How America Is Under Puritan Influence
             The Puritans were a group of people who settled in New England in 1620. They went to America to be free to practice religion without being persecuted. The Puritan beliefs were similar to the Catholics. The difference was that the Puritans tried harder to enforce the Ten Commandments. Modern day America is influenced by the moral, ethical, and religious convictions of the Puritans.
             The Puritans had a democratic Church order. Which meant, when people wanted to have more important roles in the church the people of the community had to vote on if that person would be able to accept the position. This showed that regular people within the community had the chance to choose their leaders. Today in America our system of government is very similar to their church order. We live in a democracy. When we are over the age of eight-teen we are allowed to vote for our mayors, senators, governors, President, etc. As citizens of the United States of America we have the right to choose who our political leaders are. This is a very noticeable trait that we share with the Puritans.
             The Puritans had a very hard life. Their religion is what they focused on the most. Because of their very strict religion, the Puritans had to have much self-discipline. If someone committed a sin the church was rather harsh and severe in it's punishment plus, the community treated sinners badly. The church did not tolerate profanation on Sabbath day, blasphemy, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, playing games of chance, and participation in theatrical performances. These were considered serious offenses. Although, we aren't as strict as the Puritans, today in America some of these actions are looked down upon. For example, gambling is outlawed in many states. It is only legal in casino's which are found in very few states. Our culture stresses that sex should wait until people get married to prevent unplanned pre...