From the early colonial era of 1630's to 1660's, the influences of Puritans were seen in economic, political, and social development of the New England colonies. First of all, the colonies were under British rule, and far from independence, this made the colonies loyal to their mother country, Britain. The Puritans left Europe to "purify" the church of England within the colonies, to prove their loyalty they would allow no religious toleration, The British established the second successful settlement in the region known as the New England colonies; the New England colonies at this time were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island. Although the Puritans left Europe for a "good cause," they felt almost obligated to show even more loyalty in some way or another, to Britain. Even though their intentions were good, there was much controversy over what was the right thing to do, yet every colony, mainly, agreed that they were still part of Britain.
By believing that they were favored by God to succeed, the Puritans worked hard to prioritize economic development in New England. Even though the economy was important to the colonies, religion still had the upperhand. Since many of the Puritan settlers in New England were wealthy merchants, they created a merchant upper class at the top of the economic structure. In addition, there was more than enough supply of timber and the necessity of fishing in place of agriculture, ensuring that timber and fishing became the most prized and valued products/exports from the New England colonies. Since the colonies believed that their wealth was a sign that they had won God's favor, the Puritan merchants worked hard to ensure that Boston became a leader in shipping and commercial plans in New England, so that they would be key players in the economic scene of the New World. However, unlike the Chesapeake colonies, where people focused mainly on commercial centers, New England did not develop as a region focused on economic activity because it was founded as "a plantation of religion" (Doc J), not as a center for "Plantation trade.
