Religious Motivations for European Immigration Causes for Colonization

PILGRIMS: Puritans on the Run! Many colonists who were seeking religious freedom settled first in the New England Colonies The Puritans were a group from England who wanted to separate from the Church of England (Anglicanism) and create a “pure” and simple Christian religion. These Puritans fled England—the first to arrive in New England were known as the Pilgrims, who arrived on the Mayflower. They left England, where they had been persecuted for their beliefs.

Check your Understanding! Without looking at your notes, turn to a partner and explain: Who were the Puritans?

A Puritan Moment of Hypocrisy: Though the Puritans fled England to seek religious freedom, what did they do to people who did not follow their specific beliefs? They were exiled (kicked out) from the colony! Roger Williams arrived to the Americas as a Puritan, but he believed in a “separation of church and state.” This was the idea that religion and government should not be mixed and that all religions should be respected equally under the law. When he was kicked out of Massachusetts, Williams started his own colony—Rhode Island!

Pennsylvania: Home of the Quakers! William Penn was the founder of Pennsylvania. He wanted to create a colony that was safe for Quakers to practice their religion. Quakers believed that all people should be treated equally. They refused to pay taxes to the king, fight in wars, or obey the rules of the English king. In order to get rid of these disobedient citizens, the King of England granted William Penn territory in modern-day Pennsylvania. This became the home of the Quakers!

Maryland: A Catholic Safe-Haven The official religion of England was the Church of England, or Anglicanism. As a result, Catholics were not always allowed to practice their religious beliefs freely in England. Lord Baltimore started a colony in Maryland and to encourage settlement of both Catholics and Protestants, he created laws that protected both groups to practice their religion freely.