ABSTRACT
Puritans had moral, structural and economic reasons for prohibiting extramarital sexual intercourse. First, sex between single women and single or married men was explicitly prohibited in the Bible, which was foundational to Puritan jurisprudence. Intercourse unsanctioned by marriage was a sin and as such, Puritans believed, it exposed not just the persons involved, but the entire Puritan Commonwealth to the wrath of God. Massachusetts was a corporate society in which the pursuit of individual interests, in this instance the satisfaction of sexual desire, had to be subordinated to the common good; it was essential that personal behavior be in conformance with community norms. Thus, there was a strong moral imperative against extramarital sexual activity in general and extramarital sexual intercourse in particular.
