Puritans

The Puritans who were brave enough to leave their sole home of England, otherwise known as Pilgrims, set fourth on a religious journey to a new land. When they reached the land they sought to discover, the Puritans settled and evolved they land we know today, America. The Pilgrims based their colonies' economy, politics, and social development purely on their religious beliefs.

Economics for the Puritans was not a strong or successful general area. According to John Higginson's, "The Cause of God and His People in New England" Puritans should base their daily lives on religion, in lieu of trade or crops. The direct quote, "...this is never to be forgotten that New England is originally a plantation of Religion, not a Plantation of Trade," from Higginson's excerpt clearly is a statement from the Puritan point of view. The Puritans did not find it of interest to be wealthy due to the fact that the Holy Bible contains a reading which states that it is extremely difficult for a rich man to go to heaven. For this reason, the economic state of Puritan colonies was never very prosperous.

The government of Puritan colonies was based entirely around their religion. John Cotton, a faithful Puritan of the 1600s, expressed, "It is therefore fit for every man to be studious of the bounds which the Lord hath set: and for the people, in whom fundamentally all power lies, to give as much power as God in His word gives to men." Most laws were written in reference to their religious beliefs and were followed for that reason, as well. Another loyal Puritan by the name of Nathaniel Ward described his opinion on the government as, "That state that will give liberty of conscience in matters of religion, must give liberty of conscience and conversation in their moral laws, or else the fiddle will be out of tune, and some of the strings crack." The laws were somewhat strict when it came to Puritanism. A man was immediately thrown in jail if he did not simply attend a Church meeting.

Puritan daily lives were relatively repetitive. Abiding by the rules was a key factor in a Puritan family. Not only did they know and follow the rules, but they did it willingly, as stated by "The Enlarged Salem Covenant of 1636." Each family member partook in a particular role to complete necessary, everyday tasks. The men fetched firewood, water, and sometimes fish to bring back to their cottage later on in the evening. The women cleaned the house, cooked, and went down to the river to wash their family's clothes. However, it was required for the wife to acknowledge the fact that the men contained all the power and she was to listen to what he said. The children, along with the servants, had no power whatsoever.

The entirety of Puritan colonies, including economics, politics, and social development, was based purely on religion. Many of their ideas and values are still of use today. Although their economy may not have been the most structural or successful, it was still not a problem for the Puritans. Their ideas and beliefs are what helped shape the land we live in today, otherwise known as the Unites States of America.