Why Did Puritans Leave England

America has always been known as the land of oppurtunity,and as a place to create a better life. However, one group in particular, the Puritans, had a specific reason to leave England and move to the New World. In the early eighteenth century, a rise in religious reform had spread in England, bringthing forth a popularity in Puritanism. Puritans were those who sought to reform politics and correct institutions. They critized Charles I and James I on how they neglected their nation, ignoring imperfections in the Anglican Church and trying to appeal to Catholic countries. Furthermore, William Laud, a man who embodied everything Puritans were against, was moving upwards in the governement ladder in Charles's favor. Puritans tried to get rid of Laud using Parlament, but Charles I decided to rid of parlaiment and Laud was promoted to archbishop of Canterbury. Puritans decided that they needed to escape from the broken system of England. Among them was John Winthrop who was to later become leader of the Massachutes Bay Colony. So, because of the corrupted government of England, these Puritans moved to their
Bishops, as expected, were not part of the churches in fear of someone of conflicting interest like Laud obtaining power.. All people were expected to follow the Bible as close as possible, and hopefully create a proverbial 'City on a Hill,' which was an Old Testament term meaning to be a rolemodel to all other Christians. This was indeed opposite of what England tried to be. Also, the agreements to God translated into daily life and congregationalism. In order to join a local church, one would have to provide a confession of faith, which could sometimes be straining on those joining. Congregationalism is a system where local churches are independent of outside forces. In addition, there were many radical religious practices, such as criminals publicly confessing to their sins before being