The founding of the colonies and the United States has plenty of paradoxes. Yes, the Puritans wanted a land free to worship as they pleased, but they wanted the freedom of religion for themselves, not anybody else. The abused and kicked out nonconformists.
The Puritan legacy left us with a positive American work ethic, but they attributed all to God. The people worked hard because the "chosen" were hard workers. Since they did not know if they were chosen, they were strict and obedient, to illustrate that they might be among the few.
The Puritans were the chosen, but God did not respect them or their work. They could not earn paradise, nor produce good. All virtue came from God. Puritans were the dust of the earth, until God told them different. They never knew if they were chosen, so they worked their asses off just in case.
Everything was attributed to God, from the sunrise, to the daffodil, to the plague. Occurrences were the will of God, even down to an eye infection. All events were manifestations of God and his will. The sick and lame were punished for their evil deeds. A plague was God's vengeance upon his prideful animals.
The Puritans believed they produced nothing good except through God. They humbled themselves before God, accepting no praise or pride for anything positive they did. They debased themselves before God, thinking themselves as the dirt and nothing more.
Imagine how you might feel about yourself if these were your beliefs. Pride, positive self esteem, and a healthy self image were evils, illustrating that you put yourself before God. You were nothing and God was everything.
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