Puritanism

Puritanism was a religious reform movement in England in the late 16th and 17th centuries. Puritans wanted to “purify” the  Church of England (a.k.a Anglican Church) of any signs or remnants of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Puritans wanted to follow a way of life that they thought would be more in line with what God wanted. They called themselves "the godly", but other people called them "Puritans." If they lived this way, Puritan people thought it would help them get into Heaven. Mainly these people wanted to live quiet, simple lives, spending a lot of their time praying, reading the Bible (which had just been translated into English), and listening to sermons. Puritans wore plain clothes and lived in plain houses. They went to church a lot (all day on Sundays and often on other days too). They thought that God wanted them to work very hard and be very serious. Puritans did not have parties. They thought listening to music, dancing, gambling, playing games, and drinking alcohol should be avoided and forbidden. They did not celebrate holidays, not even Christmas or Easter. 

They tried to make their lifestyle the pattern for the whole nation. Many others in England did not want to live this way. Their efforts to transform the nation contributed to civil war in England (1642-1650).

The Puritans got into trouble in England. Some of them were killed. So some of the Puritans decided to leave England and start a new life in North America. In 1620, the first Puritans sailed to Massachusetts in their ship, the Mayflower.