ThePuritans
(Adaptedfromwww.coreknowledge.org)
InEngland,thePuritanswerestillstrugglingtoworshipthewaythatthey
wantedto.TheywantedtochangeandpurifytheChurchofEngland.Whenthe
PuritansheardaboutthePilgrim’scolonyatPlymouth,theydecidedthatthey
shouldtrytodoasimilarthing.Theycameupwithaplantodojustthat.
In1628,anumberofPuritans,ledbyamannamedJohnWinthrop,decided
thattheywouldestablishacolonyinNewEnglandtothenorthofPlymouth.The
Puritansrealizedthattheywouldhavetobeveryorganized.Theyhadheard
aboutthehardshipsfacedbythosewhohadalreadygonetotheNewWorld.
Theyknewthatmanyhaddiedduetolackoffoodandshelter.TheyPuritans
weredeterminedtoavoidthesemistakes.
ItwasdecidedthatasmallgroupofPuritanswouldgoaheadoftheothers
andbuildacolony.ItwasalsodecidedthatthisPuritancolonywouldbedifferent
fromotherEnglishcolonies.Inordertoliveinthiscolony,peoplewouldhaveto
liveaccordingtotheBibleandstrictChristianprinciples.JohnWinthropbelieved
thattheircolonyshouldbeanexampletoothersintermsofhowpeopleshould
live.
In1630,JohnWinthropsetsailforNewEnglandwiththreeshipsandabout
sevenhundredcolonists.Theybroughtagoodamountoffoodwiththem,aswell
ascows,horses,andtools.Theyweremorepreparedthanandoftheother
Englishsettlerssofar.TheyestablishedsettlementsinSalem,Charleston,
CambridgeandBoston.
Asplanned,theMassachusettsBayColonywasdifferentfromthecolonies
developingintheSouth.Therewereverystrictlaws.Forexample,everyonehad
togotochurch.ThepilgrimshadbeenhappytoseparatefromtheChurchof
England,butthePuritanswantedtoremainapartofitandweredeterminedto
changeit.
TheMassachusettsBayColonywasverysuccessfulandgrewquiterapidly.
EachPuritantownwascarefullyplanned,witheachfamilybeinggivenenough
landonwhichtobuildahomeandfarm.Themostimportantbuildinginthetown
wasthemeetinghouse.Thiswaswherereligiousservicesandtownmeetingswere
held.ThePuritansbelievedinthepowerofeducation.Theywantedtheirchildren
tobeabletoreadsotheycouldreadtheBible.
Asmoreandmorepeoplestartedcomingtothecolony,theystartedto
disagreewithsomeoftheleaders.Theyfeltthatwhatwashappeningwastoo
muchliketheEnglishsystemtheyhadtriedtoescape.Asmoreandmorepeople
cametothecolony,moreandmorelandwasalsobeingtakenfromtheNative
Americans.RogerWilliams,aministerfromLondon,stronglybelievedthatthe
NativeAmericansshouldbepaidfortheland.Leadersdidnotagree.Beforelong,
theleadersoftheMassachusettsBayColonyconsideredhimtobea
troublemaker.Hewasforcedtoleavethecolony.
RogerWilliamsleftthecolony.Afewofhissupporterswentwithhim.He
eventuallymadehiswaysouthtowhatwouldbecomeProvidence,RhodeIsland.
HepurchasedlandfromtheNarragansett,alocalNativeAmericanTribe.Thisarea
becamethecolonyofRhodeIsland.
Gradually,otherswhoalsofounditdifficulttofollowthestrictPuritanway
oflifefollowedWilliams.