Work was vitally important to the Puritans. Most settlers labored nearly every waking hour to ensure their own and their family's survival. For the Puritans, religion and the work that filled their days were intertwined. All of a believer's life belonged to God, they maintained, including his or her labor.

According to the Puritans, every person was "called" by God to work at a particular vocation. God called some to be farmers, others to be carpenters or blacksmiths, still others to be teachers or ministers. Most women were called to work within the home, feeding, clothing, and caring for their families. All work, no matter how humble, had dignity and value as long as the laborer strove to serve God in whatever he or she did, the Puritans believed. In God's eyes, all callings were equal, said the Puritan writer William Perkins, "though it be but to sweep...