Puritans and Their Legacy
Leo Tolstoy once said “everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The Puritans were a group of people from England who wanted to purify the Church of England from the influences of the Roman Catholic Church. To achieve their goal, the Puritans travelled to America and settled in the New England region and lived in a conservative manner in order to exemplify themselves as a “city upon a hill” (Tindall and Shi 71). The Puritans’ ideology shaped their daily lives and the structure of the developing nation. At first, the Puritans wished to change the religion in England without changing themselves, but they realized that it was impossible to do that. Therefore, they decided that if they …show more content…
Puritans were against many of the practices done by the Roman Catholic Church such as popery and idolatry. Believing in simple services and few decorations, the Puritans followed John Calvin’s example of Christianity. The Puritans wanted to have a say in English government as well as the Church, but in their mind, the Anglican Church was wrong. In 1604, when James VI of Scotland became the King of England, Puritans hoped that he would listen to their pleas about separating the Catholic influences from the Anglican Church. On top of this, in the 1620s, Charles I became the monarch of England and decided it was time to get rid of Puritanism from England. From the 1620s to the 1630s, persecution against Puritans was at its zenith. Due to the hardships of living in England, the Puritans demanded a royal charter from King Charles that would grant them permission to embark on a journey to America. While granting the charter, King Charles failed to mention that the governors and officials of the new colony would be required to stay in England. Therefore, leaders such as John Winthrop, assumed that the Puritans could leave England and practice their religion in America, living life as defined by the …show more content…
On the voyage, two hundred people died and even then, Winthrop and his followers kept an ardent faith in their mission. In his famous address, “A Modell of Christian Charity”, Winthrop declared that the Puritans must make themselves a “…City upon a Hill—a shining example to England of what a godly community could be, a community dedicated to God and God’s laws” (Tindall and Shi 71). By the end of 1630, more than one thousand colonists had arrived in Massachusetts. John Winthrop became the leader of the small, yet growing community and he began to govern the royal colony. A hater of democracy, “Winthrop prized stability and order” (Tindall and Shi 72). John Winthrop enforced religious orthodoxy and justified the many persecutions of dissenters and heretics. Winthrop maintained a strict civil order in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Over the next ten years, more than twenty thousand Puritans migrated to the New England region of the Americas. With plentiful resources, the population continued to grow and the once persecuted sect of Christianity began to show its
Leo Tolstoy once said “everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The Puritans were a group of people from England who wanted to purify the Church of England from the influences of the Roman Catholic Church. To achieve their goal, the Puritans travelled to America and settled in the New England region and lived in a conservative manner in order to exemplify themselves as a “city upon a hill” (Tindall and Shi 71). The Puritans’ ideology shaped their daily lives and the structure of the developing nation. At first, the Puritans wished to change the religion in England without changing themselves, but they realized that it was impossible to do that. Therefore, they decided that if they …show more content…
Puritans were against many of the practices done by the Roman Catholic Church such as popery and idolatry. Believing in simple services and few decorations, the Puritans followed John Calvin’s example of Christianity. The Puritans wanted to have a say in English government as well as the Church, but in their mind, the Anglican Church was wrong. In 1604, when James VI of Scotland became the King of England, Puritans hoped that he would listen to their pleas about separating the Catholic influences from the Anglican Church. On top of this, in the 1620s, Charles I became the monarch of England and decided it was time to get rid of Puritanism from England. From the 1620s to the 1630s, persecution against Puritans was at its zenith. Due to the hardships of living in England, the Puritans demanded a royal charter from King Charles that would grant them permission to embark on a journey to America. While granting the charter, King Charles failed to mention that the governors and officials of the new colony would be required to stay in England. Therefore, leaders such as John Winthrop, assumed that the Puritans could leave England and practice their religion in America, living life as defined by the …show more content…
On the voyage, two hundred people died and even then, Winthrop and his followers kept an ardent faith in their mission. In his famous address, “A Modell of Christian Charity”, Winthrop declared that the Puritans must make themselves a “…City upon a Hill—a shining example to England of what a godly community could be, a community dedicated to God and God’s laws” (Tindall and Shi 71). By the end of 1630, more than one thousand colonists had arrived in Massachusetts. John Winthrop became the leader of the small, yet growing community and he began to govern the royal colony. A hater of democracy, “Winthrop prized stability and order” (Tindall and Shi 72). John Winthrop enforced religious orthodoxy and justified the many persecutions of dissenters and heretics. Winthrop maintained a strict civil order in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Over the next ten years, more than twenty thousand Puritans migrated to the New England region of the Americas. With plentiful resources, the population continued to grow and the once persecuted sect of Christianity began to show its