David Hackett Fischer’s seminal work on the British settlement of North America, Albion’s Seed, is an excellent overview of the four groups of settlers who colonized today’s US. In particular, he cites the outsized influence of the Putitans, who evolved into the latter-day Yankees, although that word encompasses more than a few European nationalities in 2023.

In a recent conversation with my sister, I noted how similar shadow-banning and canceling were to the early Puritan practice of shunning, most notably Hawthorne’s most famously shunned protagonist, Hester Prynne.

The Puritans also had an outsized presence in England, famously the regicide of Charles I in 1649. Although Cromwell was a military and political genius, his rule was similar to the Jacobins in many ways.

Given the Puritans’ religious and political zeal, it’s not surprising that they pioneered a westward expansion through the northern tier of the country to the West Coast, and were among the first white American settlers of San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. A protean lot, they changed with the times, maintaining their historic zealotry, and became the most ardent abolitionists before the Civil War. Convinced of their rectitude, they continued to wield an enormous influence on the country, continuing through this day. What I find remarkable about this group is how intoxicating their ideas were. They almost effortlessly brought the late 19th and early 20th c. immigrants to New England into their fold. Their propensity towards judgment and shaming has dominated the political and journalistic norms of this country to the present day. A remarkable achievement!