Question

By the 1670s, the stern religious rules of the original _____ had less influence over New England.
A. PIlgrams
B. Native Americans
C. Mearchents and farmers
D. Puritans

Answer 1

The answer is D. Purtians. Purtians were one of the first religious groups in the New American Colonies. By the 1670s however, the stern religious rules of the original puritians had less influence over New England. Other religious groups had broken off from the Puritians by this time and this was one of the reason they were less influencial.

Answer 2

By the 1670s the stern rules of the original Puritans had less influence over New England. Prior to this date, the Puritans had imposed their customs and laws, directly based on the Bible, in the American colonies. Basically, Puritans would devote their lives to work, family and God, and most forms of entertainment and fun would be considered sinful and were thus forbidden. For many other Protestant Christians, the way of life of the Puritans was too strict and unappealing. The influence of the Puritans in America would decline dramatically after the "Salem's Witches" incident, in which three teen girls accused innocent women of witchcraft and satanism and got them executed at the stake. As the truth came out a few weeks after the first false trial, word of the scandal spread across the colonies and the term puritan would acquire a very negative connotation in the minds of many people as a synonym of fanaticism and outmoded.