Wanderers in Pursuit of Freedom

From the late sixteenth century to the early seventeenth century, English Puritans who embraced Protestantism launched a powerful religious reform movement, declaring their separation from the established Church of England and founding independent congregations. In order to escape religious constraints in England, they migrated to the Netherlands. Yet in the Netherlands they felt severed from their native cultural roots, and so they returned to England once again.

North America then issued a call to the Puritans. After Columbus discovered the New World, North America remained an uncultivated virgin land. In this new continent there were no kings and no established state church to impose constraints. The Puritans could freely practice their faith and pioneer a homeland that truly belonged to them. With firm conviction, they embarked on the long journey of migration to North America. They aspired to build a “city upon a hill” in the New World, to be admired by all. Their spirit became the cornerstone of the American spirit.

A Covenant with God

At the core of Christianity lies the belief that human beings are born with original sin, and that salvation comes through faith in God. Believers establish a covenant with God: humans obey God, and God grants worldly blessings in return. This divine–human covenant is the most fundamental of all covenants. From it are derived social contracts—between individuals, between individuals and communities, and between individuals and government. Before setting foot on the new land of North America, the Puritans, under the guidance of their ministers, signed such covenants.

The Puritans envisioned the creation of the world, sensed God’s calling, and carried with them a longing for a pure land as they came to a distant new territory far from their homeland, determined to establish a pure Christian society. In their eyes, they bore a mission to save the world. This sense of mission enabled them to take root in the wilderness and build a free homeland. Industrious, plain, pioneering, and enterprising, they passed this spirit down from generation to generation, driving Americans to build the world-renowned “city upon a hill.”

Among the early Puritan immigrants to North America were many graduates of Oxford and Cambridge. While struggling through hardship simply to survive, they soon established Harvard College as a theological institution to train clergy for their faith, reflecting the Puritan expectation that ministers should be highly educated.

Harvard College later developed into Harvard University. On Harvard’s seal is written the Latin word Veritas—“Truth”—which originally referred to the will of God. The Puritan spirit of innovation, diligence, independence, and commitment to truth became deeply embedded in the soul of Harvard University.