The first Puritan settlers in the Boston area were from England. They came to America seeking freedom of religion – their religion to be exact. They were firm believers in the sacred doctrine or whatever they interpreted it to be. They were so obstinate as to abhor the opinions of others. In fact, they were able to drive out the first Shawmut settler – William Blackstone – on the Peninsula – William – Black, within a few years of living there. Slowly but surely they turned their religions into the law of the land.
Forbidding Christmas
As most of us know, even if Jesus existed, he probably wasn’t born on Christmas. The Puritans also knew this and rejected the day. Moreover, those who celebrated Christmas, eating, drinking, not working, perhaps even dancing and playing /a>. This is what the Puritans stood against. They were hardworking, serious people who thought all kinds of things fun were the work of Satan. . Author H.L. Menckenius describes them perfectly. “Puritanism: Haunting fears that someone, somewhere will be happy.”
Puritan leaders in Boston outlawed Christmas on May 11, 1659. Any person caught celebrating in any way would be fined “Five shillings for the fine of the county … for every such offense.” That is, if you were caught at a party, drinking and dancing, you would be fined 15 pounds. That ban was lifted on Christmas Day by English officials, Sir Edmund Andros in 1681.
Forbidding the Quakers
Puritans, Quakers, heretical troublemakers. The Puritan leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony found them intolerable. Therefore, in 1658, they passed laws to deter Quakers from entering Boston. At the first time a Quaker man was found in Boston, with one of his ears cut off. Second, his other ear would be removed. To the third offense they are compelled to thrust their hot tongues. They can also be fined and suspended if they commit a crime. The Quakers were saved from this horror. but they were killed and imprisoned and hanged.
At last, the princes of England put an end to this barbarous practice. He told the Boston Puritans to save all Christians except Catholics.
Miscellaneous Rules
Early Puritans believed that if a child cursed his parents, he could be killed. Kissing your spouse could obviously get you back on track in a few hours. They took Exodus 22:18 very seriously, as shown in Salem Witch Trials. You will not suffer witches to live. Anything that wasted time, money or energy was severely frowned upon. Clothing and styles were strictly controlled by the Puritan leaders. Laughter? Are you kidding? Teasing? All evil.
These laws show us that all the Puritans were Puritans. Modern New Englanders consider them as something of a dangerous joke or document in forcing others to live by your beliefs. But the Puritans are not all bad. They are very productive people and community oriented. Despite their shortcomings, the people of today could teach a thing or two about work ethics.
Sources
Gier, Nick, Quaker Persecution by Our Puritan Fathers, retrieved 9/27/10, newwest.net/main/article/quaker_persecution_by_our_puritan_fathers.
The Dark Side of the Puritan Ethic, retrieved 9/27/10, humanismbyjoe.com/Puritans_dark_Side.htm
C. Danko, Christmas was banned in Boston, retrieved 9/27/10, masstraveljournal.com/features/boston-cambridge/when-christmas-was-banned.
