Religious Freedom In the British Colonies Prior to 1700

Colonization of New England was due to the fact that in England, Puritans called Congregationalists wanted to reform the church. Other Puritans called Separatists thought the church was already too corrupt and could not be saved. To get the religious freedom they longed for and open their lives to new opportunity, the Separatists established a settlement in New England. Since people were being persecuted in Europe, especially in England, because of their religion, religious groups such as the Puritans flocked to the New World (more specifically, Massachusetts Bay). This represented a paradox, however, in that from fleeing the royal wrath intolerant of their religion, these Pilgrims (who were the purest of the Puritans) did not tolerate other religions in their colony. However, as the population for the British North American colonies increased, so did religious tolerance, especially in other colonies.
In building the Bay Colony, the Puritans incorporated religion into their politica...