Essay On Puritanism And Democracy

The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay colony had originally planned for a government that was to be ruled by God 's laws, however over time the colony would become democratically ruled. Rather than living under a democratic society, John Winthrop, along with other stockholding members, preferred to have the Puritan settlement be run by “godly rule” (9) . The original intention of the Massachusetts Bay colony was to set a model of an uncorrupted church and godly society (12) which would in turn help those in England see God 's will and be saved by it (13) . The Puritans, however did believe in the separation of church and state, but this did not mean a separation of the state from God. Despite the idea of separation, the government still

In search of religious freedom a group of devout Christians sailed across the ocean only to come across a new land, radically different from the one they left behind. From the initial journey, to the formation of the colonies, and finally their complicated relationship with “non-believers” Puritans strongly held religious convictions has played a key role in all of this. The Puritans were a group of reformed Protestants seeking to reform the English Church. After the fall of the Roman Catholic Church, a new church was established “The English Anglican Church”. While most Puritans sought to reform the church others wanted nothing to do with it these Puritans would eventually be known as Separatists.

The Puritans’ strong views on religion affected how political, and social life developed. For example, the Puritan group believed that everyone were equal in the eyes of God. Their view on God, is believed to lead to the idea of a government where everyone is equal, that later formed in many parts of New England, a democracy. “Document C” states that the people of Salem, developed a covenant. This largely reflects the views, and morals that the people of New England lived by.

Evidence shows that the Puritans had politically influenced their colonies with their religious values. In the New World, a group of Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. There, the Puritans would create a government that would revolve around their covenant with God. On the way to the New World, John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, led a sermon, titled “A Model of Christian Charity”, about Puritan ideals (Winthrop). As well as determining Puritan ideals, the sermon urges colonists to unite as a “city on a hill” for others to look up to (Winthrop).

This was the beginning of Puritan life in America. The Puritans were strict Calvinists, followers of the reformer John Calvin. John Calvin taught that God was all-powerful and focused on God’s sovereignty, supreme power or authority. Puritans also believed that because of Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience, most of humanity would be damned for all eternity.

It was against the law to speak out and have opinions, being expected to work hard was not out of the ordinary. Puritans were expected to live by a strict moral code. Believing that all sins should be punished. “They believed that God would be the one punishing for sins and bad behavior. Friends that suffered from loses, and misfortunes would not be helped by Puritans” (Marvel 73).

This being one of the main influences that still exists to this day, the “Puritan doctrine also helped to nurture self-government in the new land” (Fowler). Essentially, what this did was create a community democracy in which our state’s political system is based from in the United States. Although the Puritan’s initial idea of government was for the people, they also “favored a model of government based on a community’s covenant with god.” (Fowler) One of the main flaws with their self-governance was within their definition of democracy, only religious leaders could attain a position within government because of their political religious

The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the

The Puritans are a Christian religious group that originated in England but ended up in America. The Puritan religious is not commonly practiced now and might even be extinct. Thought they are either sparse or gone the Puritans have effects how we today worship. The Puritans had great effect on the way America was set up, but actually originated in England.

They were Congregationalists who felt each congregation should independently run its own affairs. They puritans believe in seeking salvation as success indicated God’s grace, but God had already determined who was going to be saved. They felt because of their strong urge to bring religion

Colonists from England like the Puritans wanted to escape persecution they were experiencing in England. The Puritans settled in New England and attempted to create a religious utopia where everyone would live by Puritan rules based on the

They lacked rituals and sacraments. They agreed that men were weak; that they created sin. According to the Puritans God expected them to follow and live life according to the scriptures.2 and that he would protect them if they obeyed the laws.1 Unlike the Pilgrims the Puritans were not separatists, which meant that they wanted to reform their beliefs, but within the church. The Pilgrims on the other hand, wanted to separate completely from the church and start their own churches.

The colonists wanted religious freedom. One reason they originally left England was to escape the Catholic Church. Some called themselves Puritans. They wanted the church and the state to be more separate.

The Puritans were the ones to find the New England Colonies. The Puritans got that title because they were trying to purify the Anglican church. The Puritans believed that by settling in the Americas their life would be better.

In the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation swept through England and caused people like John Calvin to make up their own religions. Henry VIII made the Anglicanism the official religion of England, and any dissenters, even dissenters who belonged to the Church of England, were persecuted. Puritans were some of these dissenters, and they migrated to the New World seeking religious freedom, a place to live the way they believed was pleasing to God. As the Puritans' lives were shaped by their religion, so too did their religious values and ideas influence the political, social, and economic development of the New England colonies. That their belief that people should obey religious authority and their value of unity shaped the northern colonies'