Life of Slave

Life of Slave

  • Submitted By: lynjo
  • Date Submitted: 06/29/2013 6:34 PM
  • Category: Book Reports
  • Words: 1478
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 3

The Puritans were able to successfully adapt to life in the New World; however, various challenges arose along the way. The first challenge they faced was how to govern the colony. Due to the rapid growth, the colony was not able to meet its form of government as identified by their charter. The General Court was initially monopolized for the first couple of years by the few eligible people. After complaints from the freemen, the General Court included deputies from the towns as part of the government. This will later evolve to a bicameral government after a disagreement between the assistants and deputies regarding the ownership of a sow between a rich merchant and a widow. The deputies or the lower house became the most influential in part because of the growth in the number of freemen.
Another challenge the Puritans faced was the varying degrees of belief within their religion. While the colonial government was not a theocracy, the state ensured the church was funded and mandated church attendance as compulsory. Not everyone in the colony agreed with the relationship between the church and state. Roger Williams advocated for the separation of church and state. He also denied the King of England’s right to grant land in the New World which had put the legality of the Puritans’ charter. As a result, the Puritan leaders ordered Williams to be shipped back to England. However, he was able to escape and found the town of Providence. Another Puritan dissenter was Ann Hutchinson who favored the idea of covenant of grace rather than the covenant of works. Her views divided the colony into conflicting factions that even saw the division of families. The leaders feared Hutchinson’s views would undermine the authority of the church and state; therefore, they tried and banished her from the colony. As a result of dissidence, the towns of Newport and Warwick were founded, eventually leading to the formation of the colony of Rhode Island.
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