How Did The Puritans Compared To Today

Allison Stroessenreuther US History 1 Hoeflinger The Puritans were a group of protestants that came to existence in the 16th century during the time of the English reformation. Generally, the Puritans were extremely conservative people who followed and enforced very strict moral codes. Their traditions and practices were treated with the utmost urgency in contrast to today’s more relaxed society. However, although our traditions are different than the Puritan’s, we have inherited some of their customs. For instance, our current idea of voting when selecting leaders, the laws to regulate the economy, and tolerance for diversity. Furthermore, although the Puritans were mainly a theocracy, they did some things as if they were a democracy and

Eventually, reforms occurred and voting privileges went from Freemen, to church members, to landowners, to women and now to anyone over the age of eighteen can legally vote. We as Americans have the right to vote and that all started from Puritan tradition and practices. The Puritans also followed the “No taxes without representation” ideal which basically was a cry to the government that there should not be taxed unless the people or the mass were better represented by the government. Ultimately, our need to vote and be represented all come from grains that the Puritans helped plant. Another similarity is the way financial systems were structured. In the puritan era, they had financial lawmakers set prices for goods and wages to help with inflation. They also regulated the sale of alcohol and banned smoking. Although there are no lawmakers setting prices for goods today, the government does try and control inflation. Furthermore, today the state still has limited say over the sales of alcohol and the rules on smoking. So although not as strict, the government still controls some financial issues of the country. Finally, we also see signs of diversity from the

Williams and Hutchinson’s unusual view showed that the Puritans were in fact able to be diverse despite being known for their conservative nature. Although we are not as strict as the Puritans were, we as Americans still struggle with people wanting to be different. Some groups and religions can be very harsh towards others. Co-existence is possible though. In just the tri-state area, there are many different religions and cultures that exist. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams are great examples that it is okay to venture out and make a different way of living. People in the contemporary world live very differently, yet similar to how the Puritans lived. The puritans were mostly a theocracy, but one could argue that there were traces of modern democracy there as well. Important practices such as the voting system is the primary principle guiding America’s current democracy. We acquired some of the traditions that the puritans used to have. Although we don’t really have financial lawmakers like the puritans, our government enforces similar laws the puritans had. As time is going on, our world is getting more and more