Puritanism In New England

Puritanism was a major belief during the 1500s-1700s, Puritans believed that you are required to devote your whole life to the Lord. In order to be a Puritan you had to glorify God by attending church, report sinners, and show God’s grace through your own actions. In

Religion had a powerful impact on Puritans lives. Many Puritan people had faith in a supreme being, God, and the teachings of his Divine Son, Jesus Christ. They’d assume that if you weren’t a good Christian they would suffer in hell, but if you were one would be saved by god. An example would be in the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” the speaker strongly describes about how being a bad Christian has its consequences and the good things that come of being a good Christian. “Many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.”(152)This explains how they had a strong feeling towards god’s ways. By being concerned about their religious life and being good Christians.

In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the

Puritans live in a life with a life of rules. They live by religious beliefs and literature purposes. The puritans believed in God being all powerful, Bible is God’s true law, success is a sign of improvement, and how education was written to glorify God and for education only not for entertainment.

A Puritan defined is “a member of a group of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church of England under Elizabeth as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship.” Puritan society in America depended on the belief that all members were working for the glory of God. The Puritans did not allow deviations from the strict code of behavior which would not allow any member to have individuality. They restricted any type of entertainment, except that which was endorsed by the church. They worked and worshipped.

The Puritans came to colonize New England with the intention to create a place free from the Church of England. John Winthrop spoke to the passengers aboard the Arbella, proclaiming they must be unified in their religious mission, or they would fail. As Calvinists, they fully believed the harder they work, the better chance they had of achieving enlightenment. The concept of unity and hard work ethic inspired by their religious beliefs lead to the early form of a democratic society in the New England Colonies.

The puritans go create the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They didn’t have strict rules like England, people were not forced to go to church, it all seems great. However, there were many issues. Puritans believed in Calvinism, or predestination. This was the idea that everything is preset by God and nothing you do can change your fate. “Nothing a person did in his or her lifetime could alter God’s choice or provide assurance that the person was predestined for salvation with the elect or damned to hell with the doomed multitude.” (The American

The 17th century Puritans were known to represent a religious group migrating from England to America in order to practice religious freedom. These groups were determined to “purify” churches of England from Catholic practices. Puritans are known for their religious, social, and political influences on early America. Edmund S. Morgan’s novel The Puritan Family highlights a part of history that many would tend to look over upon- that is, the complex structural life of Puritan Families in the 17th century.

The Puritan’s were a group of English Protestants that left England to seek religious freedom in the sixteenth century. They had deep religious beliefs, and it was their mission to convert as many people as possible to become Christians. “The Puritans in Massachusetts were placed “as a city upon a hill” to create a model of success and prosperity that would light the way for the rest of humankind” (Perkins 103). The Puritan's believed in predestination, that everything is God’s plan. They believed everything happens for a reason and were a lesson. They lived simply and rejected the worldly luxuries. Everything they did was connected somehow to the work of God. “The Puritans believed God both favored and tested them” (Perkins 103). In their theology, they believed they must overcome temptation in order to earn salvation (Perkins 103).

These goals that the Puritans strived to achieve both at home and abroad placed a great amount of stress on the people and community. They were always working for their model society and for them their true leader was God. “Puritans believed in the

The Puritans were a group of "congregationalists" that didn't support the Anglican church because the church was too "catholic".They also believed reformation was needed and an egalitarian environment was necessary.

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 word Puritan is a term for people during the 16th and 8th century who wanted more purity in worship and doctrine. The Puritans are a group of religious people from England within the Church of England. Their goal is to purify the Church of England and to fulfil the promise of God. The Puritans believe they are God’s chosen people. Puritans thought the English Reformation had never gotten that far in reforming the Church of England. They have a zero tolerance level of other religions. The King of England--Charles I-- persecuted many Puritans for their behavior. Due to the tolerance of many religions and the lack of effort from the English Reformation, many of them left the free society in England and came to the new world seeking a strict society where their religious belief is top priority. This society represents a “City on a Hill.”

Puritanism refers to the beliefs and practices of Puritans. The word ‘Puritan’ itself refers to a group of extreme Protestants within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not done enough in reforming the doctrine and practices of the church. These Protestants wanted a greater strictness in religious discipline, simplicity in their worship and doctrine, and the removal of all Catholic traces within the church. A part of the simplicity, the Puritans did not believe in having popes or bishops; they thought that religion should be a direct, personal experience between the worshipper and God. Though most of England disagreed with their theology, the Puritans held tight to their beliefs, and often left their society so they

One of the final influences, though not one of the last, of the Puritan people on America was their effect on the values and morals of the society. As Ralph Perry writes in his work, Puritanism and Democracy, “Puritanism springs from a sense of duty, the sense of responsibility…” (627). The American people, especially in the colonial days, prided themselves on their maturity. The colonists had responsibilities to uphold to their families and fellow townsmen because the success of the settlement was intrinsically tied to the ability of every man to do his share. If one person slacked the others suffered. There was also the imbedded sense of morality that the Puritans wrapped themselves in Morality set limits to the temper of man. It guided him through life, pushing him to make the best decisions (Perry, 628). The Puritans also believed that Godly people were sober and hard-working. Difficulties were simply a religious duty. They wished to purify the English society and avoiding the lavishness that had been their downfall would lead to success in their new society. This translated into many immigrants coming to this new land looking for better opportunities. They were willing to put in the work to leave their children better than they themselves had been. This gave the people a sense of mission (Kang).