Name three crimes and the punishments that the Puritans might witness.

• A. Escape, exile, and confession
• B. Execution, whipped children, Indian intrusion
• C. Theft, public meals, dreamers
• D. Harsh fines, banishment, censure

Answer: (B)

Puritans enforced a strict moral order, treating crime as sin against the community and against God, and they made punishments highly visible to deter others. The combination of execution for serious offenses shows that capital punishment could be used for the gravest crimes, while whipping illustrates how even lesser offenses were punished publicly to maintain order. Including Indian intrusion highlights the external dangers the colony faced and the expectation that the community would respond to threats, reinforcing the sense that social harmony depended both on internal discipline and collective defense. Together, these elements reflect the broad range of punishments and concerns a Puritan town would witness.