Mahdi Farshchian period:5-6 The effect of religion on the colonial period
Like the Pilgrims, Puritans were English Protestants who believed that they had the right to have freedom of religion. In 1630, the Puritans left England and sailed to America 10 years after the Pilgrims to start their own government in the new world. Puritans believed in strict Protestantism and they thought the Church of England did not go far enough. The king of England was pushing the state church to be the official Church of England but the Puritans didn't agree with that. The Puritans were religious extremists who believed they were chosen to be the saviors of the world by bringing Christianity to others, which they did by enforcing their religion on others and
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Their government was a blend of theocracy and modern democracy. They wanted to build a government in which church and government had the same power: “In the creation of their colony the Puritans wished to be sure that the same sort of situation where the church was dominated by the government would not occur in their colony as it had in England, however at the same time they wished to create a ‘city upon a hill’” (The Puritans: Church and State).Puritans wanted to create a city that everyone else in the world looks up to.The colonial law provided some basic laws that let people elect their leaders only if they were a member of the church. All the members of the government had to attend church and pay their taxes to the church. Although the government and the church were separated, they worked closely to make sure the laws were adhered to. This is because, “Puritans wanted to become a model for the Christian world to form itself after and that in this desire for such a Christian model the Puritans would need a powerful church and clergy” (The Puritans: Church and State).Puritans wanted to have a government that worked closely with the church and for both to have the same amount of control but the church became more powerful than the government.This can be related to the fact that each government associate had to pay their taxes to the church and if someone wasn't a member of the church or didn't believe in Protestantism, they couldn't vote for their leaders even if they lived in the
The New England colonies settled because they wanted to have religious freedom which was the most important factor to the colonists. The people that made up these colonies just wanted a place to have freedom to worship. However, The New England colonies developed different from the colonies in the Chesapeake. Jamestown and New England had different economies, government and demographic make-up of the population. It was important for the New England colonies to have religious freedom.
The puritans believed in predestination and also believed that the church needed to be purified. Among many famous leaders that came to this country in early America, there was one that believed we should all have freedom of religion. Roger Williams, was a puritan and believed in the same ideas, he himself was a minister,
However, they were never successful in doing so. In nearly all of colonial America, there was some religious intolerance, with the exception of few colonial areas. In a quite ironic manner, the Puritans displayed and acted out much religious intolerance, even after facing much scrutiny concerning their religion, in England. This statement is proven, when “Puritan New England: Kahn Academy”, mentions “Although many people assume Puritans escaped England to establish religious freedom, they proved to be just as intolerant as the English state church.” The main and pretty much only, exception, would in this case be Rhode Island, seeing as though it was founded by former Puritan Roger Williams, who had been banned from the colony (in opposition to being executed), as a result of the questioning of their actions towards local Native American tribes, he decided to create Rhode Island, as a place of refuge for those seeking religious tolerance, or who had simply been banned from the previous colony they had resided
The statement “Economic issues played a larger role in the settlement of the English colonies than religious issues.” is wrong in the essence that religious issues affected the settlement of the Northern Colonies more than economic issues. Religion had a larger effect than economy on the English colonization of the northeast coast of North America. Many people fled from England to escape religious persecution. One group of these people were called the Puritans. The Puritans deemed the Church of England to be corrupt and in need of “purification”.
People were expected to lead a pure life and if they didn't they would face a cruel punishment. The society was surrounded completely by Puritan beliefs. The Puritans believed in society as a whole not individuality. For example, when John Proctor decides to not sign his name he went outside 0f the Puritan beliefs and became his own individual. He showed everyone that it was okay to stand up for what you believe in.
Being Puritans, they sought to reform the Church of England. They did this through strict laws and harsh punishment. Two important laws that were enacted included the requirement of church attendance and that everyone was to observe the sabbath. Although the Puritans sought a form of religious freedom, they were not open to the practice of other religions. They were even dissatisfied if one worshiped in an “incorrect” way.
Puritans Puritans, unlike the Pilgrims (who sought to completely separate from the Church of England), wanted to purify the Church. As followers of John Calvin, they believed that God was all powerful and completely sovereign. A person’s
New England’s economy would also be influenced by the British tax later that would cause Americans to revolt many of which trusted in their faith to guide them The Puritans who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 were also motivated by religious beliefs. They believed in the idea of a "city upon a hill," a vision of a holy community that would serve as an example to the rest of the world (American YAWP, 2.6). This belief led to a strict social order and a commitment to the moral and spiritual purity of the community. It also led to conflicts with other religious groups, such as the Quakers, who were seen as a threat to the Puritan social order.
The Puritans were a group of English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who broke away and sought to "purify" the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices because they thought that the Church of England was only partially reformed.
Their religion was strict. The Puritans did not believe in pleasures, they were modest in their religion and lifestyle and disliked any religion that was not their own (“Puritans”). The Puritans wanted to establish a pure church. As a result of this they experienced religious persecution. People that lived on land that was inhabited by the Puritans could only practice the Puritan religion (“ Puritans”).
Religion was a flourishing entity among society and politics both in Colonial America and Great Britain. It gave way to righteousness for a certain cause at that time or a way to assure leadership was valid among citizens of that particular country most commonly amid the Monarch rule over Great Britain and and later Parliament. Religion had a great power of influence over the people and the way they thought about the future of their country, in particular, Colonial America and the justification of the American Revolution against England. Regarding documents from key revolutionary figures and Sermons both hailing and denouncing the Revolution, and the ideas Americans had as religion being a rationale of their pursuits, only then can religion
Religion influenced the government of the Puritans. They believed that they each had their own boundaries or power given by the Lord (Doc H). Puritans wanted the church and government to intertwine and aid one another, creating a stronger bond. In addition, the Puritan’s emphasis on religious conformity and the attainment of land for their model society led them to engage in wars with neighboring Indian tribes. For instance, William Bradford fought with Pequot tribe in the Pequot War, believing that God is the source of their victory and therefore praise him (Doc D).
Religion had a role in every part of the region whether it be big or small. Another time when religion had impacted a colony or country was when Henry VIII had impacted Europe by creating an unstable connection between the church. He cut his connection with the church in order to divorce his wife Catherine. Now at this point in time whoever was the ruler of England would be able to change the main religion. This caused rebellions between religions on which is more important and which should be the main religion of England.
Religion played a great role in the establishment of the English colonies. The main reason the English traveled to North America was to escape religious persecution. Once the English settled in they created colonies, and established rules for a religious society. They would also try to convert Natives into Christianity, and they established universities to practice ministry. Once the English settlers got to North America, the House of Burgesses in 1619 said they would try to convert Native children specifically boys into a “ true religion”, then eventually teach them how teach them how to be Christian civil people.
Essentially, Puritans are expected to follow a strict set of religious and moral guidelines from which their actions and morality are derived. According to Hall’s A Reforming People, these moral expectations first introduced by the pilgrims were the driving force behind the power that the Puritan ministry had over society: “Ministers and laypeople looked first to congregations as the place where love, mutuality, and righteousness would flourish, and second to civil society. …Alongside love, mutuality, and righteousness they placed another set of values summed up in the word “equity.” Employed in a broad array of contexts, the concept of equity conveyed the colonists’ hopes for justice and fairness in their social world.”