The American Colonies How They Shaped Societies And...

Matthew Blake Kimberly Taft History 131 24 July 2015 Religion in the American Colonies: How They Shaped Societies and Politics. The main reason so many immigrants fled from Europe was to free themselves from religious persecution. They were being forced to either believe a certain way or pay for a specific religion to be in their country, they were not allowed to believe or practice their beliefs openly without detriment of some sort. The New World was new and had endless possibility and opportunity to get away from such oppression and pursue a life free from prosecution. Granted there was also money to be made and competition with Spain and France to discover the New World which made it promising for the wealthy and aristocrats to invest†¦show more content†¦Ann Hutchinson was one of the founders of Providence, Rhode Island. The Puritans believed that it was possible to have an individual relationship with God without intervening of clergy or aristocracy. Puritans thought that the Bible could be interpreted by any man therefo r they placed great emphasis on teaching their children to read. They also believed that man could govern themselves as long as it was within the Bibles laws, that is where the town meetings come in and they are still in communities today. This also meant that the Bible was their main source of authority and anyone within the community who did not abide by the Bible’s law within the Puritan interpretation would be reprimanded or prosecuted by authorities hence, the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Massachusetts. The Puritans believed that hard work, self-discipline, frugality, and self-reliance would be rewarded with eternal life in heaven. The Puritans did have a democratic view on how their government should be run based on the town meetings where community member could voice opinions or concerns and they would be addressed accordingly. However, they come to the New World to free themselves from persecution but were so self-involved in their own