Donna B Gawell

The ABCs of Crime and Punishment in Puritan New England Donna B Gawell

The ABCs of Crime and Punishment in Puritan New England explains the legal system impacted the Puritan society of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The men who wrote and enforced these laws believed that every aspect of their lives should be aligned with the teachings of the Holy Bible. Adultery, common punishments, witchcraft, spectral evidence, etc. are explained in historical context. We might think of Puritan laws and practices as harsh, but they were perhaps more "civilized" compared to the general population back in the Motherland. Puritans chose to resolve their disagreements in a court of law rather than with raucous and revengeful behavior in the streets. This book describes the more negative aspects of life in early colonial New England. The first colonizers were very moral and upright citizens holding the Godly goal of establishing "A City on a Hill." Even from the beginning, there were those who did not hold these beliefs and standards and never had. The majority of those who migrated were indentured servants and suffered under the harsh realities of life in the New World. Despite their different views, they were forced to live under the demanding expectations and laws of the Puritan church.