s. history us history us history - Embassy of the United States

A devout Puritan elder (right) confronts patrons drinking ale outside atavern. Tensions between the strictly religious Puritans, who first settledthe region, and the more secular population were characteristic of thecolonial era in New England.Cotton Mather was one ofthe leading Puritan figuresof the late 17th and early18th centuries. His massiveEcclesiastical History ofNew England (1702) is anexhaustive chronicle of thesettlement of New Englandand the Puritan effort toestablish a kingdom of Godin the wilderness of theNew World.Statue of Roger Williams, early champion of religious freedomand the separation of church and state. Williams founded the colony ofRhode Island after leaving Massachusetts because of his disapprovalof its religious ties to the Church of England.40 41