In fact, the Pilgrims were incredibly intolerant of the differences between the Native Americans and themselves. The Pilgrims characterized the Native Americans as savages because the Native Americans lacked, "Christianity, cities, letters, clothing, and swords."5 In fact, the lack of swords, or, more accurately, the lack of modern weaponry, did place the Native Americans in a vulnerable position. With the use of modern weaponry, the Puritans had the ability to impose their will upon Native Americans, and the fact that they felt entitled by the divine made them very willing to do so.

             Of course, the Mayflower Pilgrims were only the beginning of the Puritan influx into America. In 1630, another famous Puritan settler, John Winthrop, came to America. Winthrop differed from the group led by Bradford in that he came with England's blessing. In fact, Winthrop had a royal charter to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony (MBC). Winthrop was not a separatist; instead, he wanted to preserve the autonomy of local churches, while keeping them under the auspices of the Church of England. Like Bradford's group of Pilgrims, Winthrop believed he was on a divine mission. He believed that by coming to America, he could establish a Christian community that would reveal to the world how great a God-fearing community could become. In fact, Winthrop believed he would create a "city on a hill' that would serve as a model for all other communities. .

             In order to create this exalted community, Winthrop acknowledged that he had to fulfill his duty to God. The Puritans believed that they had a covenant to God. Under this covenant, the Puritans had four duties: to have a conversion, acknowledging the true God; to establish a community of believers; to strictly adhere to the covenant of civil order; and to commit, as a community, to the binding covenant with God.6 This covenant was not merely a religious agreement; it had the power of law.