The Puritans

Essay 1, Question 1

The Puritans

In the early decades of the seventeenth century, Puritanism transformed the face of England and America. Seventeenth-century Puritans were like today's radical political reformers, meaning they were men and women who were committed to institutional change. The Puritans were products of the Protestant Reformation. They believed that God predestined some people to salvation. They tried to live according to Scripture, to battle sin, and eradicate corruption.

After witnessing the corruption of the monarchy, the Puritans concluded that God was displeased with England, so they turned their attention to the possibility of establishing a colony in America. On March 4, 1629, their Massachusetts Bay Company obtained a charter directly from King Charles and in March of 1630, the Winthrop fleet departed England. By the end of the first year, almost 2000 people followed. By the early 1640's, more than 16,000 people had arrived in the new Puritan colony.

Once they arrived in Massachusetts, the Puritans survived better than earlier Chesapeake colonies. They were bound together by a common sense of purpose and they went about transforming their religious vision into a reality.

The American Puritans refused to formally separate from the Church of England. Instead, they accepted a form of church government known as congregationalism. Each village church was independent. The people, not bishops, were the church and they pledged, as a group, to uphold God's law. The Puritans never supported religious toleration. They transferred to the New World to preserve their own freedom of worship.

In conclusion, the first settlers possessed strength and stability. They believed God had formed a special covenant with the people of Massachusetts Bay.