The Puritans: Life In New England

The name Puritan comes from their feeling the need to purify the Church of England that persecuted them. They didn't believe in religious leaders, and strictly followed the Bible. The New England Puritans were English Protestants who believed that the reforms of the Church of England did not go far enough. In their view, the liturgy was still too Catholic. Bishops lived like they were princes. Clerical courts were corrupt and because the king of England was head of both church and state, the Puritans' opposition to religious authority meant they also defied the civil authority of the state. The Puritans had several reasons to leave England and establish their new Christian commonwealth. But it would not be easy for them to fulfill exactly

New England kept the views of Puritanism going. But life in New England for the puritans was not easy. Living conditions were very difficult for the Puritans. Every family member that was able to work helped with the chores. The soil was bad for farming and the fields needed to be cleared of rocks and trees. Houses were small and cold in the winter with little privacy. Bathrooms were of course outside. Cooking was done over an open fire. Typical meals included wild game, peas, corn and squash during the growing season. Winter was especially difficult with the Puritans having to survive on what they grew in the previous summer. These factors made it difficult to live in these Puritan communities. But every person in the community would look out for each other. Winthrop said “We must hear one another's burdens.” He said this because every person in the village would need to help their neighbors for this community to succeed. Winthrop understood that people were bound to disagree and was willing to tolerate a range of opinion and belief. But he also recognized that if dissent was not kept within bounds, it would undermine the community. Puritanism was based on a community as a whole not as

The constant study of the Bible allowed them to keep diaries, conduct sermons, and also write poetry. Every sermon held had three main components which are the text, the doctrine, and the improvement. The text was the introduction and was the writing of verses from the Bible. Next, during the doctrine, the minister speaks of a critical explanation of theological concepts, which also go along with the verses. Lastly, the sermon is ended with the improvement. This is a call for action among those of the Puritans which attended the sermon. The sermons were prepared and memorized and often lasted about an hour. Puritan leaders had sermons printed out to the community to read and practice in their spare time. Puritans devoted much of their leisure time to keeping diaries. They would write about the ways which they needed to follow through his purposes. Some kept and published their diaries that broadcasted their movement that they personally saw which was due to the acts of God, found in everyday life. These diaries all showed sure signs of submission to God. Puritans often used poetry in relation to the sermons held each sunday. Every poem showed deep compassion with a personal level, all towards