that timber and fishing because the most prized and valued products from the New England colonies. Since they believed that their wealth was a sign that they had won God’s favor, the Puritan merchants worked hard to ensure that the part of Boston became prime shipping and commercial center in New England so that they would be legitimate players in the economic scene of the New World. However, unlike the Chesapeake colonies, where people focused primarily on commercial centers, New England did not develop as a region focused on economic activity because it was founded as “a plantation of religion” (Doc J), not as a center for “worldly trade.” Nevertheless, the Puritans’ emphasis on winning God’s favor illustrates the importance of the merchant class on New England’s economic development. Concerning New England’s social development, the Puritans’ emphasis on community, family and education caused the region to develop with more families and small towns and with an advantage in education. At the foundation of Puritan society was the importance of the family, which was viewed as the central social unit through which children were raised to become enlightened participants on the “model Christian society.” So, since Puritans were more likely to come to the New World’s families instead of as individuals, New England had more families settle there than in other regions of colonization. Consequently, the region had a more balanced sex ration of males to females and more stable population growth. In addition, Puritans placed emphasis on the concept of a community living together an sustaining its members, so New England was marked by the development of many small towns and villages, each with common lands for animals to graze known as the “common” (Doc B). Also, Puritans placed emphasis on education because they wanted to be enlightened, informed followers of their religious beliefs. So they established Harvard University as a school to train new Puritan ministers (Doc E). Harvard’s establishment provided New England with a major center of learning, supported the Puritan hierarchy with informed clergymen, and led to greater literacy in New England because of the use of Harvard’s printing press. So, the Puritans’ values of religion, education, family ad community clearly had a profound impact on New England’s social development. In conclusion, the Puritans’ values of creating a model Christian society had a major impact on the political, social, and economic development of New England. By establishing a theocratic structure, the Puritans gave the region its political system. With their emphasis on winning God’s favor, the Puritans made the region a center of merchant activity, but placed religion before economics as the persons for their settlement. In social development, families and small communities sprang from the Puritans’ values. Clearly the Puritans had a distinct influence on the region and colonial times
that timber and fishing because the most prized and valued products from the New England colonies. Since they believed that their wealth was a sign that they had won God’s favor, the Puritan merchants worked hard to ensure that the part of Boston became prime shipping and commercial center in New England so that they would be legitimate players in the economic scene of the New World. However, unlike the Chesapeake colonies, where people focused primarily on commercial centers, New England did not develop as a region focused on economic activity because it was founded as “a plantation of religion” (Doc J), not as a center for “worldly trade.” Nevertheless, the Puritans’ emphasis on winning God’s favor illustrates the importance of the merchant class on New England’s economic development. Concerning New England’s social development, the Puritans’ emphasis on community, family and education caused the region to develop with more families and small towns and with an advantage in education. At the foundation of Puritan society was the importance of the family, which was viewed as the central social unit through which children were raised to become enlightened participants on the “model Christian society.” So, since Puritans were more likely to come to the New World’s families instead of as individuals, New England had more families settle there than in other regions of colonization. Consequently, the region had a more balanced sex ration of males to females and more stable population growth. In addition, Puritans placed emphasis on the concept of a community living together an sustaining its members, so New England was marked by the development of many small towns and villages, each with common lands for animals to graze known as the “common” (Doc B). Also, Puritans placed emphasis on education because they wanted to be enlightened, informed followers of their religious beliefs. So they established Harvard University as a school to train new Puritan ministers (Doc E). Harvard’s establishment provided New England with a major center of learning, supported the Puritan hierarchy with informed clergymen, and led to greater literacy in New England because of the use of Harvard’s printing press. So, the Puritans’ values of religion, education, family ad community clearly had a profound impact on New England’s social development. In conclusion, the Puritans’ values of creating a model Christian society had a major impact on the political, social, and economic development of New England. By establishing a theocratic structure, the Puritans gave the region its political system. With their emphasis on winning God’s favor, the Puritans made the region a center of merchant activity, but placed religion before economics as the persons for their settlement. In social development, families and small communities sprang from the Puritans’ values. Clearly the Puritans had a distinct influence on the region and colonial times