The Mayflower History site has quite a bit of good material on Puritan New England, as well as .pdfs of a couple of key original tracts and sermons. 17th and 18th century titles are always fun, and a couple of these are real gems:
Hypocrisy Unmasked: By A true relation of the proceedings of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts against SAMUEL GORTON (and his accomplices) a notorious disturber of the peace and quiet of the several Governments wherein he lived: with the grounds and reasons thereof, examined and allowed by their General Court holden at Boston in New England in November last, 1646. Together with a particular answer to the manifold slanders, and abominable falsehoods which are contained in a book written by the said GORTON, and entitled, Simplicities Defense Against Seven-headed Policy, etc. DISCOVERING To the view of all whose eyes are open, his manifold blasphemies; as also the dangerous agreement which he and his accomplices made with ambitious and treacherous Indians, who at the same time were deeply engaged in a desperate conspiracy to cut off all the rest of the English in the other Plantations. Whereunto is added a brief narration (occasioned by certain aspersions) of the true grounds or cause of the first Planting of New England; the President of their Churches in the way and Worship of God; their Communion with the Reformed Churches; and their practice towards those that dissent from them in matters of religion and church government (1646).
is, as the title says, the Massachusetts response to:
SIMPLICITIES DEFENCE AGAINST SEVEN-HEAD-ED POLICY. Or Innocency Vindicated, Being Unjustly Accused, and Sorely Censured by that Seven-Headed Church-Government United in New England: Or That Servant So Imperious in his Master’s Absence Revived, and Now thus Re-acting in New-England. Or the Combate of the United Colonies, Not only Against Some of the Natives and Subjects, but Against the Authority Also of the Kingdome of England… Wherein Is Declared an Act of a Great People and Country of the Indians in those parts, both Princes and People (unanimously) in their Voluntary Submission and Subjection unto the Protection and Government of Old England (1646).
The latter is, unfortunately, not yet online, but you can pick up an original copy for $8750. (But act now, because quantities are definitely limited.)
The debate here is the familiar one regarding the Rhode Island exiles and the shape of church and secular government in the colonies. Also on the Mayflower history site is a 1647 entry into the same ongoing debate:
New England’s Salamander Discovered By an irreligious and scornful Pamphlet, called New England’s Jonas cast up at London, etc. Owned by Major John Childe, but not probable to be written by him. OR, A satisfactory answer to many aspersions cast upon New England therein. Wherein our government there is showed to be legal and not arbitrary, being as near the Law of England as our condition will permit. Together With a brief Reply to what is written in answer to certain passages in a late Book called Hypocrisy Unmasked.
Again, we only get one side of the debate at the site, but New England’s Jonas was reprinted in Peter Forces collection of Tracts and other papers relating principally to the origin, settlement, and progress of the colonies in North America, from the discovery of the country to the year 1776, which is fairly widely available, so there are opportunities for filling in the gaps.
The other texts at the Mayflower History site include early journals and the only specimen of a sermon preached to the original Plymouth congregation, The Sin and Danger of Self-Love, by Robert Cushman (from December, 1621), together with letters, journals and miscellaneous documents. The site is well worth a browse.
The Winthrop Society also has some useful historical documents posted online.
I happened upon your site when looking for something related to your subject. It’s well written and valuable information–thanks for sharing it.
I thought you might like to check the “Mayflower site” section for accuracy, though. When talking about Pilgrims and Puritans, it’s important to note that they are completely separate groups, with significant differences between them.
For one thing, the Mayflower Pilgrims–also called Separatists –had broken with the Church of England; whereas, the Puritans remained a part of it.
The two groups’ settlements were established by separate charters, and each had its own government. Puritan documents wouldn’t likely be displayed as those of Plymouth Colony.