When we look for reasons why things fail, we can usually find the causes rooted in the thing itself. Puritanism was established as power in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but over time this power eroded and was eventually destroyed. Although many factors contributed to its eventual destruction, three causes in particular planted their seed in the puritanism that caused it to crash to earth from its high perch. The need for education, rooted in puritanism, opens the door to unconventional ideas. The Puritan principle of being a visible saint made the project too important to fail. The belief that success is God-given posed new and even greater problems for the New England Puritans. Education was a key part of Puritanism when it was established in New England. Before arriving in the new world, John Winthrop and other exodus leaders outlined what they believed was required of them as part of God's special mission. In what they wrote, they talked about the role that education would play in their society. It established that “parents were responsible for ensuring that all their children and apprentices learned to read” (Morgan 71). Edmund S. Morgan recounted what they established in this part of his book The Puritan Dilemma. It shows how, from the very beginning, education, particularly the ability to read and write, was taught to every Puritan child from an early age. The Puritans found it necessary to educate every child for a variety of reasons. Morgan reduces reason to a simple point, “so that everyone can see for himself from the Bible what opportunities for salvation God has offered to man and what sins he has forbidden” (Morgan 71). The Puritans primarily used two texts to teach small children, first the Bible...... middle of paper ......r the Puritans this also made citizens fear the next native attack. This eroded the leaders’ confidence and therefore their power. Expansion and greed were the result of the Puritan belief that success was given to them by God and must continue to be fought for. More and more problems arose from the Puritans' desire to be found in God's favor and to succeed. Problems also arose from the Puritans' belief that they were better and had to stay tougher than those who did not live in the City on a Hill. Everyone's upbringing posed problems about being right. These three reasons were sown in Puritanism itself, but they also led to the downfall of Puritanism. Occasionally a seed will grow and produce rotten fruit. However, it is rare for a seed to grow and produce fruit so rotten that it ruins the entire crop..