Who were puritans and why they came to north America?

Answer 1

Puritans were followers of the teachings of Calvin and believed, like the Separatists, that man was born in sin and they all bore the guilt of Adam and Eve. To become saved, they would have to prove they were worthy while here on earth. To be worthy one would prosper, be faithful, and lead a successful life. Instead of separating from the Church of England, they wanted to “purify” the Church of the influence of the Catholic Church within the Anglican Church, thus the name, Puritans. Puritans wanted to remove themselves from non-Puritans. They originally wanted to leave Great Britain because they were not pleased with the way non-Puritans were worshipping without much interference. Puritans settled Massachusetts in 1630.

Answer 2

The Puritans were English Protestants who were unhappy with the Church of England. They believed it was a product of man-made doctrines and strayed too far from The Bible. It was too close, they felt, to the Catholic church in its rich decoration and its belief that a person could have a relationship with God only through a church and a priest, not directly. They were persecuted by the Church and by King James and so left England for America in order to worship as they believed.

The Puritans rejected the "worldliness" of English society and had wanted to purify its church. They believed in a strict adherence to the Bible, which guided all their actions. They lived simply in plain houses with little decoration and dressed in dark and sober clothing. They worked hard, believing that hard work would be rewarded by God in the next life. They valued education, especially so that people could read the Bible for themselves in English and not have to rely on a priest's interpretation. They were a closely-knit community and did not tolerate differences. Those who did not agree with their religious views were asked to leave their colonies.

The first Pilgrims in America went to Virginia in 1618, but most went to New England. The Pilgrims founded the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. Other Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony near present-day Boston in 1829 and the Connecticut Colony in 1636.