Fields Jameka
Polatty 4B
Puritan Values In New England
In the sixteen hundreds, the New England colonies had rapidly advanced. The colonies development was mainly influenced by emigrating Puritans that had come to the colonies in search for religious freedom. Not only did the Puritans find a home, they got the opportunity to alter other colonies in their perspective. Social, political, and economic ideas and values prompted by the Puritans shaped the development of the New England colonies.
The social influence of the church, community, and interaction between the Indians were obtained by the Puritan. Leaders believed that the unity of a town made them stronger so, the high population and close proximity of the colonists settled the town
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Umpteen minds encountered the idea that their governments power should be derived from power whereas some thought that electing the reverend was the best idea. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Ward was determined that “[any Colonial] state that will give liberty of conscience and conversation in their moral laws or else fiddle will out of tunes some of the strings crack” (Doc. G). Basically, the colonies who tolerated religious freedom had to give the colonist freedom to have a say so in the law such as the Compact. Although the Mayflower Compact which was not exactly an official form of government, it was the origin of democracy. John Winthrop explained democracy as a combination of the people as one, “Wee must be knit together.. As one man.. Wee must be willing to abridge ourselves.. For the supply of others” (Doc. A). In order to obtain a successful democracy, the colonists had to agree to unity and loyalty to one another though, it came with the obedience of law. These political advancements -which oddly was imitated from rituals- continued for centuries. Democracy was extended to other colonies who admired its
This could be seen in the Great Awakening, colonists signed and upheld covenants with their respective churches, and sometimes each other. The covenants were contracts with God to maintain any religious obligations. The covenants the colonists had with each other was a way to agree to live peacefully together in a settlement. The colonists gave consent to govern each other and God just as Jefferson said people had the right to do. As Jefferson put it “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
As a result, they turned to democracy. Though there was much debate surrounding the formation of democracy in America, an important aspect of the Constitution is that it ensures that the government remains democratic rather than monarchic. A democratic government—popularly referred to as one that is “of the people, for the people, and by the people”—is characterized by citizen participation in choosing the officials and rules that govern their polity. The notions of justice and impartiality, or even application of the law among all citizens, are key aspects of democracy. Of course, in 1788 ‘all citizens’ referred to white men – usually propertied – and not women, Native Americans, or
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).
Both New England and the Chesapeake region were colonized by people of English origin, however despite this they developed into two very distinct societies. This difference in development can be rooted back to the geographic features of the respective areas as well as the aspirations of the settlers. New England was primarily devoted to practicing Puritanism while the Chesapeake region was focused on financial gain from gold and, more significantly, tobacco. New England was mostly settled by people who were subjected to religious persecution for practicing English Reformed Protestantism, or more commonly known as Puritanism, in Catholic Europe. These such people, who boarded the Weymouth for example, included families and their servants
Freedom to Prosecute Religion Colonial America is often thought of as a safe haven from religious persecution. Future colonists had been persecuted for not accepting their countries ' religious doctrine and were willing to travel long distances in search of religious freedom. Religious freedom would still be far from grasp as Puritans would continue their homelands traditions of persecution for many more years. Puritans, unlike the Pilgrims (who sought to completely separate from the Church of England), wanted to purify the Church.
The Puritan’s goal of coming to the New World was not to create a new life, but to create the ideal model of living for the “corrupt” inhabitants of England. This was coined “The Errand”, the Puritans desire to establish a City Upon a Hill that others could look up to and imitate in order to receive God’s grace. The Puritans failed at building their City Upon a Hill (creating a perfect religious, economic, and political community), however the long-term effects of their efforts have influenced American moral politics throughout its history. The Puritans forever had the attitude of a community that had successfully established a City Upon a Hill. The Puritan lifestyle was heavily influenced not only by religion, but also inside of that, morality.
The New Englanders took religion seriously, making unitary laws according to Puritan standards. John Winthrop, later chosen as the first Massachusetts Bay Colony governor, was seeking religious freedom. Wishing to inspire the colonists to dwell in brotherly unity, he summoned them together to remind them “that if we [colonists] shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.” On the other hand, those in the Chesapeake region came for the wealth that America promised. They were there to become prosperous or die trying.
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
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.
It is the idea that the government is run by the people. In our government today we elect representatives to make our countries decisions. The colonists didn’t have a say in their government, so they made their
They wanted to create pure, moral Christian society based on moral living. By hard working, integration of religion in politics, and social development of certain lifestyle practices, Puritans had a large influence on the development of the New England colonies from 1630s through the 1660s. Puritans believed in hard work as the pathway of success since they thought they were favored by God to succeed (Doc I). They tried to shun idleness and believed that being lazy is not profitable (Doc C).
“That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” (Jefferson 120). This man believed the same as hobbes, that there needed to be something to control and regulate what was needed for a population to live
Settlers in the New England colonies were involved with buying and selling goods allowing ship holders to flourish (ThoughtCo, Characteristics of New England Colonies). Along the coast of the New England colonies, Puritans mainly focused on town life industries such as fishing and
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.
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.