At the time, the Puritans placed heavy emphasis on education and God’s wishes. This led to an American school system where they taught reading, writing, and math. Many Americans began to adopt the Puritan ethics of hard work, honesty, and responsibility, as well as living by what believed God would want. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was the largest English settlement in New England and due to this, was the most influential in colonization. So, when the Puritans put a series of rules and religious practices into place, they began to spread across all of America as well and ended up influencing the political structure of New England colonies!