What does the word Puritan bring to the mind of the average American today? Probably someone who was prudish and uptight, and who looked down on fun as frivolous.
However, a Puritan ought not be considered as someone with outdated or extreme sensibilities but rather as our patriotic forefather. Historically, Puritan was the name of a strict Calvinist Christian denomination. Its followers were persecuted in England. They sought religious freedom in the American colonies of present-day New England.
