Essay on Puritans: New England and Puritans

Submitted By ayeitzreggie
Words: 666
Pages: 3

There is no denying that when it comes to the Puritans, they definitely had a strong impact on the New England colonies in the 1600’s. During this time quite a few Puritans had arrived in New England and established areas such as Plymouth in 1620. Unlike other residents of the region who came for reasons like economic interest, the Puritans merely wanted to create an environment where they were free to practice their religious beliefs. With the Puritans strong faith at hand, the results of wanting to create such a place turned out to help the development of the New England region. By forming a society in the name of God, developments economically, politically, and socially soon followed. To start out, the Puritans created a very self-sufficient colony with Plymouth. In November of 1620, the travelers who came via The Mayflower had landed at Plymouth Bay. Weakened by the travel, those who were still alive had received the aid of two English speaking Native Americans. One of the Native Americans, Squanto of Wampanoag, had taught the travelers how to grow corn and with this new skill the first harvest “was marked by a festival of thanksgiving”. The alliance between the two soon worsened but even with the negative outcome, Plymouth soon became economically self-sufficient. Farmers in Plymouth were able grow surplus amounts of corn which they traded to non-farming Abenaki Indians in Maine for furs. Within a decade, Plymouth’s elite had bought out the colony’s London backers and several hundred colonists had arrived. Although a small colony, Plymouth was noteworthy as an outpost for Puritans rebelling from the Church of England. It also proved that a self-governing society consisting mainly of farm families could flourish in New England. Even with a successful story of economics in Plymouth, as I mentioned early it was not the main priority of the Puritans. After being on the receiving end of harassment from King Charles I, a group of wealthy Puritans had petitioned the crown for a charter to colonize at Massachusetts Bay, north of Plymouth in March of 1629. In 1630 eleven ships and seven hundred passengers under Governor John Winthrop arrived at the new capital of Boston. The settlers would build a pleasant, godly community where inhabitants would lower their personal interest to a higher purpose. With this ideal society Winthrop had condemned the economic resentment that created class resentment. Puritans believed that God intended that “in all times some must be rich and some poor”. The rich had a responsibility to show charity and mercy to the poor, who should humbly accept rule by their social superiors as God’s will. Generally the social plan was for all