Abstract
The aim of this article is to explain how John Calvin's (1509-1564) Protestant Reformation influenced Puritans who in turn impacted numerous constitutional documents in early America. A notable Puritan who migrated to New England in the late 1620s was John Winthrop (1588-1649), and he later became the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony and had the idea of "A City on a Hill".
We also have William Bradford (1590-1657) and William Brewster (1567-1644) authors of the Mayflower Compact. Nathaniel Ward (1578-1652) of the 1641 Massachusetts Body of Liberties, Roger Williams (1603-1683) advocated for a "Wall of Separation" of the Church and State, and later became the first governor of Rhode Island.
Some other Puritans in New England were: John Adams (1612-1653) the author of the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution; Elisha Williams (1694-1755), known for his pamphlet on the 1744 Essential Rights and Liberties of Protestants amongst others. The idea of these Puritans in early New England was to create a new community of religious freedom and individual rights.
This struggle has over the years contributed immensely to the development of modern democracy of the United States of America.