Puritan Report: Why Puritans fled to the New World

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Puritan Report
Overview of the Puritan society
The name Puritan was a mockery word used in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth; the Puritans were a section of believers who advocated for reforms within the Anglican Church. According to the Puritans, the Anglican Church needed to be purified to be free from the Catholic religious faith (Hambrick-Stowe 75). During the 1600s, the Puritans used their influential positions to advocate for church reforms; however the monarchs who ruled England refused to accept these reforms. By 1629, the Puritans felt discouraged and began seeking for a new world. Wealthy Puritans pulled resources, facilitating a massive migration to the New World where they would be free to worship as they pleased (Lambert 191).
This report highlights the experience of Puritans in search for religious freedom as they advocated for more straightforward forms of faith and worship. The report presents how Puritans ideas of reforms divided people leading to massive persecution by the government that also led to migration. In fear of persecution, the Puritans embarked on a journey in search of religious freedom; these are the reasons for coming to the new world.
Why Puritans fled to the New World
The Puritans were dissatisfied with religious practices within the England Church. Due to fear of being persecuted and seeking the opportunity to live a pious life, the Puritans migrated to the new world (Hambrick-Stowe 75). In the late 16th to 17th century, there were several movements in England advocating for church reforms. However, rulers including Queen Elizabeth 1, King James I and King Charles I would not permit such reforms. Anyone who opposed the Anglican Church doctrines was persecuted and jailed (Lambert 194).
The Puritans believed that the Anglican Church of England was a papist; they were discontented by the fact that the Catholic Church of Rome had greater influence within the Anglican Church of England. That is why the Puritans wanted to purify the church, hence being called the Puritans. The Puritans had no intention of breaking away from the mother church, they wanted to remain in church and effect changes from within (Lambert 195).
When King Charles I took over the throne in 1630, William Laud was made the Archbishop of Canterbury. Laud had the power to arrest all nonconformists (Munro 6). Williams’’ leadership became the starting point for migration of the Puritans. In fear of persecution, Puritans met in private places behind closed doors to carry on with their church activities (Munro 9). Laud put a price on any nonconformists, persecuting even powerful Puritan ministers. Laud banned all Puritan church services, eventually most Puritans were pushed out of England in fear of persecution (Munro 11).
The Puritans migrated because they could not effect changes as they had anticipated. The England government gave the Puritans choices between migrating and denouncing their nonconformist teachings (Lambert 196). Two groups of Puritans emerged, the separatist and non-separatist. Non-separatist preferred to denounce their nonconformist teachings and remained in the church. They believed they could still change the church from within (Hambrick...