Puritans

What makes the United States great is that there is so much diversity, But before the great US of A was created, there was much less. People, especially in Puritan Massachusetts, had to live a certain, divine way, or face the possible punishment of death by hanging, drowning, or immolation. The Puritans believed that God's law was the supreme law of the land, and he would kill all those who didn't follow him. However, as time went on, the Puritans became much less religious, and much more like today's American society. But then came Jonathan Edwards and his Great Awakening. Edwards, with his claims that "natural men are held in the hand of God...and God is dreadfully provoked" (Edwards 122), altered the path society was on, one which was making the Puritans more accepting and less violent towards non-believers. Edward's sermons may have pushed off an accepting, diverse community by several decades or even centuries, as he pushed the Puritans back toward their paranoid society.

Fortunately, the great Bill of Rights banned the Puritans from persecuting other for their religious beliefs and helped create the great melting pot of religions, nationalities and races that we have today. As a proud American, I am very glad that I have the freedom of religion, so no one will try to kill me for liking my PlayStation, as the Puritans most surely would have.