Puritans Influence on the Development of New England

In the early 17th century there were massive amounts of Puritan immigrants coming from England in seek of religious freedom. They settled in New England and a majority of their population lived in Massachusetts Bay. In contrast to other English colonists, they came to North America to create a pure Christian society that emphasized the community and family aspects of life. Most other colonists, such as the ones living in the Chesapeake region, came to the New World in search of economic gain. In 1630 to the 1660’s, Puritan values and ideas had a considerable impact in New England on politics, by establishing a theocratic, authoritative political structure that demanded moral conformity, economy, by decreasing the importance of making money because of the focus on religion., and culture, by having an emphasis on family and community. In 1630, when John Winthrop found the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he wanted to create the ideal Puritan society. He wanted to create a “City on a Hill” and a “model of Christian charity”. By creating this colony with its strict laws and rules, Winthrop set a standard for all other colonies in New England. Most or all laws were created based on Puritan beliefs and ideals, such as bans on theatres, public drunkenness, and disobeying “God’s Law”. The political structure of New England was set up entirely to create the perfect Puritan society, and through this the Puritans created a theocratic state, where even political leaders were not allowed much power; they were only allowed to make the town a better place to live in. The Puritan religion dictated the political structure of New England. The Puritan colonists were one of the few groups that did not come to America for wealth. Economy was second to worshipping god and focusing on religion. As a result of this, the Puritan colonists worked together to make enough money to survive, and if there was extra, they would give it to someone in need. Merchants that were only seeking ways to