Puritans in New England

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Puritans in New England

Raised during the aftermath of the fall of the Spanish Armada to England, the Puritan generation they were children and grandchildren of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. An idealistic generation of the Colonial Cycle, the Puritans came to America seeking freedom, to practice religion in a manner different than that of the English.

Puritans regarded New England as a place to establish a "visible" kingdom of God, a society where outward conduct would be according to God's laws. Puritanism is defined by…: "the intensity of the Puritan's commitment to a morality, a form of worship, and a civil society strictly conforming to God's commandments. ...[in colonial America] Puritanism meant the direction and control of civil authority." (Encarta®)

They found their strengths in the formation of their congregation. They followed daily demanding schedules that were placed upon them by their minister leaders. "By placing the authority over religious appointments in the hands of the lay congregation, they sought to establish a purified church, wh...

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