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Puritan society. Humble beginnings. Came from England seeking religious freedom Wanted to create a “nation of saints” Established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 with 400 settlers branched out into new colonies such as New Haven and Connecticut
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Humble beginnings • Came from England seeking religious freedom • Wanted to create a “nation of saints” • Established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 with 400 settlers • branched out into new colonies such as New Haven and Connecticut • Had self-supporting farmsteads and traded non-produceable goods • subsisted through agriculture, fishing, logging, ship building, and mercantile
Beliefs • Bible was God’s true law and that man existed to serve God and do his work • Hard work was an honor to God • All things were God’s to give and take as he pleased • Emphasis on need for self-examination and redemption: keep account of feelings and actions • Religious beliefs included community laws and customs
Beliefs cont. • Rejected “worldliness” like possessions and holidays like Christmas • Celebrations were outlawed in Boston from 1659-1681 • Religious beliefs helped to create a solid community that relied on each other • Those with different views were converted or asked to leave the community • Beliefs also created specific gender roles in the community • Women not allowed to talk in church • Men worked outside home while women raised the children and kept the house
Education • First formal Puritan school in 1635. • Was first free schooling offered to all children • Reading schools for girls while boys could advance to grammar schools and beyond • Was thought that unschooled children would become barbaric • Lessons were Bible centered; including learning the alphabet • Children used the New England Primer
Sources • http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/puritans.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Primer