In the 1600’s England experienced a great deal of religious, political, and economic turmoil. After the Bubonic Plague era England experienced fast growth in its population. The harsh treatment by aristocratic land owners caused the poorer gentry to move to the urban areas of the country which resulted in overcrowding. King Charles, ruler at the time, decided to dismantle his Parliament and rule without them. King Charles actions lead to political instability and fueled the English Civil War and ignited religious turmoil. Wanting to leave the chaos of England, people started to immigrate in large numbers to America. Two religious groups were the main emigrants to New England; the Separatist later known as Pilgrims and the Puritans. The religious immigrants in New England shaped …show more content…
Puritan families were very structured and they brought this practice to New England. Families were headed by a male, called a patriarch, who managed his wife, children, and household resources. Family life was the patriarch’s strict domain and it was his responsibility to keep order. The colonial leader’s believed family was so important to a society that they prohibited single adults living alone. Additionally they described family as “the root whence church and commonwealth cometh” (Henkin and McLennan, Becoming America A History for the 21st Century). The society accepted the ideal and family became a core value in New England’s colonies. Puritans also places great emphasis on literacy.
Immigrants in New England placed great emphasis on reading the scripture. This resulted in a community with a culture of reading. Puritans believed reading the Bible was central to
Christian life and salvation. Therefore, the leaders of the colony set out to teach the common people and children to read and understand the bible. This resulted in a number