Puritanism: "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy"

          The Puritans, although through methods that can now be viewed as wrong, or unnecessary, have definitely contributed to the American Dream. They came to America not to pursue an already established religious settlement with ideals that matched their own, but rather to create their own settlement. In a way they accomplished both main parts of the American Dream- Finding freedom, and creating a new, and better life for themselves.
        
          The Puritans came to America to create a more "pure" church environment. Although they decimated the Native American population, and destroyed most of the future settlers' hopes of getting along with them, they did accomplish their goal. And is that not a corner stone of the American Dream? To accomplish one's goal? They came to create a new environment, and they did it. They deserve some credit for that.
        
          Puritanism was defined by H. L. Mencken as "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy". This definition in and of itself clues the reader into the fact that the Puritans were not a particularly easy-going bunch. The Puritans destroyed much of the Indian population, and refused to accept any theology that wasn't strictly, well, theirs. Ironic, considering the original reason they came to the new world was, in essence, for religious freedom. Perhaps the reason they rejected all other theologies was the heart of their own religion- Predestination. The Puritans believed that from the second they were born, they were destined for heaven or hell, regardless of their actions in life. With such an extreme center of religion, is it so unbelievable that those who believed they may be destined for heaven after all might not want to tempt their chances with strange and unusual theologies?

          The Puritans did contribute to the American Dream, but they definitely deserve their reputation in history. They were an intolerant people, especially to those who lived on their land before them. They massacred the Indian population, and shunned any new American Dream seeking settlers if they didn't share their strict religion.