In the 17th c., the Massachusetts Bay Company centered around the trade between England and the Massachusetts Bay Indians. Upon the realization that the original company charter issued by the king did not explicitly bind the company’s meeting to England, the Massachusetts Bay Company founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Great Puritan Migration. The Massachusetts Bay Colony consisted of a large group of Puritans-- those who sought to “purify” the Church of England of the remnants of the Roman Catholic papacy whose name was grievously tainted in the late middle ages. The Puritans were fervently loyal to their ministers who were under religious persecution by the Church of England. Therefore the Puritans followed their ministers to …show more content…
This is ironic because the Puritans left England to save themselves from the imposition of discriminatory laws that persecuted groups for their actions and faith, yet they are adopting the same rigid ideas that the rulers of England had by persecuting individuals who propose ideas outside the scope of their theocracy. Blue Laws upheld certain ideals of the theocracy by outlawing drunkenness which is not seen as holy in the eyes of the Lord, however they are hypocritical to the claim other Puritan laws that are said to be based in the divine principles of the Word. For example, the Puritans outlawed Christmas because the Bible never outlined December 25th as Jesus’ birthday. Blue Laws enforce strict observance of God’s command to honor the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Thus, the tipplers were forced to refrain from drinking on the Sabbath. Although the Bible never outlined Sunday as the Sabbath. Rather, the Word says that six days you shall labor and do all thy work, while on the seventh day you are to rest as God did after he completed his creation. Who is to say, then, that the Sabbath is not Saturday or any other day? The Bible does not specifically state that the Sabbath is Sunday just as it does not specifically state that Christmas is December 25th. Therefore, the Puritans establishment of the Blue Laws undermined their theocracy as they began to impose laws that were not derived from God’s word. The Puritans justified their treatment of the tipplers on the ideological grounds that their beliefs in sobriety were pure in the eyes of the Lord and they therefore had an innate duty to bring their brothers and sisters in Christ back to
People worked all day on their family farms, doing anything from cleaning to cooking to harvesting, depending on the age and gender of the person doing said work. On Sabbath no one worked and everyone was expected to attend one of the many Puritan churches. Neighbors looked out for each other, for better or worse. Admittedly, sometimes this lead to an entire family’s excommunication, but the colonists believed they were doing the right thing. At the same time, Virginians had a very different sense of community.
Although, they left England because of the intolerance they experienced at the hands of the Church of England they too become extremely intolerant. Lastly, the Puritans government in the Massachusetts was a Theocracy, retaining the English system wherein leaders had a divine right to rule and where the authorities. The Puritan Theocracy consisted of a government ran by religious authorities. Church and state were one and the laws of God were the laws of the
For the Money or for Religion The Plymouth Plantation and Jamestown were two colonies who both established in the “new world” which is now known as the United States of America. These two colonies did have similarities in how they lived, but they also came for different reasons. One colony came for religious reasons and the other came for the business and money.
Puritans believed that they were doing God's work and that those who disobeyed or strayed from Puritan teachings were sinners”. This states that while not attending seems quite childish to say that one is a witch, it was more of what the public would suspect as church and public appearances were mandatory to show how faithful and abiding one
This newly evolved society was cause by the “Religious movement known as ‘Puritanism,’ which arose in England late in the sixteenth century” (Foner 64). Puritans did not refer to themselves as puritans but instead “‘godly’ or ‘true protestants’” (Foner 64). They started this movement because they felt that the protestant reformation was not doing enough and were simply not satisfied. It is commonly believed that Puritanism was “An important thread in the development of American civilization” (Int 25).
Economy: In order for the colony to be stable, a crop that could be exported for profit and fuel needed to be grown. In this instance the crop was tobacco. Predominant Religious Beliefs and Practices: Virginians worshiped in the Anglican Church, which was supported by tax dollars.
Puritans, faced with harsh religious persecution, were forced to flee Europe and head to the New World in order to freely practice their religion. Pressed with the need to develop a prosperous society, they turned to God. Through a fire-and-brimstone view of the Lord & the teachings of the Bible, Puritans manifested a thriving society dedicated to the glorification of God politically, economically, and socially. To begin, living in constant fear of their angry God, New England Puritans developed a social order they believed would please Him. John Winthrop writes about Puritans living with a certain “meekeness, gentleness, patience and liberalty” so their God would not, “withdrawe his present help” from them (D - A).
The Puritans were seeking freedom for themselves, but they didn't grasp the concept of acceptance. They came to America to find religious freedom but only for likeminded people. They
In the 17th century, religion was a big thing for them. If you do anything bad, when you die, you are not going to heaven. Back then, it was a big thing and a huge deal. The Puritans took the bible very seriously. Their law is based on the bible.
The New England colonies were first founded in the last 16th to 17th century as a sanctuary for differing religious groups. New England was made up of the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. New Hampshire, however, was formed for economic reasons instead of religious ones. The Chesapeake region, which is made up of the colonies of Maryland and Virginia, was founded by the British colonies for the purpose of farming. However, by the 1700’s, despite both being settled by Englishmen, New England and the Chesapeake region had developed differently.
Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620, at Plymouth, Massachusetts, by Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower, a ship carrying settlers. The Massachusetts Bay Colony wasn't settled for another 11 years. History When the Pilgrims first arrived in 1620 it was the local Wampanoag Indians who taught them how to grow or plant crops. The Indians and the Pilgrims went on to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in the New World together.
The three main colonies that we hear about are Virginia, Plymouth, and Massachusetts. These three colonies basically define all the others, as each group and its main founder either went for a personal financial gain or to escape religious persecution. Virginia was originally settled by Captain John Smith and grew into a successful trade colony through tobacco. Plymouth was originally founded by the Separatists and was lead by William Bradford. Eventually the dwindling Plymouth joined with Massachusetts which was originally Puritan based.
The Puritans created the Massachusetts Bay colony in the 1620s because they wanted to establish a christian utopia in the New World, free from persecution(Doc A). While the colonists ultimately failed this goal, they still left their mark on New England society, as seen in Document E. In this Document, the Puritans are calling for the regulation of wages in Connecticut . This is because they were against excess, and believed everything should be in moderation. The idea of regulating wages so that they weren’t too big would have been ludicrous to the Virginians.
The early Virginia and New England colonies differed politically, socially, and economically due to the situations that the settlers faced. Throughout many of the letters written about some of the experiences of the earlier settlers, one can easily see a major difference in the way of life of the two colonies. Although many of these colonies differed in the way of life, each colony faced some similar things that they each had to overcome. These challenges made a massive difference in the way that each of the colonies started out and directly influenced the future for both colonies. When these challenges are faced, many of the settlers will create the foundations of their political, social, and economic systems.
Puritans also transformed civil and criminal law and the workings of courts with the intention of establishing equity.” (Hall). The ministry’s role in government is best described by their authoritative stance in deciding Hester’s custody over Pearl, which was only halted when another member of the ministry contradicted their overall stance. They were also involved in banishing Hester and Pearl from the community by