Puritans Politics

Of them it existed a contract between God and humanity. They believed that people should enter freely into agreements of their government. They also believed the Saintly “Elect”, so their political views were undemocratic.

The central tenet of Puritanism was that people should live their lifes according to the Laws of God, an in particular as these Laws were written in the Old Testament.
This extended to their political ideals - that governments should rule according to God's Laws as found in the Old Testament.People that didn't like this should be forced to live this way by new laws enacted and enforced by the government

 

During the 1600's, the Puritans increasingly opposed the political and religious policies of the Stuart rulers, King James I and his son, King Charles I. In 1604, James I called the Hampton Court Conference to settle disagreements within the Church of England. However, James refused to bring about the reforms the Puritans sought, except for a new translation of the Bible, now called the King James Version.

The Puritans gained in strength in Parliament, and repeatedly introduced legislation against the Crown's policies. In 1642, civil war broke out between the Crown forces, called Royalists or Cavaliers, and the Puritans, called Roundheads. They received this name because they cut their hair short. This English Civil War is also called the Puritan Revolution.

Political aspects of the Puritan movement lived on in the policies of the Whig Party in England. Puritan religious ideals were revived in the rise of the Methodist Church in the 1700's.

During the 1600's, some Puritan groups believed that reform of the Church of England was impossible and departed to settle in North America. They founded settlements in Virginia and along the New England coast, especially in Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut.

   

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