Why Was Puritan Americans Considered An Ideal Society?

1. Puritans were the religious nonconformists in England, who advocated the purification of Protestant Church of England from the "popish stuff." The most radical of them - a group that included William Bradford, the future spiritual leader and the first-time writer of New England, in principle, did not believe in the possibility of return to the Church of England on the right path. They chose to isolate from it. Massachusetts, where travelers had to disembark, was gray and chilly place at that time of year, and had very little in common with the Earthly Paradise. People were already exhausted and could not withstand the rigors of a new, winter sailing. In addition, they were almost indifferent to the beauty of landscapes and everyday facilities: they worshiped imperishable eternal treasures and pilgrims perceived their challenge as the fate that came from the sky. The Lord led them to this dark desolate land, so that they became, as later, quoting the Bible, Puritan leader and writer George Winthrop, city on a hill, a light that would indicate the way to the Kingdom of God for the rest of the world. In order to accomplish the will of God, pilgrims stayed in the land, which they named New England.

Since then, Americans believe their country is the greatest experiment, a worthy model for other countries. The Puritans believed that the state should enforce religious morality. They severely punished heretics, libertines, drunkards, those who was not a hard working person. Although they were looking for religious freedom, the Puritans differed extreme intolerance in matters of morality. In 1636, an English clergyman Roger Williams left Massachusetts and created the colony of Rhode Island, based on the principles of religious freedom and separation of church and state. These two key principles were mentioned in the US