Question #b8290
1 Answer
The Puritans, they came to flee religious persecution
Explanation:
In 1620, the Puritans settled in Masssachusetts to flee what they felt was religious persecution. King James I was seen as a tyrant by those who opposed the Established Church of England( known today as the Anglican Church of England). They were led by William Bradford who is known as the first American Historian. Half of them died before reaching their destination. The colony became successful after 1630 since Charles I was even less tolerant towards Calvinists(Puritans were Calvinists).
Puritans believed in Predestination and thought they were God's chosen people, and the expression "city upon a hill" by Winthrop shows the exceptionalism they strongly believed in. John Winthrop was one of the leading figures of the Puritans, his phrase illustrates how the Puritans would consider themselves as a second Hebrew people that is to say God's chosen people.
The Puritans proved not to be tolerant since they massacred 500 Pequots in 1636 and organized the Witch trials of Salem in 1692. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a descendant of the judges who played a key role in those trials and wrote the Scarlet Letter which denounced the practices of Puritan society. Roger Williams also created the colony of Rhode Island in 1636 after being banished from Masachusetts.
