The Impact of the Puritans on the Development of America and its Influence on Modern Society Puritans came to America seeking greater religious freedom. They felt incapable of worshiping and practicing their theological perspectives while they were under the aegis of the Church of England. The Puritans' opinions towards the Church of England began to differ greatly and they felt they could no longer be under their control. The Puritans decided that they needed to free themselves from the Church of England and find a place where they could practice their religion without persecution or interference. The new world in the American colonies provided a great opportunity for the Puritans to expand and form their own communities with their own religion and government. During this period there were two prominent figures in the growth of the Puritan movement in America, Jonathon Winthrop and Roger William. Jonathon Winthrop was the first governor of Massachusetts and served as such for twenty years. Winthrop's brand of Puritan theology was to establish communities and purify them of all unbelievers. Winthrop believed that government should be governed with a theocracy and enforce laws with this view in mind. Roger Williams differed from Winthrop in that he believed that everyone should have the freedom to worship as they saw fit and not just the Puritans themselves. "Williams was a spiritual or theological separatist whose unceasing quest was to separate the true church from theological impurity and the impure world. . (Williams, his critics said, even refused communion with his own wife when he thought she was not sufficiently pure in its spiritual life.) He challenged an essential premise of the New England Puritan commonwea... middle of paper... ....we have left a lasting imprint on many aspects of America's heartland have made known the political, social, and cultural freedoms we enjoy in our modern society. The idea that government and individual freedom could coexist and become a cohesive unit became a reality for these men. The legacy of the Puritans can still be felt today while freedom-loving Americans exercise their freedom of worship and pursue the dream of happiness as they see fit. Works Cited: Barry, John M. “Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Freedom.” Viking Press, 2012 Bercovitch, Sacvan. "The Biblical Basis of the American Myth." The Bible in American Culture”. Philadelphiaa: Fortress Press, 1983. Rothbard, Murry N. The Puritans "Purify": Theocracy in Massachusetts. Volume 1 (Mises Institute, 1999 [1975], pp. 174-181.