Puritainism in America

        I think Matthew Hutson made mediocre arguments attempting to portray America as Puritan. I see where he is coming from, yet I don't completely agree. He states "They also believed in predestination and viewed success as a sign of salvation. This led to belief in success as a path to salvation: hard work and good deeds would bring rewards, in life and after." He connects the strive for success as a religious endeavor, when I believe it merely materialistic. Yes, we all dream of fame and fortune, but it isn't driven from a religious purpose. We do this for self-fulfillment-- to have the newest and coolest things. Also, the addition of experimental data is usually a great argumentative strategy, but the data he added to his article wasn't convincing. It seems like he found any information possible: student performance on fabricated puzzles was not enough to persuade me.