In the 1600s the Puritans were a group of people who began colonizing America to escape the religious persecution they faced in their native England. When the Puritans arrived in the North American colonies in 1620, they built their society based on a strict interpretation of the Bible. This created an environment so restrictive that those who lived the Puritan lifestyle had difficulty advancing as a society. Due to the rigidity of the Puritan religion, society was negatively affected by being held back in progress in the areas of the arts, social freedom, and religious acceptance. From the Puritan interpretation of the Bible, Puritans saw the arts as ways for the Devil to lead a person towards immorality and away from God. Puritan society as a whole was heavily influenced by the views of the Bible. Puritans believed that anything that would lead them away from their quest for salvation was sinful. This belief led Puritan society to look beyond the field of the arts, not wanting to look at or create things they considered lush and sinful. When the Puritans examined these artistic areas, they said that things of this nature were a "waste of precious time" (Morison). This then led to the Puritans being held back as a whole due to the various cultural advancements that the Arts bring to a society. Puritan culture and religion were therefore oppressed because these various aspects of their lives could not be freely expressed. If they participated in these various artistic activities, they would face scrutiny from their peers feeling that they were participating in acts of “vanity” (Morison). These practices will distance them from God and the goal of the Puritan society which... middle of paper... a society of wealth is coming Puritans had the values ​​of hard work and education on which America was founded, but because of their opinions they were unable to express these opinions and therefore negatively affected themselves and negatively affected how the American people viewed the Puritans and their society. so conservative that they prevent their society from advancing. This lack of social progress set the Puritans up for failure which ultimately led to the Puritans themselves becoming extinct as a culture, leaving a negative impact and influence on American society as a whole. Due to the rigidity of the Puritan religion, modern society has been both negatively and positively affected by the construction of America's core values ​​and has resulted in Puritans being held back in progress in the areas of the arts, social freedom, and religious acceptance.