The Importance Of Puritan Values In American Society

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

[H]e which would have suer peace and joye in Christianitye, must not ayme at a condition retyred from the world and free from temptations, but to knowe that the life which is most exercised with tryalls and temptations is the sweetest, and will prove the safeste. For such tryalls as fall within compasse of our callinges, it is better to arme and withstande them than to avoide and shunne them. -John Winthrop

They valued hard work and believed that by maintaining a strong work ethic, they would be chosen as the “elect,” or someone who would be chosen to be saved by God. An example of someone who lived their life dedicated to doing worthwhile things was Robert Keayne. In Document F, Robert Keayne describes how his life has been full of hard work and his purpose in his last will and testament is to inform others about how he spent his life committed to work and did not waste his time. Keayne’s testament is an example of the Puritan work ethic that encouraged employment and kept unemployment rates low. Had Keayne not worked hard, he would not have been considered one of the “elect.” As a result of the importance of working hard, the New England colonies developed to have a strong work ethic. The colonists positively benefitted from a strong work ethic because they were able to prosper and advance. Men were encouraged to find jobs in order to please the Lord. Another way in which the Puritans influenced the economic development was by increasing awareness of the importance of wealth. Although the Puritans, such as John Higginson, did not agree that wealth was an important factor in life as compared to religion, the fact was that having land and money was becoming a higher priority for many. Higginson’s point of view in Document G is biased because he strongly supports religion over wealth.

This mentality of a Puritan was very important back then because that was the work ethic they had. Eventhough this mentality existed thousands of years ago, it is still relevant today and seen in today’s society. Successful people will talk about how they worked hard to get to reach their dreams. In addition, throughout my years in school, teachers have taught me the importance of hard work and I’ve been able to experience my effort pay off and have great rewards to it.

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.

There have been three major influential movements in American history—Puritanism, Rationalism, and Romanticism. Each occurring during generally different time periods, they produced a number of different types of literature reflecting their beliefs at the time. The Puritans, being some of the first settlers in modern day America, relied heavily on beliefs they brought with them from the Church of England. Rather than simply being followers of their prior Church, Puritans believed in the Church as less of a structured organization and more of a spiritual journey or community. In these beliefs, the Puritans sought to bring religion, spirituality, and the Bible into mainstream thought. The Puritans had a number of other important beliefs

The Puritans were a religious group of people who came from England to America in the 1600’s. As Protestants, they relied heavily on the Bible as the guide for every part of their lives. They used these biblical principles as the basis for their laws and marriage. The Puritans had very strict rules about how men and women should act in a marriage and had very harsh penalties for those who broke these rules. According to Matthew Glass and Edward Queen, “During the Colonial Period, Protestant Americans viewed sex as a fundamental feature of married life, enabling reproduction as well as providing an outlet for feelings.” Because they felt this was an important part of marriage, the Puritan laws were meant to be followed. As society gained more people, sex became more widespread which made the officials of the church look for more ways to stop the desire to do anything. Overall, the Puritans had meticulous standards for individuals, immoderate laws and punishments, habits and daily life which were strictly formed by decisive ways.

The decades surged by and thoughts other than religion began to crowd the minds of the American people. The smoldering ideas of independence, enlightenment, and innovation elicited a new mentality in America. Puritan ideals were not held as high, for other religious sects had taken their place. The stringencies of the Puritan lifestyle wafted away as America grew in its diversity, but the Puritan mindset was rooted in the soil and could not be torn away. The words that John Winthrop had spoken on the Arabella were held at the base of the country, “For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.”

Dissent always existed in the New England Colonies; the Puritans rarely all agreed on one point. Differing theological opinions forged a schism between groups and lead to the creation of colonies such as Rhode Island. As they stressed literacy, individuals formed their own impressions of the gospel. Minister Roger Williams, for example, disagreed with the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Indian relations and lack of religious freedoms. Roger Williams wrote this on the matter, “God requireth not a uniformity of religion to be enacted and enforced; which enforced uniformity sooner or later is the greatest occasion of civil war.”

The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement; without change, there is no innovation or incentive to change. In light of this statement, virtue—or the pursuit of it—can be seen as the quality of moral goodness or excellence and the gateway to an endless amount of opportunities. It is something sought after by many individuals during the development of the United States and is still sought after to this day. Be that as it may, one can see these perspectives of moral development fluctuate and contrast among the general population of the eighteenth century given its religion and methods of living. This contrast can clearly be seen within the values of the Puritans and those of founding father and political theorist, Benjamin

Seventeenth century Puritans had several aspirations, successes, and failures when it came to creating a model society. They had many successes in their society, some examples are their education system, their advancements in equality for women, and the way they created a tight knit close society. Although they had many achievements, the Puritans also did fall short in many aspects of their society. They ultimately did fail at their perfect society, and that is a very important aspect since that was their main goal. They also were very strict about their policies regarding the church. Once the generations progressed, they had to create new rules to allow people basic religious rights such as baptism. They also fused church and state, which was necessary in a society such as this, but it ultimately hindered progression such as allowing non church members to vote. As the years progressed more and more non Puritans entered the Puritan society, this hindered society because eventually the small majority was making the most riveting decisions. Ultimately the Puritans had both failures and successes when attempting a model society, but the weight of the failures simply outweighed the successes.

The development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660s greatly reflected the Puritans’ fundamental ideas and values in result of the large Puritan settlements in the region. The Puritans were deeply religious colonists who fled Britain in hopes of a better life where they could practice their beliefs freely. As a result of their practices in the region, they politically influence the values of the limiting power of the government, separation of church and state, and direct democracy. Economically, Puritans influenced the hard-work ethic, self-efficient farms, and fair business transactions in the region. Not only that, socially, the Puritans’ values led to greater emphasis on education and racial prejudice. As the Puritan

When King Henry VIII broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530’s, he proclaimed himself head of the Church of England. This occurred only a few years after Martin Luther nailed his 91 theses on the Church of Wittenberg and another religious reformer, John Calvin, brought new ideas to the forefront. Calvin proclaimed that one was pre-destined to be eternally blessed or damned from birth. One had no control over this, and works could not put you in to heaven. The unknowing is what drove the Puritans to such great lengths. In the excerpt from Document A from John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Society, predestination and the basic ideals of the Puritans are laid out. The Protestant Reformation was thus in full swing as the Church

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.

It is difficult to draw parallels between the staunch beliefs of Puritan society in colonial America and the freedom experienced in the country today. The Puritans lived strict lives based on a literal interpretation in the Bible, and constantly emphasized a fear of God and a fear of sin. Modern society looks at this negative view of humanity as a whole as an out-dated opinion from the past, believing that, "Now people know better than that." However, faults in human nature can not be completely erased by the passing of time and the modernization of society. People still have emotions of love, compassion, envy, and pride; and many types of interpersonal relationships within their community. Puritan literature