Throughout history, religion has played an important part in the lives of the people. Religion is often reflected in the culture of the people and the type of government they have. Oftentimes, religion is also written about in the writings of the time period. During colonial America, the Puritan religion played a significant part in the lives of the early settlers.

The Puritans were English Protestants who wished to reform and purify the Church of England. During this time, many Puritans were facing religion persecution throughout Europe. In order to avoid this, a group of Puritan merchants received a royal charter for a joint-stock company, the Massachusetts Bay Company, to set up a colony in Massachusetts. These merchants selected John Winthrop as their leader and they set off to the New World. During their journey, Winthrop preached his sermon, "A Model of Christian Charity." This sermon outlined many...