Thomas Morton: The Puritan Belief System In New England

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The three men in this week readings had a couple things in common; all were well educated at Universities in England and all carried to the New World the belief system they each developed in England. Those belief systems influenced the traditions each man participated in Massachusetts. Thomas Morton was not influenced by religion in his daily life. Morton behaved in a secular fashion and did thing that were viewed by the religious as offensive (Thomas Morton, 157). When Morton celebrated a pagan holiday and erected the Maypole to rename the settlement that was under his leadership, he followed that up with a party that included drinking, dancing, singing and Native American women. The Separatists saw this activity as idol worship (159-160). John Winthrop did not like the rise of the ritualistic ways of the Catholic Church and sought to leave England out of fear that God was going to “bring some heavy affliction to the land” (John Winthrop, 168). Winthrop created and governed a community based on Puritan ideals. His motto …show more content…
He said the ministers in the new world should officially separate from the Church of England because they left England under the pretenses that they wanted to remain part of the national church which they had not done (193). Williams questioned the settler’s right to take title of Massachusetts because the land was inhabited by and therefore owned by Native Americans; Williams also argued that church and state were separate matters and wanted “… a wall of separation between them (193). Charges were brought against Williams for his contrary stance on these issues. Williams fled to Plymouth and ultimately after revisiting England he returned to Plymouth and established a government based on “civil restraint and religious autonomy”
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