From the very beginning of our school careers, we have learned about the Pilgrims and their voyage to America. We know about the persecution they faced in England and their trip across the Atlantic in the Mayflower. We credit Thanksgiving as a tradition started by the Pilgrims, as well. However, many of us are not educated on what beliefs those Puritans left England for and how dominant those beliefs were in the lives of these people. Many of their fundamental issues came from the theologian John Calvin, and the entire creed of the Puritans (Calvinists) can be summarized in seven principles. Calvinism was the dominant religion in New England, and you can see how much it played a part in the lives of the citizens. Even in the literature, you can see how important their religion was, take Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, for example.
             As stated before, the seven principles of Calvinism made the entire foundation of the religion. One of these principles was that of the depravity of man. This was the belief that man was a worthless sinner in God's eyes, an absolutely evil being. The Puritans thought that if you just left man to himself, he would get into trouble. The solution to that was to keep him busy (idle hands are the devil's workshop). In Of Plymouth Plantation, some Puritans were traveling to the New World and Bradford mentions a man who was a member of the ship's crew. He had a horrible mouth and was constantly swearing and cursing, not to mention condemning the sick Puritans. Bradford included this part of the voyage to show others how evil man really could be and how desperately he needed salvation, and now it is being used as an example of how dominant religion is in the lives of the Pilgrims.
             Another principle of Calvinism is divine intervention or providence. This is the belief that God has a direct influence in people's lives, and can reward, punish, or test individuals. In O...