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How Did Puritans Develop Their Society?

478 Words2 Pages

Puritans, faced with harsh religious persecution, were forced to flee Europe and head to the New World in order to freely practice their religion. Pressed with the need to develop a prosperous society, they turned to God. Through a fire-and-brimstone view of the Lord & the teachings of the Bible, Puritans manifested a thriving society dedicated to the glorification of God politically, economically, and socially. To begin, living in constant fear of their angry God, New England Puritans developed a social order they believed would please Him. John Winthrop writes about Puritans living with a certain “meekeness, gentleness, patience and liberalty” so their God would not, “withdrawe his present help” from them (D - A). By this, Winthrop delivers context on the humble lives they would have to live in order to put all the focus on God, so he wouldn’t stop giving them blessings. Likewise, it was agreed upon in the Salem Covenant that Puritan citizens would “lawfully obey those that were over [them], in Church and Commonwealth”, only because they believed it would please the Lord (D - C). Not only were their personal lives run by religion, but so were their political lives. …show more content…

John Cotton believed that “mortal men [should not be] given no greater power… unless they be better taught of God.. wickedness there is in the hearts of men”, meaning there should be no separation between church and state, and only men spoken to by the Lord were in the right frame of mind to be in positions of power (D - H). However, just like “liberty of conscience in matters of religion” led to “liberty of conscience… in their moral laws”, a democratic church led to a democratic government (D - G). New England towns often held “town meetings” (a form of self-government), where all white men could participate in a democratic

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