Onondaga Central
The first Pilgrims were 102 passengers on the Mayflower. There were 74 males and 28 females. They were Congregationalists seeking religious freedom and an escape from persecution in England. Today, we refer to Congregationalists as Puritans. Puritans thought that the Church of England was too similar to the Catholic Church. The Puritans wanted to reform the Church of England and in their mind “purify” the Church of England/Anglican Church from Catholic influence. Puritans were against all rituals and ceremonies not mentioned directly in the Bible. The Puritans did not have any rituals, formal prayers, or statements of beliefs. Some Puritans saw the Church of England as impossible to fix and wanted to completely separate from the Church of England. These people were called separatists. Of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, 37 were separatists. Many of these separatists initially fled England for the Netherlands, but were unhappy there too. Once many Puritans were settled in England, some of them adopted new cultural customs. The Puritans thought no one could live alone; everyone had to live with someone else so they would have someone to watch over them. The Puritans also believed they were chosen by God, hence people should follow them. Since they believed they were chosen by God, the Puritans could justify any of their actions with that line. Puritans believed in Predestination: the notion that God chose some people to go to Heaven and others to go to Hell before birth. Puritans were hard-workers known for the “Protestant Work-Ethic” where hard-work, frugality and marriage were key to a successful, happy life. This foundation of hard-work, instilled in America early-on, would become key to our development and prosperity throughout history.
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