Puritans,the Pilgrim Fathers,took the ship Mayflower and left Holland for North America in 1620,they signed Mayflower compact for the future civil government of their colony before they landed on New England and established puritan colonies there.
Puritanism in New England changed gradually due to the frontier environment and the mobility of the population.As time went on,many of the new generations no longer adhered to the orthodox Puritanism.Many moved to the West and other parts of the United States.Today,puritans are no longer in existence.But their legacies are still felt in American culture.
The puritans hoped to build “a city upon hill”—an ideal community.Since that time,Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment,a worthy model for other nations.This sense of mission has been very strong in the minds of many Americans.
New England also established another American tradition—as train of often intolerant moralism.The Puritans believed that governments should enforce God’s morality.They strictly punished drunks,adulterers,violators of the Sabbath and other religious believers different from themselves.(Roger Williams,driven out of Massachusetts,set up Rhode Island in 1635,religious freedom & separation of state and religion.)
The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage to future Americans.The American values such as individualism,hard work,and respect of education owe every much to the Puritan beliefs.