The Puritans and the American Dream

    The Puritans have been greatly disliked throughout American history and many people today still think badly of them. Most people will think of the Puritans as a strict-ruled, insane group of people. The largest event that sticks out about the history of the Puritans is mostly the Salem Witch Trials which executed twenty people believed to have been corrupted with witchcraft. Furthermore, the Puritans' dark belief of predestination is viewed undesirably by today's people of many different religions. However, the Puritans' expedition to New England to establish Massachusetts Bay Colony is a very important accomplishment and model for what is now known as the American Dream.
    Despite the Puritan's strict and sometimes harsh beliefs, their goals and dreams need to be properly recognized. The Puritans' movement to New England was fueled by their own dream to create a better community for their children. Although their dream was reinforced by the foreign goal to reform the world of its corruption it still provided the basis of the modern American Dream. The modern American Dream is based on the hope to reform one's life, and although the goals of reform have changed over time, the principal of change has remained the backbone of the American Dream. The realization that the Puritans' efforts to create a new society is simply their form of the American Dream helps make one realize that the Puritans' were all dream-seeking humans as most Americans are today.
    Although the Puritans have made grave mistakes and produced horrifying events, the Puritan's also strived to be a peaceful society and therefore should not be judged as harshly as they are today. When compared to the Pilgrims and Quakers that also moved to the New World for a new beginning, the Puritans are seen as almost modest. The Puritans continued to respect organized religion, unlike the more radical sects that often came to the New World to completely break ties with England. Furthermore, the Puritans did not make it their goal to destroy the Native Americans that lived near them and enjoyed nearly forty years of peace between the Natives and the Puritans. Although one must admit that the Puritans had their times of hysteria, especially during the Salem Witch Trials, they were still technically immigrants who were searching for a better life and who tried their hardest to achieve their goals. Therefore, the Puritans do not deserve their reputation of hatred and disgust to the extent that it is often interpreted.