Salem Witch Trials Essay

Puritanism was a religious and social movement that began in 16th century England and later spread to the United States. The Puritans were a group of Protestant Christians who believed that the Church of England was not sufficiently reformed and sought to purify it of its Catholic influences. They placed a great emphasis on hard work, and the importance of the Bible as the ultimate authority on matters of faith and morals. Many Puritans began to migrate to the New World in the early 17th century in search of religious liberty and the opportunity to practice their faith as they saw fit. Puritans had a major part shaping the political, economic, and social structure of New England Colonial life.

Puritanism was a religious reform movement that wished to purify the Church of England of the remnants of the Roman Catholic faith. The Puritans were persecuted by many denominations across Europe and around 1620, King James I, a member of the Church of England, began oppressing the Puritan community as well. This led the Puritans to flee England and come to the New World where in the words of John Winthrop they were to build a “city upon a hill”. The Puritans settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colonies, more specifically just north of Boston. The most prominent members of this time were John Winthrop.

First of all, the Puritans were reformed Protestants from England in 16th and 17th centuries, who wanted to purify the church from Roman Catholic practices. They were dressed in simple and modest clothing; Puritans spent most of their time praying. They believed in the notion of predestination, which means that every human’s fate is known at birth. Moreover, many Puritans moved to America fleeing from religious persecution.

According to Five myths about Puritans - The Washington Post, “But the Puritans didn’t leave England to found a society where all religions would be tolerated. After all, they were granted the pejorative moniker “Puritan” in England because of their efforts to purge Catholic influences from the Anglican Church. They sought religious freedom only for themselves.” This emphasizes how Puritans didn’t care for other people’s religion, they just wanted to be able to practice their own. Despite what they went through to get the freedom to practice their religion, they only wanted it for that specific religion.

The puritans believed in predestination and also believed that the church needed to be purified. Among many famous leaders that came to this country in early America, there was one that believed we should all have freedom of religion. Roger Williams, was a puritan and believed in the same ideas, he himself was a minister,

The Puritans in Massachusetts were very intolerant of other religious beliefs, regardless of the fact that they had been persecuted in England for what they believed. Puritans insisted that regular church attendance was mandatory in order to receive voting privileges. This meant that in order to have a say in anything you had to be a devout Puritan. They often argued about discrepancies within their own religion, such as whether or not sainthood was passed down from generation to generation. Puritans even went as far as to exile other Puritans the did not conform to the standard version of Puritanism.

How much do you know about the Puritan? The Puritans came to America from England because they were looking for freedom of religion. The Puritans could not practice their religion in England the way they wanted. They had to be a part of the Church of England, and they did not want to conform. The religious believers given their lives to God’s beliefs.

Puritans originally sought to “purify” the church of England during the late 16th and 17th centuries. Therefore, the logical name “Puritans” came around. Soon enough there were enough people that considered themselves puritans that they had their own societies and almost governing powers. In puritanism you had to be a good saint or society would judge you. But being a good saint meant high standards, humanismbyjoe states “According to the town records, a man was imprisoned for three days for smiling during a baptism.”

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.

In the late sixteenth century, Puritanism, which was a religious reform movement, arose within the Church of England (“Puritanism”). It all began when William Bradford and the Puritans were displeased with the Church of England. As a result of them being unsatisfied, they fled England and traveled to Holland and later America in hopes of creating a purified religious community. “Persecuted by the established Anglican Church in England, the Puritans immigrated to the New World seeking the freedom to practice their faith” (Stine 487). The Puritans felt as if the Church of England was filled with hierarchies and worldly rituals.

Puritans emerged from the Protestant reformation in the 1500’s, they believed in a total purification of English Christianity because of Henry VIII and his separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Eventually, due to the slow progress of the Protestant reformation, Puritans wanted to see the church of England rid of all catholic influence. With this new-found desire they began to structure their own beliefs and rules. These rulemakers were extremely devout Puritans, they believed that only “visible saints” should be allowed to attend church, meaning only people who could feel grace in their souls and openly demonstrate it to their fellow Puritans could set foot in church. This differed from the church of England, which allowed all subjects

In the year 1630, seventeen ships which were funded by the Massachusetts Bay Company, set out from England to establish a new colony in America. The colony consisted of members who believed in Puritanism. Puritans were Protestants that originated within the Church of England who commanded simplification of the doctrine and greater strictness in religious discipline. “From its earliest beginnings, Puritans had exhibited a drive toward immediacy in religious experience. It was this which stood at the root of its utter rejection of all sarcerdotalism, whether Roman or Anglican.

American Puritanism was a religious movement that surfaced within the Church of England during the 17th century. A group of people known as the Puritans had a longstanding conflict with the Church, dating back to the mid 1500s. The Puritans strove to “purify” the Anglican Church of Roman Catholic principles and over time grew weary of the lack of change, their dissatisfaction driving them to North America with hopes of a new beginning. With new land underfoot and an entire sea between the Puritans and their old life, they were free to practice religion as they had desired for so long. This is how American Puritanism began.

The Puritans believed that the Bible was the ultimate guide on how to live and that interaction with God was only possible in church. They got rid of all the formalities of Christianity to purify it and themselves. The Puritans were different from what most people think they were. For example, they weren’t just a small group of people and they actually had so much power in England that they fought against the Crowned forces and won, however short-lived that victory was.

Puritans believed humans to be inherently evil, needing to work to earn God’s grace. The only way to do this was to make a person’s life completely centered around God, devoid of any corruption or worldliness. This was the reason for their move to America. Unsurprisingly, this train of thought also made its way into their writing, which has a style known as Puritan Plain Style. However, this way of thinking was not welcomed by the Church of England, leading them to move to the American colonies.