The Puritans were a fundamentally simplistic society of people living with particular principles that governed their everyday lives and customs. The Puritans lived with a value system centered on strong spiritual beliefs regarding God, ultimately attributing all happenstances in everyday life to the interests of God. This was evident In William Bradford’s Journal describing the journey to Plymouth. Bradford credits the relief from trouble and danger to God writing that “God gave them a morning of comfort and refreshing” (Bradford Chapter 10). Strong spiritual beliefs served as a motivator for their actions as highlighted by Anne Bradstreet in her poem Here follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House. She finally accepts that everything
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The initial motive for a higher education was to understand the “Word of God”, however through the dominance of Greek and Latin secular writers in the school curriculum, it is evident that the focus on education stemmed from more than just devotional motives (Degler 35). The Puritans believed that reason and logic had great worth (Degler 34) and thus implemented laws to support educating the young. Public education was free. Each town with 50 or more families were required to hire a teacher to instruct the young, and in communities with less than 50 families, all parents were required, at the very least, to teach their children to read. These regulations regarding education provided a foundation for the education system apparent in today’s American …show more content…
President Obama has proposed the free community college plan because he understands the need for higher education for an individual to succeed. He considers free education as a “ticket to the middle class”. The Puritans viewed education necessary in understanding the word of God, and due to their society revolving around their faith and beliefs, viewed education as necessary in living a successful life. This necessity, although for more economic reasons, is present in today’s society. Fundamentally stemming from Puritan beliefs, a good education is vital in living an economically successful life. In a society where economic success is the motivator for most decisions, a higher education provides significantly higher economic success. The Puritan belief of education has not only formed the basis of the education system in American culture, but is also considered the foundation needed to be a ‘successful’
The initial motive for a higher education was to understand the “Word of God”, however through the dominance of Greek and Latin secular writers in the school curriculum, it is evident that the focus on education stemmed from more than just devotional motives (Degler 35). The Puritans believed that reason and logic had great worth (Degler 34) and thus implemented laws to support educating the young. Public education was free. Each town with 50 or more families were required to hire a teacher to instruct the young, and in communities with less than 50 families, all parents were required, at the very least, to teach their children to read. These regulations regarding education provided a foundation for the education system apparent in today’s American …show more content…
President Obama has proposed the free community college plan because he understands the need for higher education for an individual to succeed. He considers free education as a “ticket to the middle class”. The Puritans viewed education necessary in understanding the word of God, and due to their society revolving around their faith and beliefs, viewed education as necessary in living a successful life. This necessity, although for more economic reasons, is present in today’s society. Fundamentally stemming from Puritan beliefs, a good education is vital in living an economically successful life. In a society where economic success is the motivator for most decisions, a higher education provides significantly higher economic success. The Puritan belief of education has not only formed the basis of the education system in American culture, but is also considered the foundation needed to be a ‘successful’