Of Plymouth Plantation

906 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays about the puritanism

The strength of their faith was obvious from the very beginning. They wanted their religious freedom and that is why they left the only lives and familiar places they knew to seek that freedom they so strongly desired. Those in England who wanted to make that change and prove that their faith was the most important thing to them, did so and it proved to be a life altering experience for all who made the voyage. The conclusion was to live as a distinct body by themselves under the general Government of Virginia and by their friends to sue to His Majesty that he would be pleased to grant them freedom of religion. (Bradford pg 30.) Because of the restrictions and the lack of their religious liberty the Puritans felt that the only way they could worship God the way they wanted and felt was the right way to worship was to get away from the people stopping them. This strong belief in their religion was the true influence of what we know as the Plymouth Experiment.

The Puritans also had a unique relationship with God that was much stronger than the relationships they had even with their own families and friends. The Puritans that they were flawed and helpless and that they were very capable of being very sinful beings. There was also a belief in the covenant of works. This meant that if you followed all of Gods laws, and did good things that would make him happy, you would then go to heaven. They believed that they were knit together as a body in the most strict and sacred bond and covenant with the Lord. "We do hold ourselves straightly tied to all care of each others goods and of the whole, by everyone and so mutually.(Bradford,35). This also showed how cautious the Puritans were not do to anything that might offend The Lord, and not allow them to get into heaven.

The Puritans also relied on The Covenant of Grace which was a belief that God had already chosen a select few people that would be saved.

Show More
Related

  • Discussion Questions For The Mayflower By Nathaniel Shilbrick

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    These Puritans were strongly opposed to the church of England. They felt that the church had become corrupt and defiled because of the idolatrous worship. They began to meet in secret until one day they were discovered. Among these was Wilford Bradford, a young man who joined the Pilgrims religious group. In later chapters we see an older Bradford becomes Governor of the Plymouth colony who is also student of the Hebrew language;for he believed that he would achieve a stronger connection with God. Very early in his life, Bradford read the Bible and sought to please God and he believed that the best way to do this would be to separate from the church of

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Jamestown Vs Plymouth

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    The settlers of the Jamestown were members of the great Anglican Church, which was the official Church of England while the Pilgrims were dissenters from the Church and established the Puritan faith. Due to the Jamestown settlers being a part of the Anglican faith, they were not under any fear of religious persecution. They remained loyal to their superiors. The Puritans were separatists, which was considered an act of treason at the time. They believed that the Church was still too connected to the old ways.

    Read More

  • Differences in the Development of New England and the Chesapeake Region

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England settled New England. They were a highly religious people. Document A, John Winthrop’s “ City on a hill” speech, shows how they lived according to God’s will and were very community oriented. Their towns were very planned out with a town/ church meetinghouse in the centre, and land plots for everyone in the community. This is shown in Document D, Articles of Agreement in Springfield Massachusetts 1636. Family was also very important. Since they were very religious and family is highly regarded in the Bible, marriage was advocated and adultery was a huge crime. Adulterers were made to wear the letter A on their clothing. Since they were a very close-knit people, they travelled as big families and sometimes as communities. This mass travel is depicted in document B that is a ship’s list of emigrants bound for New Engla...

    Read More

  • Of Plymouth Plantation: When Does Hardship Unite Us?

    159 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hardship is what unites us as a group of people who are working together for a common goal and sticks together and helps each other with hard work through rough times. Hardship unites us in difficult times and stressful situations. In the historical log, “Of Plymouth Plantation” written by William Bradford, he explains the hardship that explores dealt with there first few years of their settlement. It goes in depth as the struggle between diseases, nature, loss of food, and the bitter cold. More than half of the pilgrims died and only a few people could help the sick. It was not until the natives decided to set a peace treaty and help the

    Read More

  • Chesapeake And New England Colonies

    1815 Words  | 4 Pages

    While residing in England, the Puritans and faithful Catholics faced prosecution, which led to their immigration to the New World. Most left England to avoid further harassment. Many groups and parishes applied for charters to America and, led by faithful ministers, the Pilgrims and Puritans made the long voyage to North America. Their religion became a unique element in the New England colonies by 1700. Before landing, the groups settled on agreements, signing laws and compacts to ensure a community effort towards survival when they came to shore, settling in New England. Their strong sense of community and faith in God led them to develop a hardworking society by year 1700, which Documents A and D express through the explanation of how the Pilgrims and Puritans plan to develop...

