Puritans Vs Indians

The New England colonies were best known for being the place where Puritan religious reformers and their followers settled. The Puritans were a Protestant Christian group that believed in strict moral and religious codes and the reform of the Church of England. Due to the strict laws put into place in England, the Puritans were unable to follow through their efforts to reform the Church and many faced oppression and discrimination during that time. The Puritans saw an irredeemably corrupt Church of England so many followed John Winthrop to Massachusetts to establish their own community. On the other hand, New France was known for its fur trading and missionary work. To the French, they saw the Canadian territories of North America as a place

Puritans living in early America Life in the early 1600’s is a big contrast to the way we live in American in present day times. Back then America was just starting out as there were no official towns yet because not many Europeans lived here. All of that changed in the year 1607 when the first English settlement was built. Years later more came to America for different reasons; some came to have better opportunities and make a decent living but another big reason was to escape religious persecution.

While the Virginians were focused of making a profit of the land, the New England Puritans saw it as a refuge. The New England Puritans sought religious freedom for themselves in the “New World.” They compared themselves a lot to the Israelites and saw the new land as a “Promised Land.” Their attitude towards the land was that of respect, but they believed God wanted them to “use” the land.

In the spring of 1692, Salem Massachusetts, the famous Salem Witch Trials begins after a group of girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused a group of women of witchcraft and using the so called “devil’s magic.” As the hysteria spread through the small colonies in Massachusetts a panic began to form as the innocent puritan lifestyle was threatened. In the end, 18 were sent to Salem’s Gallow Hill, and over 200 convicted of witchcraft, the known tradition of the Salem Witch Trials would undergo for years. The Salem Witch Trials grabbed American History by the neck and is not one of our most prideful moments.

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 Puritan’s voyage to the New World was recorded in “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford. The Puritans made this voyage to escape the persecution they were facing in Europe and in hopes of starting a new life that would exert their right to religious freedom. The Puritans believed God’s active and persistent “hand” was present in all aspects of their lives. It was the grace of God that was the sole explanation of every daily occurrence or event. God created everything and therefore he played a significant role in the lives of the Puritans.

History tells us that the Puritans were different than the Pilgrims because they wanted to

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 Puritans were the first and surprisingly largest colonists of America during Colonial Times. A separatist group that had migrated from England to escape persecution and to find a place where they could be religiously satisfied and undisturbed. The Puritans built their society in North America that revolved around a strong connection towards God and family. Although the Puritans were not the only group of people to migrate to North America or only group present in colonial times, they were one of the most impactful, and many of their ideals, morals, and values influenced the economic, political, and social development of New England.

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).

The Puritans broke away from England after trying to purify the Church of England. They eventually became upset after King Henry refused to allow them to make the church pure and departed to the New World. There, the Puritans had to create their own form of government. They formed the Mayflower Compact; a document stating 41 men will work together to govern the people with religion being the center of the colony. The Puritans tried to create a democracy for ruling the people of the New World, but ruling with a democracy was almost impossible for them.

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).

Document I shows a Puritan testifying that he had "not lived an idle, lazie or dronish life," but rather he spent his time well to redeem himself in heaven. This distaste of laziness led to hard-working societies in New England. The Puritans did not believe that "worldly gain was not the end and designe of the people of New England" (Document J). John Higginson also explains in Document J that New England was a "plantation of Religion, not a Plantation of Trade. "

They wanted a chance to practice their religion without interference and to make a better life out of themselves. The settlers of new england were puritans who left england during the great migration. The journey of the New World began with the puritans, who did not agree with the church of england so they decided to develop the massachusetts bay colony. This colony consisted of Unity and religion.

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.