Reading the American Past: Printed Page 56

Documents from Reading the American Past

Chapter 4

Introduction to the Documents

R eligion made an indelible impression on the New England and Middle colonies in the seventeenth century. Puritans in New England built churches and towns, distributed land, raised families, passed laws, and rendered verdicts. In all of their activities, Puritans aspired to live according to their views of God's law. Although many New Englanders were not church members, those who were governed society both in principle and in practice.

The Quakers who founded Pennsylvania also sought to establish a civil order in their colony that was grounded in their own religious principles, but one that allowed colonists more freedom in the way they chose to worship God. White colonists recognized, however, that most Native Americans did not adhere to any form of Christianity, providing a durable reminder of the limited scope of religious orthodoxy. In addition, the colonists' behavior often conflicted with their religious ideals. The following documents exhibit the Puritans' and Quakers' high standards, illustrate some of the difficulties they had in disciplining themselves and others to live up to those aspirations, and depict the contrasting perspectives of Native Americans.