History of the United States

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Morose, superstitious, bigoted, severe, the Puritans nevertheless exhibited from the first some of the highest qualities of the founders of a free state. The represent, with the Virginians, the chi't'sources of the national li e. Nothing could be more striking or more picturesque than the contrast between the two classes of pioneers. But they had many things in common, especially a brave and self reliant spirit. The Puritans had less sense of personal freedom than their Southern brethren, but a keener desire for political inde pendence. Their civil government being founded on the churches, and the churches having adopted the Congregational practice, every settlement enjoyed a. Large measure of home rule, and the develop ment of the autonomy of the towns, so characteristic of the New England system, was easy and rapid. The jealousy of English interference, which sprang from special circumstances, ripened into an ardent attachment to the principles of political liberty. The Puritans, moreover, were industrious, enterprising, and full of resources. In spite of the navigation laws, which they evaded when they could, they practiced trades and built ships. They opened schools. They founded Harvard College as early as 1638 and the next year they set up the first printing press in the english-ameri can colonies.