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**The legacy of the Puritans**
 * == [[image:colonialperiod1607-1765/puritansarrive.jpg width="391" height="294" align="right"]] ==

**Who were the puritans?**
====Most of the early settlers were puritans, a group of serious, religious who advocated strict religious and moral principles.They wanted to purify the English church and to restore church worship. They opposed the elaborate rituals of the English church and believed that the bible was the revealed word of god; therefore, people should guide their daily life based on the bible. When America was found, they believed god had kept it a secret until the day when it would provide mankind with a chance of regeneration. ====

American Puritanism is a binary cultural heritage; one being religious and the other practical. Puritans were called “practical idealists” or “doctrinaire opportunist”. The puritans were determined to find a place in the new continent where they could worship God in the way true Christians should. They wanted a pure church that followed the Word of God and not traditions made by men. They’re desire to “purify” the Church of England from its corruption was a failure. Therefore, those puritans who could not tolerate the Church of England and their persecutions left England and became “pilgrims.”

Once in the new continent, the puritans faced a struggle for survival. They had to work hard to make a living and be prepared for any misfortunes. The puritans learned a lot from the Native Indians who helped them through severe winters. Both the Native Americans and the Puritans left their homeland for a better future. They risked everything they had by starting a new life in the new land, the Americas. When the puritans arrived in America, they were friendly and tolerant with the Indians who lived in the area. The sixty-six days on voyage was tough, so by the time they arrived to America, they had little food to survive. The Indians, therefore, helped the pilgrims learn the basic skills of hunting, farming, and fishing to feed themselves. However, the Puritans were very intolerant of anyone who did not agree with their beliefs. In effect, the Pilgrims and the Indians soon faced several problems.

The term "City upon a hill", from John winthrops, has become an American symbol. "From the time of the Puritans who first imagined a city upon a hill, driven to prove that America and the American life remains sacred, traditional, and pure in God's eyes, they pursued a life in which set the foundation for American life today." "The Puritan Movement: Influences on American History." //Americanwiki// /. Web. 04 May 2012. []