It's a Mad World, My Masters

Philosophy and religious tensions fueled the English Civil War. As the King Charles I refused to reform the Anglican church, and overextended his power as king, by ignoring Parliament, he kick started the English Civil War, something that should be taught here in America, as it very much influenced the Founding Fathers.

The Puritans were not totally puritanical, as the word is derived from, they were great thinkers, and sought freedom from the British Crown. They built a New Jerusalem, untainted by Papist influences and governed themselves. New England was built on self-governance. It was built on reason, freedom, and discipline according to the Bible. Yes, they did perpetrate the Salem Witch Trials, that was their belief system, everything they knew.

They sought self-governance and a free republic away from England as much as possible, before it was instated with the Crown through the 13 Colonies. They fought the Civil War even in the New World, fighting Cavaliers in Maryland and Virginia who were trying to subjugate their freedoms by 'reinstating' them back into the Crown.

I believe it's the reason why Boston was a city of great thinkers, because it was founded by great thinkers! So, when Parliament taxed the Colonies, they saw it as an over extension of their rights, that the Crown and Parliament were a new Charles I, if you will. We don't teach this, for some reason. We, as Americans don't want to inspire new thinkers these days, and would much rather have people just simply know that we were English, and that the Revolution happened, not that the Founding Fathers had directly been inspired by thinkers like John Locke, and the Puritans, who inspired the whole Enlightenment talk about freedoms and democracy.