John Winthrop spearheaded the movement to establish a colony of Puritans in America. He had wealthy friends who assisted him in obtaining a charter from the king, allowing for the establishment of this colony of Puritans. In 1630, eleven ships carried 700 people from England to America. They landed at what is known as Salem, Massachusetts. The colony eventually came to be known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (1)

Some of the settlers were wealthy and were able to bring livestock, such as cattle and sheep. They also arrived in the spring and therefore were able to plant crops. (Ibid.) Their start in the new world was not nearly as difficult as the Pilgrims’ beginning.

The Puritans believed the citizens of its colony should uphold their government leaders in prayer and obey civil authorities. They also proposed other important principles that would affect the future government of the United States. They believed in limited government and the election of government leaders by their citizens. Government, in return, was to protect private property. John Winthrop believed their colony was to be a colony that exhibited godly government by being a Christian civilization. (2)

The main difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans was their neglect of the “freedom of conscience” theory. Only people who were members of certain approved Puritan churches were allowed to participate in the colony’s government. In other words, there was no separation of church and state. (Ibid).

Other colonies formed along the eastern seaboard. For the most part, they based their constitutions on principles from the Bible, some offering more freedom of conscience than others. One example was Rhode Island. People of any religious affiliation could vote or hold office. Their only qualification for the right to vote was that the person had to own property, which was possible for just about everyone. Other colonial governments formed, mainly as a result of religious persecution from their homeland. These settlers originated primarily from England but also from other European countries.

The people forming the new colonies in America were all interested in protecting God-given freedoms by limiting the power of government. They all had different ideas about how this was to be accomplished. It was like trying to invent something without a blueprint. Because no one had ever attempted self-government, it was indeed an experiment; an experiment carried out by flawed people with a sinful or fallen nature. But God is able to use the ideas of imperfect people to accomplish his purposes.

(1) Our Christian Heritage, Cherie Noel, OCH Publishing, 1994, pp. 128-129.

Ibid.

(2) UNITED STATES HISTORY In Christian Perspective, A Beka Book Publications, 1983, 38-40.

(3) Ibid.

Interesting Tidbits: Watching the development of our nation was like watching a stalk of corn grow. First there is the seed, then the plant, then the ear of corn. The seeds were ideas dropped into the hearts of these brave, thoughtful people by God himself. Other seeds were contributed hundreds of years earlier by people like Luther and Calvin. These seeds were transported to the new world by the colonists and incorporated into the governments of the new colonies.