By today's standards, the Puritans were quite incredibly incorrect. However, as others have pointed out, it is inappropriate to judge those of one age by the standards of another. (BTW, As I am doing to your essay!)
I personally would rather judge the Puritans by the monuments they left behind for all Americans, including myself. (Whom they would have cheerfully whipped naked down the mean streets of Boston)
Do you need proof of my assertion? Look at the messes left behind for all time in Latin America by contemporary, and equally intolerant Catholic rulers.
Your assignment for Thanksgiving is three-fold:
1) Write a prayer of Thanksgiving for what these politically incorrect Puritans left behind.
2) Be the only scholar in your class to know the difference between a Pilgrim and a Puritan.
3) Read the works referenced by factmart.
I hope you make it to Harvard (which was founded by those politically incorrect Puritans) and I look forward to your presidency.