Question #64386
1 Answer
The motivation for the Puritans to come to the New World was for religious freedom.
Explanation:
During the 16th century, England developed a new church, named the Church of England, separating from the imperial Roman Catholic Church. Two major groups of people traveled to America for similar reasons. One of the groups of people were the Separatists, also known as the Pilgrims. They wanted to move away from the Church of England, so they set out for North America, to establish a colony where they could, freely, practice their religion, which happened under the direction of William Bradford.
Another group, known as the non-Separatists, or Puritans, traveled to the New World, because they, too, wanted to separate form the Church of England, to become "pure" by getting rid of Catholic practices, although, they did not want to separate from the Church, completely. What they wanted to do, was to make changes of the Catholic ritual practices. Threatened by King Charles I for not obeying the Church, the Puritans set sail for America for religious freedom, as well.
