Puritan Lifestyle

Being a Puritan affected your everyday life in different ways. When you’re a Puritan every move you make has some significant meaning to it and everyday you had a struggle with the Devil and God, Heaven and Hell. Everything they did they believed was a work for God and anyone who was thought to be straying from his work would be punished, they normally were hanged. They were so into their faith that Church was mandatory. If you missed Church they could fine you. They also had a guy who would carry a pole that had feathers on one end and a wooden knob on the other. He would tickle people with the feathers if they decided to fall asleep. The wooden knob would warn kids if they misbehaved or if they fell asleep.

Even though not everyone in the Colony was members of the Church, they all had to attend services and provide for the needs of the Church. If you wish to become a member of the Church you would to have apply and prove your spiritual worth by giving them evidence that you have received divine grace. If you have grace you can achieve salvation, but you can only get your grade through God. Therefore no human efforts can achieve God’s grace.

In Massachusetts they also had high literacy rates. There was a law that if a community had 50 or more families they must have a tax paid school for children to attend. Of course Puritan families would jump at this opportunity because it would allow for their children to be able to read the Bible. They believed that Old Testament punishments were better than any earthly one because it was from God. If you were punished by God, you surely would correct your doings.

Puritans didn’t just live a hard, and tedious life, they had fun too! Many myths say Puritans didn’t have but they had celebrations and festivals. The people would sing songs and tell stories to others. The children could play games but only with their parents’ permission. I was common that many would drink wine and beer. Their