Who were the Puritans What does being a Puritan mean?
English Language Learners Definition of puritan
: a member of a Protestant group in England and New England in the 16th and 17th centuries that opposed many customs of the Church of England. : a person who follows strict moral rules and who believes that pleasure is wrong.
What is the difference between Puritans and Pilgrims?
Pilgrims were separatists who first settled in Plymouth, Mass., in 1620 and later set up trading posts on the Kennebec River in Maine, on Cape Cod and near Windsor, Conn. Puritans were non-separatists who, in 1630, joined the migration to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
What do the Puritans believe?
Puritan Religious Life
The Puritans believed that God had formed a unique covenant, or agreement, with them. They believed that God expected them to live according to the Scriptures, to reform the Anglican Church, and to set a good example that would cause those who had remained in England to change their sinful ways.
Where did the term Puritan originate?
The term “Puritan” first began as a taunt or insult applied by traditional Anglicans to those who criticized or wished to “purify” the Church of England.
What is the difference between Puritans and Presbyterians?
Presbyterianism is a Christian denomination rooted in the theological teachings of French Reformer John Calvin. The Puritans, some of whom attended Presbyterian churches, were English Protestants that played a role in early American history after they failed to reform the Church of England.
Why were the Puritans kicked out of England?
The Puritans left England primarily due to religious persecution but also for economic reasons as well. … This prompted the separatists to leave England for the New World in order to escape potential punishment for their beliefs and to be able to worship more freely.
Is Puritan always capitalized?
Scholars of New England Puritans typically do capitalize the word, recognizing a distinct culture, even if filled with its own diversity, although some have also moved away from capitalizing the term for many of the same reasons.
Why did the Puritans cross the Atlantic?
Why did they cross the Atlantic Ocean? They were persecuted in England for their beliefs. They came across the Atlantic Ocean in order to practice their religion without any interference.
Was Winthrop a Puritan?
John Winthrop (1588–1649) was an early Puritan leader whose vision for a godly commonwealth created the basis for an established religion that remained in place in Massachusetts until well after adoption of the First Amendment.
Which Puritan minister famously said that Puritan communities must be like a city on a hill?
John Winthrop delivered the following sermon before he and his fellow settlers reached New England. The sermon is famous largely for its use of the phrase “a city on a hill,” used to describe the expectation that the Massachusetts Bay colony would shine like an example to the world.