New England Colonies Dbq Analysis

England in the 1620s was filled with tension between the Puritans and King James I and his son Charles I. Their primary goal for their country was to revive Roman Catholicism and rid of any religions that would not conform; so, they mainly targeted Puritans. This intolerance motivated the Puritans to pursue their economic interests (which later turned into religious interests) and establish a place for themselves in the New England colonies in 1630. What they originally intended was to create a colony in which they could practice their religion freely. They did not think of accepting others. Eventually, their society became just as strict as English society: their political, social, and economic advancements were structured and very much parochial.
The religious endeavors of the Massachusetts Puritans in the focused on being seen as a “city upon a hill”; and this translated into their political setup.
John Winthrop, the man who set this goal for the Puritans, used God as a way to form a close-knit society. Winthrop felt that closeness in a community was very important in order to work closely together. (Doc A) Since God was so influential in this situation, then it must have been important for Him to be a bigger part of their society: their government. This led to the development of a theocracy. The “closeness” that Winthrop spoke of was very true in the theocratic government, because ministers were protected, and the church members worked closely with each other. Together, they placed harsh requirements upon the people of Puritan New England. They had to attend church services, pay taxes to support the church, and were therefore bound to the church not just through religion, but also through the government. Their loyalty was also expected by the church. The people could in no form offend the church, they promised to study the gospels, spread their knowledge of Him to their children, and most importantly, acknowledged His power: “…and all this not by any strength of our own, but by the Lord Christ” (Doc C). Because it was assumed that any material success by the people
was evidence of God’s work, their strength lay with Him. Even the purpose of education was so contribute to their theocratic society. The creation of Harvard University served as a way to teach future generations to become ministers. This way, the Puritan religion could have an impact on the church members, who were able to vote and hold office. (Doc E). The amount of power that the church possessed was enough for Roger Williams to criticize the Congregational church, and their involvement in Massachusetts government. He strongly believed in the separation of the church and state, which was an absurdity to the Puritans. (Doc F) Their ideas influenced politics so heavily, that they didn’t see themselves becoming a mirror image of the intolerable England. The structure of the town and families were very much impacted by the theocratic government that the Puritans created. Based on the most important part of life for these people, the church, there was no question as to where the church lay: at the center of the town (Doc B). This not only modeled the significance of religion in everyday life (since they were required to attend church every day), but also the aspect of a tight-knit community. Since these small towns revolved around the church, people were very influenced by God. He served as a way for them to join together for support, happiness, and affection (Doc A). This way, they truly could become a model community for the world to see. Since the Puritans did not migrate to the New England colonies as individuals, the primary unit of the community was the family. Families had a patriarchal foundation, which was a traditional value held by the Puritans. The women were devoted to serving her husband and tending to her children and the home, while the men were dominant (Doc H). This value, which allowed men to have absolute power, went from establishing stability in society to causing emotional distress in children and the view of women as the weaker sex. The harshness of Puritan morals had a drastic effect on daily life as well as family relationships and traditions; this ultimately determined the way that they made economic progress. The original intention of the Puritans was to organize an economic enterprise, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which they achieved with a charter from King Charles I. Since their ideas shifted from economic interests to religious interests, their economy was successful because of the families, because they were the major religious and economic unit within communities. One of the many roles of women was childbearing, and so large families developed over time. Towns were surrounded by family farms, indicating the importance of large families in agriculture: the basis of the New England colonies’ economy (Doc B). Children were needed to work at very young ages, and women were also relied on. They were responsible for jobs like gardening, tending livestock, cooking, cleaning, etc. As the New England colonies’ economy continued to develop over time, they began to raise domestic animals and needed more land. This cause conflict with the American Indians in southern New England: the Pequots. William Bradford watched the colonists’ attack on the Pequot village in 1637, and commented that the “…victory seemed a sweet sacrifice” displaying the Puritans’ strong desire for land and also the power of their religion, because they tried to convert the Indians. (Doc D). The drastic actions that they took to promote their vision of becoming a “city upon a hill” with a strong economy accounted for the deaths of thousands of Indians. John Higginson addressed what really resulted from the Puritans’ original ideas: “…worldly gain was not the end and designe of the people of New England, but Religion,” (Doc J). He ultimately criticizes the dominance of Puritan ideas on the economy because merchants that gained so much wealth were benefiting from a corrupt and intolerable Puritan society: not the people of New England. The Puritans became exactly what they intended to leave behind in England, making them hypocrites. They hoped for a society which would involve their religious ideas, but it eventually had detrimental effects. New England became a society that overwhelmed its government with religion, only giving power to loyal members of the church, and prosecuting those who were not compliant. Social development became very structured through the church and through the Puritan belief in patriarchy. Economic success was determined by the families, and they greatly influenced agriculture: but the development of their economy led to conflict with Pequot Indians, which again brought out their strong religious beliefs. No part of their society could truly become successful, because of their strict religion.