    Read More

  • How Did Religion Influence Religion In Colonial Society

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    They believed they had the right to worship and govern themselves in whatever manner they pleased. Puritan freedom did not include religious tolerance or individualism. John Winthrop 's speech highlighted the concept of what Puritan freedom was. He believed in a civil society where through God 's path stability would be found. Socially, it can be summarized to two ideas, natural liberty vs. moral liberty. Natural liberty was said to be corrupt because it meant doing what you pleased, whereas moral liberty meant only doing what was right. One actions were reflected based upon their position in society. The higher up one was ranked social the more "moral" their actions were and vice versa for actions defined as

    Read More

  • The Puritan Family

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Puritans were "Christians," in that they believed in Jesus Christ yet some may argue that they did not lead "Christian" lives. These fanatics seemed to obssess over a major tenet of their religion, that being "Pre Destination." That is, God Himself chose those destined for eternal salvation in the beginning of time, long before our conception and birth. This pre-ordained number is considerably miniscule, which, at times, the Puritans seemed to ignore.

    Read More

  • Discussion Questions For The Crucible

    1917 Words  | 4 Pages

    The puritans had many religious beliefs. The religious beliefs they held were strong and they were extremely devoted to serving their Lord. Puritans believed that people of God had a teetotal lifestyle, worked hard and were responsible. They also believed that anything and everything that happens on earth is already predestined by God. People would not earn salvation with works of righteousness but through God’s grace. The congregation would make all of the decisions in the church and they would not acknowledge any other religions. When Puritans worshipped, it was very simple and only focused on God. There was no music, stained glass windows or art.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of The Puritans In America

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although at first glance the arrival of the Puritans in America seemed solely for religious freedom, it actually was deeply embedded in economic trading opportunities. In 1629, the English crown authorized the colonization of a large area of New England by the Massachusetts Bay Company, which was a joint stock trading company. The company was taken over by a group of wealthy Puritans, and they successfully established the Massachusetts Bay Colony under the leadership of John Winthrop in the New World. The

    Read More

  • Gender and Power in the Salem Witch Trials

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Puritans were mainly artisans and middling farmers by trade and in the wake of the reformation of the Church of England, left for the colonies to better devout themselves to God because they saw the Church of England as a corrupt institution where salvation was able to be bought and sold, and with absolutely no success in further reforming the Church, set off for the colonies. English Puritans believed in an all-powerful God who, at the moment of Creation, determined which humans would be saved and which would be damned (Goldfield 45).

    Read More

  • William Bradford

    416 Words  | 1 Pages

    The puritans were very religious. They wanted to show everyone what happens if you are good and believe in god and the heavens. If you do bad things you would be punished or be killed. If you do good things you can be hand chosen to go to heaven.

    Read More

  • Life as a Puritan

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Puritans didn't have all the luxuries we have today. They were told many things by preachers such as Jonathon Edwards, who lit a candle of fear in their minds. If I was alive to hear Edwards preach, I'd certainly have to question myself. He preached that God holds us in his hands and he can make or break us. If God decides it so, he will let us go and we will fall from his hands to nothing but Hell. Certainly no one wants to go to Hell. So, the Puritans tried to better their lives, and go by rules or "resolutions." They believed if they followed these resolutions, even though their fate was predetermined by God, they could live a life of good and maybe prove they are meant to go to Heaven.

    Read More

  • Women And The Salem Witch Trials

    1678 Words  | 4 Pages

    The church and Christian beliefs had a very large impact on the Puritan religion and lifestyle. According to discovery education, “Church was the cornerstone of the mainly Puritan society of the 17th century.”( Douglas 4). Puritan laws were intensively rigid and people in society were expected to follow a moral strict code. And because of Puritans and their strict moral codes, any act that was considered to go against this code was considered a sin and deserved to be punished. In Puritan theology, God h...

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    Puritans believed in strict religious dedications, by trying to follow the holy commandment. “The discipline of the family, in those days, was of a far more rigid kind than now.”(Hawthorne 9). They wanted to be considered the holiest of all people because they try to reflect a world of perfection in the sight of God. While they where trying to portray a holy life; however, they where also living a sinful life because they have been judgmental, slandering, uncompassionate, resentment, and forbearing, which are all sinful acts of the bible.

    Read More

  • The Salem Witch Trials

    2023 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Puritans were Englishmen who chose to separate from the Church of England. Puritans believed that the Anglican Church or Church of England resembled the Roman Catholic Church too closely and was in dire need of reform. Furthermore, they were not free to follow their own religious beliefs without punishment. In the sixteenth century the Puritans settled in the New England area with the idea of regaining their principles of the Christi...

    Read More

More about Of Plymouth Plantation

Open Document