and supplies. These conflicting ideas between Bacon and Berkeley led to great tensions within the colony, which then began Bacon’s Rebellion.

The Puritans’ political ideas led to the governing system implemented throughout the colonies. Many aspects of the Puritan lifestyle were even applied when creating the first successful American government. Puritans believed the government should be given limited power, and magistrates and church officials should use their authority only for the good of the people. The belief that God limited human authority plays a vital role in the Puritans’ government. (Cotton).

This was just the start of many more rebellions to come where common people fight. The main issues for all the settlers involved in the rebellion was that the government was being unresponsive to the people's opinion. The rebellion targeted Native Americans and even though they came across peaceful Indians they still massacred them on site.Then once they were returning in June of 1676 Bacon and his army demanded authority to wage war against all the Indians. This was granted by Berkeley soon he began to have second thoughts and called Bacon’s men back. Then the 130 armed men came back and ready to overthrow Berkeley, forcing him to flee and leaving the capital to be burned down. After all the tragedy in the colony in 1677 Bacon died of dysentery and then his followers disappeared. This all may seem very cruel and it was, but all of this revealed what could happen to a society that was under huge amounts of pressure. This was an outburst of anger from the planters. If only the government at the time was more responsive to the colonies at the time they wouldn't have had all this built up anger towards the wrong people.

One of the major influences of the puritans in the New England colonies was their idea of a representative government, where everyone has a fair say. One of the things that Winthrop says is that everyone must work and suffer together as one (Doc A). They emphasized the needs of the community of the needs

After the passing of King James I, King Charles II became king. Since the kings changed the colonists were able to create The Virginia House of Burgess which was the first legislative branch of government in America and it gave the colonists the opportunity to control their government ( “Government Structure in Jamestown” n.d.) William Berkeley becomes govern in 1660, elected by the Virgina Assembly. While under Berkeley he created a slavery law. The colonists also created taxes to help pay for governmental expenses and projects. Charles II gave proprietary rights of the land he had and Virginia was one of them and it later on created tension in Jamestown and it followed while under Berkeley control. The Native Americans were attacking the white man and Berkeley was criticized for it. Nathaniel Bacon he apart of the Virginia Council he disobeyed Berkeley and made a small army later defeating the Native American. Berkeley marked Bacon as a traitor. Bacon came back to Jamestown with an army and burned it to the ground. The English sent a royal commission to investigate the matter. With Berkeley and Bacon’s Rebellion it shows us political tension between the govor and an advisory from the Virginia Council ( “Government Structure in Jamestown” n.d.) Plymouth was not seen as a royal colony so it couldn’t really have a government, but they did. Some man on the Mayflower on November 11th established a

The Puritans based their form of government upon democratic assemblies. In the center of each town was a large building called the Town Hall. Its convenient location made it accessible to all the residents of the town. Inside of this building, the Puritans held meetings to decide what to do about almost all aspects of colonial life. These democratic assemblies allowed everyone to have a say in the government of their town. Their idea of democracy can also be seen in the way they refrained from giving too much power to their leaders. Wisely, the puritans concluded that if their leaders had too much power, their leaders would be temped to use their strength selfishly instead of for the good of the colonies. John Cotton stated, “Let all the world learn to give mortal men no greater power then they are content they shall use- for use it they will....No man would think what desperate deceit and wickedness there is

There is no doubt that writings of Jonathan Edward’s and John Winthrop had a tremendous influence in the Puritan movement in the new world. They helped set values and establish order in the new communities. Both writings deliver on puritan principles and had a critical role in shaping much of the puritan religious beliefs, but granting all this they are tremendously different. The reason why these writings have so little in common, despite both being puritan doctrines, is because of the different situations each was written in. “A Model of Christian Charity” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” were written about one hundred years apart, in two different centuries, and most importantly at two different stages of the puritan movement.

Bacon’s rebellion was a popular uprising in the Colony of Virginia in 1676. It was led by the eponymous colonist Nathaniel Bacon against the governor of Virginia, William Berkeley. Overall, Bacon’s rebellion was a result of poor governing and consideration of the populace from Governor Berkeley and the Crown, as well as the desire to expand into the west of the colonists. The tipping point and direct cause of Bacon’s Rebellion was Berkeley’s refusal to exact retribution against the Native Americans in response for a series of Native attacks on colonial settlements, but the displeasure of the colonists inflamed the willingness of the colonists to take up arms against Governor Berkeley.

The Puritans needed their own government since they fled England, this resulted in the construction of a government that was based on religious freedom and the separation of power. In Document F, it states; ¨God requireth not a uniformity of religion to be enacted and enforced in any civil state,¨ this proves that the Puritans believed God did not enforce everyone to the same religion which was influential because it allowed the citizens to have the religious freedom that the Puritans wanted back in England.

The Puritans left England, just as the Pilgrims did, as they sought religious freedom that they were not gaining from the Church of England. Families of the Puritans found themselves sailing to the New England colonies, where there hard work and motivation would change the ways of all the colonies, although the Puritans were not in all of them. The Puritans did not sail all the way here for the money or opportunity to live better, they came here to purify the Christian faith since the Church of England was very against the purification of the faith that they had much control over. This caused the Puritans to change the structure of religion in the colonies, and cause the growth of all the New England colonies. As the Puritans created a fellowship of themselves and changed the ways that the Church of England forced upon them, they influenced the political, economic, and social maturation of the New England colonies.

In Massachusetts, John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, told his fellow Puritans that they were a chosen people on a divine mission (Tindall 71). Which led them to the desire of wanting to set an example for England of what godly people looked like. Winthrop was a man who believed in leading religiously and in order; not democratically. By this, if you were a Dissenter, religions such as Quakers or Catholics, you were persecuted and sometimes it lead to death. Those who weren’t Puritan’s had very few rights and one would be the right to vote (Tindall 73). The government of the

The Puritans had what was known as town meetings, which was where members of the community would come and discuss town issues and would then vote using the principal of majority rule. Another form of government the Puritans had was the General Court, which was the state legislature and also a judicial court of appeals. Puritans were known as Congregationalists; that is when the church congregation is independent and is self-governed. Only elected members could serve in the church; they were known as living saints. Among the first Puritans to arrive in the New World was John Winthrop who was appointed governor and his intent was “to create a city upon a hill”. This city was to act as an example for the rest of the world. Now because of the Puritans we have democracy and forms of congregationalism which took part in politically developing the New England