The history of Puritanism

1603, James I succeeded to the throne of Elizabeth I, exerting great pressure on the Puritans, forcing them to submit to the king.

As a result, the Puritan separatists in Scrubi fled to the Netherlands at 1608, because they could enjoy religious freedom there.

However, after a period of time, the Dutch attitude of religious tolerance and not demanding morality greatly disturbed this group of separatist believers, so they decided to leave Europe and move to North America to start a new life.

These separatists were allowed to settle in Virginia, a British colony in North America 13 states.

1620 In July, the separatists in Leiden, the Netherlands turned to Britain and finally took the Mayflower to North America in September.

At that time, there were about 65,438+000 adults and children on board. They sailed in the stormy North Atlantic for two months before reaching Cape Cod, hundreds of kilometers from northern Virginia.

Here, on June +065438+10/October 2 1 day, 5438, they concluded the Mayflower Convention, stating that they were willing to establish a community in the new world and abide by its laws.

1620 65438+February 2 1 As soon as they settled in nearby Plymouth (Massachusetts), they built a small church out of wood and held a party every Sunday morning.

Due to the crowded environment during the journey, the prevalence of infectious diseases on board, scurvy and freezing weather, nearly half of the immigrants died in early March.

162 1 in the spring of, they began to build houses and learn from Indians to grow crops.

A local Indian named Somerset appeared there, and he brought Squanto who could speak English.

Besides being an interpreter, Squanto also took them to the best fishing spots and instructed them on how to plant them.

In autumn, the crops are bumper, so choose a special day to thank the benefactors who helped them. This is the origin of Thanksgiving.

These separatist Puritans were called "Puritans" by later generations.

Later, more and more immigrants came to Plymouth. During the period of 15, the local population exceeded 2000.

At the same time, some English Puritans, like separatists, believed that they would find their "promised land" on the other side of the Atlantic.

1630, a group of Puritans arrived in northern Plymouth, where they established the Puritan community in Massachusetts Bay.

1640, about 20,000 British immigrants lived in New England.

169 1 year, after the merger of the Puritan community in Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth, there were a large number of Puritans and they were no longer separatists.

In fact, most people living in New England were Puritans, who had a great influence on the religion at that time, and Boston became their worship center.