Study Questions and Suggested Essay Topics What helped Winthrop
more as governor, his law training or learning to run the family
estate? Was it true that Puritans never had any fun? Was John
Winthrop a benevolent despot? Suggested Essay Topics Did John
Winthrop believe in separation of church and state? How did John
Winthrop balance freedom of religion and the Puritan faith? Did
Puritanism ground Winthrop or did it make it him long for
impossible perfection? Did Massachusetts Bay ever achieve the
level of purity it sought? What was the biggest challenge facing
Massachusetts Bay from 1630–1649? Could Puritanism work in
modern America or does it require too much self- sacrifice? Did
John Winthrop live up to the standards of purity set by
Puritanism?