Comparison of 17th century Puritans and 19th century Americans

Worldviews of Americans in the 19th century were largely based on those of their predecessors in the Puritan New England colonies. Puritan belief in predestination turned into the theory of Manifest Destiny. The devout Christian beliefs of Puritan colonialists would resurface during the Second Great Awakening. Both Puritans and early 19th century Americans believed that politics should be guided by Christian ethics, although some of the more secular colonies helped balance the American worldview to keep matters of church and state relatively separate. The Puritans were more likely to form local governments that combined religious and political elements. However, both Puritans and 19th century Americans viewed social problems in terms of sin. The Puritans focused slightly more on the notion of original sin.

Puritan colonists perpetrated the witch hunts in light of their religious beliefs as well as their beliefs about women. Misogyny was common in Puritan New England and in early 19th century America, and it would not be for another 100 years that women would be able to vote. The Puritans and early 19th century Americans also tended towards a pessimistic view of the world: the physical body and the physical universe were perceived as being inherently evil in conjunction with the concept of original sin. Death was therefore viewed as liberating. Because of westward expansion, 19th Century Americans cultivated more utopian visions and were generally more hopeful about the future of the United States. Furthermore, the Puritans lived outside the confines of the nation-state so their attitudes toward human life and politics differed from that of 19th century Americans.