american democracy today differs significantly from early puritan beliefs. our democracy is based on political parties similar to the UK with a President heading the executive branch. puritans came to north america in search of religious freedom but they themselves were not very tolerant of others w/ different religions. that was fundamentally different from our democratic beliefs. even puritanism's influence on american religious beliefs has faded as there are many other christian churches and other religions in the US.
The Puritan values that affected American society in both positive and negative ways continue to influence our nation today. The American concept of limited government stems from the Puritan community. Puritans believed that no single person or group of people should be trusted to run the government. The Puritan emphasis on education led to an American school system whereby everyone is taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Finally, many Americans have adopted the Puritan ethics of honesty, responsibility, hard work, and self-control.
Beyond abolishing slavery in the United States, the Civil War was a pivotal event in American history because it reshaped the political landscape and forced the South to develop an entirely new economy.<span />
Religious dissident Roger Williams is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the General Court of Massachusetts. Williams had spoken out against the right of civil authorities to punish religious dissension and to confiscate Native American land
