Parker Ross
Mrs. Kauble
APUSH 1st Block
August 29, 2018
Puritan Society
In the 17th century the Puritans colonized in North America. They had to experiment and
find new ways to successfully live life. While they had many failures, they also had many
successes. Migrating from Britain to North America, they had to plant new seeds to grow new
roots in their social and political lives as well as their economy.
The puritans created a model society. They establish the first schools, which helped
families lives became more stable. Puritans also helped enact the individualism that America has
today. In 1636, Harvard University became a known institution for the ministry. Harvard was a
school for young men that would prepare them for the spiritual life. Even though public schools
originated during this time period, only the wealthy children were able to attend. Students would
receive a great education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Reading was very important to the
Puritans because every person must know how to read and interpret the Bible. Reading the Bible
was an important skill in their life, primarily because of their focus on the Bible. During this
time frame Puritan families began to grow and prosper. Couples married earlier in life which
allowed for more children. Grandparents were in a sense “invented” because until the Puritans,
families were not large and the life expectancy was fairly low. The Puritan’s life expectancy was
between the late 60’s and early 70’s. Previously this range was much lower. The Puritans were
courageous through their willingness to leave a stable society, this courage is what drove their
individualism. In 1630, they arrived in North America after leaving Britain. One key reason for
leaving Britain was that the Church of England was oppressive and had long persecuted the
people. They established a new, self-governing, congregational church. The church did have very
strict rules, and had a great influence on politics within the society.
Politically the Puritans did not create a society that lasted through the ages. Their “Bible
commonwealth”, with its process of elections, and strict laws was later rejec...
