Puritans
Puritans were a group of Christian Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England by the elimination of various catholic religious practices. In search of religious freedom, puritans migrated to New England in the 17th century and settled in Plymouth. They further migrated to form the Massachusetts Bay colony, Saybrook colony, Connecticut colony, and New Haven colony. Puritanism was fundamental in early New England colonies mainly due to their work ethic that allowed young people to work towards their calling while other members of the families worked towards the development of their homes. The work ethic focused on economic growth that was achieved through hard work. American capitalism experienced today was started by the puritans who were hardworking and promoted a sense of survivalism. Through theocracy system of leadership, puritans were able to influence members of the society to abide by the puritan mission. The puritan’s colonies were centered on the church and their strong belief allowed them to be passionate about the good things for the society (History.com editors 2020). Passion allowed these colonies to obtain justice and freedom, unlike other parts of the world. Puritans were very fundamental and maintained law and order by punishing law offenders including those who failed to attend mass on Sabbath day. Due to such great political, religious, and economic influence on American lives puritanism is said to be the center of Americanism. Thanks to Puritanism that the United States has a constitution founded on the basis of democracy.
Puritanism has various effects on the American culture which continues to be felt up to date. The individualism experienced in every corner of American capitalism experienced today is due to puritanism which insisted on self-reliance, mutual respect, and privacy. Puritanism eliminated the hierarchical structure in churches and brought the notion that man could directly communicate with God thus promoting self-awareness. American democracy is also a result of puritan’s town meeting that allowed everyone to participate and used the rule of the majority while making their decisions. Puritanism also shaped the American culture of hard work to gain wealth. It is through puritanism that early American worked hard to provide to please God and in turn get well as a reward. Material wealth is thus a source of independence and a sign of success. The American belief and strong sense of mission can be traced back to the puritans who saw themselves as the chosen people to spread the word of God and save the world (Kang 2009). It is due to this notion that the American people today seek to establish global peace by having military bases in all corners of the world. Puritans also influence the American zeal for education where education is believed to be the key to success. The puritan believed in the bible and sought knowledge from it to avoid getting into sinful acts. Their arrival in America saw the construction of schools that was offered to the citizens in various region. Education in New England was not restricted to religious education and their zeal for education led to the establishment of the first American college- Harvard College in 1639.