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Like the other groups from Europe that came over to the New World, the puritans came over primarily for profit at first. Then the puritans saw their opportunity to seek refuge from the harsh theocratic government to start their own utopia for only puritans, in the early seventeenth century. The puritans had the idea of growing a closely-knit Christian society. Although the puritans lived up to somewhat of an extent on creating a utopian political system, they didn’t live up to their vision of: building colonies that were socially weak, and having a harsh religious system.…
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During Colonial America, features of democratic and undemocratic was a work in progress for democracy.…
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The varying political systems created in the New England and Chesapeake regions also defined a clear separation between the two areas. When settlers arrived in New England, organized systems of government were immediately established, due to the Puritans extreme effort and dedication to a stable society. The Chesapeake region, however, lacked the sense of unity and togetherness that was vital in keeping a stable political system in New England. Leaders in the Chesapeake were often considered “vile commanders…with their golden promises made all men their slaves” (Doc. F) The structured rule of New England clashed greatly with the disorganized ways of the Chesapeake.…
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1.) American society wasn’t that democratic during the colonial days. Although it was much more democratic than England, it still wasn’t quite there yet. The constitution wasn’t signed and agreed upon until 1787, and before the turn of the 18th century, the colonies were a big mess. Most cities had an oligarchy, meaning a religious leader was in charge, making everyone abide by their rules, although it was often less religious and more on the tyrannical side. There wasn’t much separation of church and state. The only people who could vote were members of the church in most colonies, although some colonies allowed white men who owned property to have the right of franchise. People were hung, flogged, and exiled. Indentured servants had it bad,…
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Also, Plymouth founded a government whose main law was majority rule, which is also a huge concept of the voting system currently. The New England Confederation allowed for the settlers to fight off the indigenous people, allowing them to exist. In addition, the contributions from the Dominion of New England were the people first becoming angry over not being able to hold a part in their government, which created the seeds for the later fight for independence and the government we know today. The Glorious Revolution free the people from the Dominion of New England, which allowed them to then rule as they wished.…
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The founder of the Connecticut colony, John Winthrop Jr., believed that some people must stay rich and some must remain poor. Connecticuts erected their system of government on the proposition that the mass of mankind, the non-elect, was evil, corrupt and hardly fit for political participation. The data presented appears to corroborate the above. The religious forces overwhelmingly influenced Wethersfield making it more democratic during 1750 to 1780, offsetting the advances in other areas of society.…
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Religious views and importance differentiated greatly between the two colonies. New Englanders, the area in which the Massachusetts Bay Colony settled, came to America to exercise religious beliefs that were not allowed before the English Civil War and after the Restoration. They were made up of Protestant sects, mostly Puritans. This religion defined almost every aspect of New England life. Religion was much less significant in Virginia. The main church was the Anglican Church of England, however church attendance and rules did not dictate settlers' actions or goals.…
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Puritans were passionate reformers seeking to bring the Church of England to a state of purity in comparison with Christianity at the time of Christ and decided to form their own religious colonies in America. They considered religion to be a complex and highly intellectual affair. Thus, leaders were highly trained scholars with authoritarian positions that developed a “built-in hierarchism” (http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7eCAP/PURITAN/purhist.html#pil, 3). Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson believed and preached “Individualisme”…
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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…
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A large number of Puritan merchants obtained a grant of land for Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and acquired a charter form the king to create the Massachusetts Bay Company. This meant that Massachusetts and New Hampshire were part of a Charter Colony—supported by a Company instead of the crown. A large migration of 17 ships and 1,000 people set sail for New England for one reason: to build a Puritan refuge. Their main goal was religious freedom instead of economic gain; the Puritans only wanted freedom from the crown. They elected John Winthrop as governor, and soon established several towns within New England. The Puritans were hard working people. They believed that their work ethic led to material success, which was evidence of God’s favor. Because of this, the Puritan settlers were quick to establish farms and set up communities based on family and hard work. They had a rough beginning, as well, but nowhere near as bad as Jamestown. Their belief in building a “city upon a hill” inspired the community to stay close to God and family. This dominance of families caused a feeling of commitment to the community and a sense of order among settlers. However, Massachusetts Bay was a theocracy- meaning there was no separation between church and state. The Puritans had no more religious freedom than they had in England. This just encouraged them to work even harder for the betterment of the…
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In New England they voted for John Winthrop a member of the Puritans to be their first governor. John Winthrop and the Puritans wanted all people that where not apart of the church to be kicked from office. So, John Winthrop passed a law stating that only people who where members of the church can vote or be in office. New England also had Town meetings where they would discuses important topics such as what roads should be built and how much a money a school should get. Much like New England the Southern Colonies also had a. Lord Baltimore was the proprietor of the Southern Colonies. Lord Baltimore appointed a governor and a council. He thought that making the political and have people have a say would attract more people to come and settle in the Southern Colonies. In addition to that, Lord Baltimore made deals with people saying he would provide land grants for people who brought…
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Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct development were mostly based on the type on people from England who chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas were settled. <br><br>New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. As a result, New England formed a much more religious society then the Chesapeake region. John Winthrop states that their goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which represented a "pure" community, where Christianity would be pursued in the most correct manner. Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans were very religious people. In both cases, the local government was controlled by the same people who controlled the church, and the bible was the basis for all laws and regulations. From the Article of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts it is clear that religion was the basis for general laws. It uses the phrase "being by God's providence engaged together to make a plantation", showing that everything was done in God's name. The Wage and Price Regulations in Connecticut is an example of common laws being justified by the bible. Also in this document the word "community " is emphasized, just as Winthrop emphasizes it saying: "we must be knit together in this work as one man". The immigrants to New England formed very family and religiously oriented communities. Looking at the emigrant lists of people bound for New England it is easy to observe that most people came in large families, and large families support the community atmosphere. There were many children among the emigrants, and those children were taught religion from their early childhood, and therefore grew up loyal to the church, and easily controllable by the same. Any deviants from the regime were silenced or…
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When it comes to religion, the colony of New England was influenced to a much greater degree than Chesapeake Bay. Their whole reason for being there was because of religion. The main religious group in New England was the Puritans. The strict aspects of the Puritan way of life made the colony a very stable place to live. In comparison to the Chesapeake Bay Colonies where religion did not play a very big part there was not much political stability. The sect of Christianity practiced by the Chesapeake colonists was the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church was not nearly as strict or influencing on life as the Puritans’ practice. Without a strict set of rules in place from religion the only time the Chesapeake Bay colonies would enjoy stability in its early days would be under the military like rule from James Cook. The reason why religion usually would bring stability would be from the moral code embedded inside the teachings of the bible. From this people were able to humble themselves resulting in a stable society. Stability would eventually come to the Chesapeake Bay once it would become a royal colony. In addition to this tobacco would also become a major staple product for the Chesapeake Bay. Overall religion would be a bigger player in the development of New England as a colony.…
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Examples of how religion served as a major factor to the governments, as did in England, can be seen in many settlements in colonial America such as the Massachusetts Bay Colony and…
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Today, The United States of America represents true democracy and a sample of strong and free country, which is fully able to ensure human equal rights to its citizens. However, the history of American democracy and liberty has a long and bloody path. The early colonies of Puritans played a significant role in the establishment of American democratic regime. Next, but not less important contributions made the revolutionary generation of Americans in gaining liberty and equal rights. Two generations of two different periods had one common idea - building a faithful community, which will agree to follow set of rules and recognize the authority…
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