Men and women were also viewed unequal in the Puritan society. As quoted, "Puritans shared the patriarchal assumptions of all early settlers that men were superior to women and that property-owning men should exercise authority over the members of their families, which included their wives, children, and any servants or other dependents living with them" (Who Built America, 116). This means that men were considered above women and had more rights. This is important because women who tried to speak their thoughts about society and unequally were thrown out of Massachusetts. As stated in wikipedia, The words of the Bible, as they interpreted them, were the origin of many Puritan cultural ideals, especially regarding the roles of men and women in the community. While both sexes carried the stain of original sin, for a girl, original sin suggested more than the roster of Puritan character flaws."
The Quakers were also mistreated, yet admired. Such as Mary Dyer, who was hanged on Boston Common in 1660 for her faith, gave witness to the religious activism of that newly developed seventeenth-century sect (New England Judged by the Spirit of the Lord, 1703). Quaker women traveled all around the colonies and were known as "witnesses." The authority of such callings enabled them to become leaders within a strong group of believers (New England Judged by the Spirit of the Lord, 1703). Several Quakers preached and organized countless meetings. They also traveled alone and published books.
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