“Female education in the best families went no further than writing and arithmetic; in some few and rare instances, music and dancing,” wrote Abigail Adams. education was important to the puritans because they felt that everyone should be able to read, understand, and live by the bible. Puritan Early Years. Boys would usually receive more education than a girl. It's important to start by explaining that the Pilgrims and the Puritans were two different groups of settlers that came to America. Under siege from church and crown, it sent an offshoot in the third and fourth decades of the seventeenth century to Many of the Puritans were teachers, and they supported a strong education. The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement that arose in the late 16th century and held that the Church of England should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in … According to the Puritan faith, people were born sinners and... See full answer below. This allowed a break in the day to day isolated colonial life. The New England Puritans encouraged education because they wanted their children to learn to read God’s word in the Bible. In 1630 a group of Puritans settled the Massachusetts Bay area with the goal of developing a society based on biblical principles as embodied by the English Reformation. Puritan Education. Why was education so important to the Puritans? They believed knowledge of the Bible would protect you from the devil. Education was very important to the early Puritans, who felt it was a key part of Christian life. In fact, Harvard College was founded in 1636 by Puritans, primarily to educate the ministry. Harvard College, named after a Puritan from Boston, John Harvard, was the first college in America, created by the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans in the United States were great believers in education. The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. why were religion so important to the puritans ? Reading and writing would allow you to participate in governmental decisions. Children were required by law to attend school. Where was the first library in America established? Puritanism was a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the late sixteenth century. The doctrine of the priesthood of the believer motivated Puritans to teach reading to all citizens so that they could know and follow the Christian scriptures. The instruction and training of children were considered heavy responsibilities, and parents prayed that children would become a source of glory to their Lord. Every child should learn to read so he could read the Bible. They featured colonial happenings, advertisements, obituaries, humor, as well as "news" that was sometimes months old. Puritans valued education because they felt it helped them better understand the Bible. Like Locke's blank slate, Puritans believed that a child's mind was "an empty receptacle, one that had to be infused with the knowledge gained from careful instruction and education." Charleston SC, in 1698. Although education was emphasized, Puritan lives were centered around worship which is ultimately why schools were enforced. Why was education so important to the Puritans? The Puritans anticipated the educational theories of John Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers. An education would provide the people with a richer lifestyle. “Dame Schools” were created for children ages six to eight, where the teacher usually taught reading. Within five years after its founding, Massachusetts established schools for children. 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