In my view, the Puritan influence on American culture is too often overlooked and that's a shame because their influence is as much a part of this country's psyche today as it was back in the 1600s.
The three principle influences of the Puritans came from i) religion, and ii) work, and iii) education where religion was the dominant theme throughout work and education ... in fact, religion pretty much summed up the Puritan existence -and their doctrine of "predestination" keep all Puritans constantly working hard in "this life" so as to be "chosen" for the next (eternal) life.
An ironic fact of the Puritans settling in America comes from the principle reason they left England was over religious differences and the Puritans not agreeing to supporting the monarch from a religious point-of-view (the Church of England was beyond reform in the eyes of Puritans). However, and herein is the irony, as soon as they settle into the colonies, they dictate that their religion will supersede everything and be called on to provide guidance as well as uniformity across the community.
So, instead of "religious freedom" from a King or Queen, the Puritans simply obviate the monarch aspect from governance and, essentially, form their government based on the same (as England) discriminatory practices.
The Puritans (again, in my view) brought to the colonies an extreme myopia when it came to the power and influence of religion -with little to no room for exceptionality. As such, from the beginning, they established Puritanism as the ruling class of people and anyone who fell outside those strict boundaries was essentially marginalized (I believe you can look around America in today [2008] and easily see the similarities).
Religious exclusiveness was their leading principle in the society they develop in America.
The Puritans were the ruling class and, as such, created the rules, regulations, and laws to keep themselves as the dominant class and anyone else was considered less than a citizen.