How Did The Puritans Adapt To Reform America?

The Puritans were English Protestants who believed that the alterations of the Church of England did not go far enough. In their view the church was too Catholic. In England, the Puritans were people of political influence, but King Charles did not agree with their attempts to reform the church. There seemed to be no hope for them but to leave England because they were being persecuted. They believed in America they could establish a colony whose government, society, and church were all bases on the Bible. In the 1630’s the Puritans set sail for America. They did not wish break with the Church of England, like the Pilgrims did; they only sought to reform it. They also believed that people existed for the glory of God, and that their first concern was to do God’s will and so to receive future happiness. Basically, if they honored their duties to God, they would be blessed; if they did not, they would be punished. They believed that there were few people that God had specifically chosen for salvation, “the elect.” The rest of them were condemned to damnation. As a result, they lived in constant fear and worry, as they looked for

Their work ethic was the belief that hard work was an honor to God which led to a successful reward. They believed that the devil was behind every evil deed. They went to great lengths to warn their members of the dangers of the world. They prayed before they slept at night, when they woke up in the morning, on Saturdays and at church services. God was the most important part of their lives so prayer was a major part of their daily lives. Every single person was expected to attend the meeting on the Sabbath without any questions. They were also required to read the Bible, and if they didn’t they were thought to be worshiping the devil. They also did not do any work on the Sabbath. Everything was to be done the night before, like the cooking, because the Sabbath is the day of prayer and Bible