The Enduring Values of Early Americans

The Enduring Values of Early Americans


Americans have many values that are near to their hearts. Many of these values came from early Americans who passed them along through writings and stories. America was inhabited mainly but two groups; the Puritans and the Native Americans. The two groups possessed some of the same values but regarded them differently. I have explored the enduring values of the early Americans through reading stories from Elements of Literature. I learned some of the most common values were religion, education, hard work, government, and nature.
“To Puritans, the universe of God’s creation was sublime and magnificent”, (biography Edward Taylor p.72). Religion was a personal inner experience for the Puritans. They did not believe government should come between them and God, (Gary Q. Arpin). “Many Puritans suffered prosecution in England. Some were put in jail and whipped, their noses slit and their ears looped off”, (Gary Q. Arpin...