Puritans

A detailed Summary of Puritans

The Puritans arrived in New England from England with aspirations to live a life free from religious persecution, strictly lead pious lives, and to keep a well-knit family relationship; they accomplished all these goals with the exception of being abided by the strict guidelines of the church and government. Religion to the Puritans came before anything else in life. Their troubles began when King James I appointed himself the head of the Church of England in 1603; they fled out of England for their lives and for their religious freedom. They did not want to practice religion in a corrupted church. New England Puritans did not want to separate from the church; they wanted to "purify it." With their charter, the they set up the Massachusetts Bay Company and used it to establish a colony that would be a commonwealth based on the Bible. After many generations of living in New England, the ideal Puritan life became less focused around religion and focused more on making money through trade. They even lessened the requirements for membership in the General Court; instead of allowing only "freemen," they later allowed any Puritan in good standing. These colonists were successful at fulfilling their aspirations to a certain extent, but

The men who have proven that they were the God's elect (saints) were able to vote and hold office. These colonists were able to hold onto the concept of a covenant or contract between God and themselves. When their later generations become more interested in making money than in church, they compromised and allowed the "Half-Way Covenant." By granting membership to people who were not fully converted, more people joined the church. The church opened its doors to all the people- including women. The Half-Way Covenant was used to encourage widespread participation and was used so the church would not die out. The idea of a Half-Way Covenant signifies the fact that New England Puritans were later not able to lead the pious lives they originally had thought of and wanted.

The New England Puritans led successful family lives through education and the church. Because most of the colonists who immigrated to the area were prosperous and well educated people, they expected a lot from their families as well. The Puritans moved to the new world with their entire families. They wanted to set up an ideal society for their children to live in, which included the church and education. Puritan lived centered around the family, while putting a strong emphasis on Bible readings; thus improving literacy rates. Puritan families also attended church together. New England towns excelled in education. Not only was A Massachusetts law in 1647 required that all

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Approximate Word count = 980
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People