Why did the Puritans emigrate to North America?

> CHRONOLOGY

1534
  • English Reformation begins.

1558–1603
  • Elizabeth I reigns in England.

1603–1625
  • James I reigns in England.

1620
  • Plymouth colony founded by Pilgrims.

1629
  • Massachusetts Bay Company receives royal charter.

1630
  • John Winthrop leads Puritan settlers to Massachusetts Bay.

Puritans who emigrated to North America aspired to escape the turmoil and persecution they suffered in England, a long-term consequence of the English Reformation. They also sought to build a new, orderly, Puritan version of England. Puritans established the first small settlement in New England in 1620, followed a few years later by additional, larger settlements of the Massachusetts Bay Company. Allowed self-government through royal charter, these Puritans were in a unique position to direct the new colonies according to their faith. Although many New England colonists were not Puritans, Puritanism remained a paramount influence in New England’s religion, politics, and community life during the seventeenth century.