They started out with huge hopes and idealism. To be a "City on a Hill" (Cullen 24) is to be a beacon, a shining example of what is right and good for the rest of society. They hoped people would look up to them and want to live by their ways. Because they were a religious group, their community wasn't based only on making a living and becoming prosperous. It was based on spiritual and emotional bonds between people (Cullen 22). As a Calvinistic society, they knew that their fate had been pre-determined by God, whether they would go to Heaven or Hell after this life. Because they didn't know the verdict, they did everything they could to live a good life, just incase it was a factor in God's decision. This is still confusing to me about how their actions may not matter anyway but that they are willing to make a difference.
All of the purity seems to disappear as Puritans started forcing their view on others. In the 17th century an English clergyman wrote about the them, "'We call you Puritans... not because you are purer than other men...but because you think yourselves to be purer'" (Cullen 12). The high standards they gave themselves made them appear snobbish, strict, and unpleasant (Cullen 11). Part of settlement involved massacring Indians for the sake of securing land. I think of murder as the most impure thing a person could do. From the Puritans' perspective, how could killing another one of God's children be okay?
The picture below is from the play "The Crucible" which is about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Puritans in the play are criticized for extreme views on justice. With a lack of factual evidence for a trial, the people have to go off of what people say and believe. It's a really interesting story, and the movie version is amazing!
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