I don't really want to be arguing this point anymore. But some things are maybe worth pointing out. One, I think in modern use "puritanical" doesn't really mea

I don't really want to be arguing this point anymore. But some things are maybe worth pointing out. One, I think in modern use "puritanical" doesn't really mean literally specific to the Puritans. They were a fringe group even in their heyday. Rather, it's a wider characterisation of certain protestant churches, Lutheran and Calvinist come to mind too. These emphasise a hard work ethos, education, and de-emphasise "earthly pleasures" in whatever guise. Certainly that's how I [ab]use it in this context. So yes, while actual Puritans were a small fraction of the US melting pot, plenty of conservative protestants joined them. In this [1] Wikipedia table, you can see US population in 1790. If you narrow focus to Europeans, you're hard-pressed to find any Catholics there! Ulster Scottish/Irish are protestant, Germans may include some Catholics, then there's the French and that's it. > It might be interesting to note that historically the U.S. was viewed (by Europeans) as a corrupt, lawless country I couldn't help but think that the US gangs (at least those that made it to popular culture) were Italian and Irish. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_immigration_to_the_United_States#Population_in_1790 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_immigration_to_the_...