Puritan influence in New England colonies

Puritans left England because they felt their religion was being repressed. When they arrived to North America they began their own colonies with what they called religion freedom. This religion freedom was only granted to them. Their ideas and values later influence the political, economic, and social development of other New England colonies.

The Puritans influences politically with the Salem Witch Trials. The towns minister servant and to old widow ladies were the first victims of the witch trials. Although it was not until there was a decline in jobs that the witch trials gave Puritan ideas more power on court. Almost all accused were women that berated God to worship the devil. These Puritan ideas caused millions to be tortured until they confessed and many others to die in a test to prove they were not witches. The authorities did little or nothing to stop this form happening.

The Puritans came to America looking for one thing religious freedom towards them. They went hunting and fishing to survive. Later they began planting and trading with local people. The Puritans were not interested in trading with other places of the world. “The Cause of God and His People in New England,” states their disagreement towards merchants that wanted to make business trading products from America to Europe. This decision did not allow them to grow economically.

Schools such as Harvard and Yale were made to teach students how to read Latin so they could understand the bible better. Although this was the purpose of having schools in the Puritan community it helped them in their social development because later they were able to learn more on other subjects. This gave them an advantage over other colonies that were literate. On the other hand they created a community none tolerate of other religions and pushing harshly those who did. The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam states that having religious tolerance was having doubts of your own religion or not being sincere in it.

Many of their ideas and values spread through out the New England colonies. Some ideas were ignored while others were taken and adapted by other colonies. Although many people from other colonies that used this ideas were not Puritans. From the 1630s throughout the 1660s Puritan ideas had a great impact on other colonies politically, economically and socially.