The New England Puritans fell victim to their own belief structure by becoming the controlling force that they had left Britain to escape. The English in Great Britain were mandating everyone to go to church and punishing people who missed with fines. They gave penalties for conducting unofficial services with larger fines and imprisonment. The Puritans disagreed with the Church of England which is one of the main reasons they left on the Mayflower to form a new colony. Ironically when the Puritans formed their own society they would Act almost exactly like the English government they had opposed, mandating their religion to all the people in their colony. People who were not church members were punished by not being able to vote.
Supposed witchcraft was persecuted in the New England colony. The witch hunt spiraled out of control in the New England. It started with girls accusing older women of tormenting them both mentally and physically. About 80 New Englanders were accused of witchcraft. We can learn from the Puritans not to spiral into a hysteria without having proof of a threat.
The Puritans affected the development of the United States in many ways both positive and negative. They believed strongly in self-government. The Mayflower Compact asserted their right to self-government, which was the beginning of promoting their own self rights, which would help lead to the American Revolution. The New England colony also did not force people to pay taxes if they could not vote. The Puritans had no religious tolerance. If you did not believe what they did you were driven out. The Massachusetts Bay colony’s government became a model to the other colonies during the English Civil War. Public education was free in the Massachusetts colony and it is still free today in the United States, in the form of public schools. The Puritans voted and elected their leaders which we see today in America’s government. They came up with the Mayflo...