Paper Summary:

This paper examines how America, from the time of the first explorers to the current day, has constantly been an arena for the development of political thought. It looks at how, from the early settlers to the bloody Civil War, America has experienced numerous, often heated, political debates. It explores how early Americans began the tradition of using government authority to apply societal control and how the Puritans, with their strict religious beliefs, created a theocratic society in New England. It also examines how the Enlightenment redefined the nature of both the individual and the nature of authority. It shows how, through analysis of these different political systems, one can gain a better sense of the fundamental nature and development of American political control.

From the Paper:

"The Puritans in New England were the first major group to settle early America. They came to America as a solution to the problems of England and most of Europe. Emerging in England after the Protestant Reformation, the Puritans developed out of Calvinism, and believed that mankind was naturally sinful or depraved. Following the Calvinist idea of predestination, Puritans felt that certain people were chosen by God as the elect to receive God's grace. Despite being predestined, they still believed that the elect must follow God's laws in order to show that they were truly chosen. Likewise, the non-elect should follow God's laws in order to please God."

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