Puritans

A detailed Summary of Puritans

Amer. governor of the Plymouth Colony for 30 years. A member of the Separatist movement within Puritanism, in 1609 he went to Holland to seek religious freedom. Finding a lack of opportunity there, in 1620 he helped organize an expedition of about 100 Pilgrims to the New World. He helped draft the Mayflower Compact aboard the group's ship, was unanimously chosen governor, and served as governor of the Plymouth Colony for all but five years from 1621 to 1656. He helped establish and foster the principles of self-government and religious freedom that characterized later Amer. colonial government. His descriptive journal provides a unique source of both the voyage of the Mayflower and the challenges faced by the settlers.

Bradford was a native of Ansterfield, Yorkshire, in the north of England, where he was born in the year 1588. His pecuniary circumstances were easy, when he followed persecuted Puritans to Holland and became fully identified with them in exile. From early life he had been accustomed to their teachings; and at the age of seventeen years, he attempted to sail to the Neth

The Puritan experiment with civil government began at Plymouth Plantation. Since only 27 of the 100 persons aboard the Mayflower were Puritans, the leaders of the group decided to require the signing of a "compact" or "covenant" to quell any dissent among the unconverted passengers, who had previously made discontented and mutinous statements. They chose a governor from among the "elect" to rule for a term of one year as the civil authority. The signing of a mutual agreement or "compact" became the foundation for constitutional government and was a model for the later documents most closely associated with the American republic.

The Puritans saw all of human time as progress toward the fulfillment of God's design on earth. Pre-Christian history was read as the preparation for Christ's entry into the world. They believed that God's hand was present in every human event and that success or failure of both the individual and of nations was a sign of God's approval or condemnation. "Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the god of hea

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Approximate Word count = 742
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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Puritans

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