During centuries England practiced the Catholic faith, but Protestants ideals started to enter the country in the 16th century, and they started to point out several practices they believed it was wrong in the Catholic Church. When King Henry VIII came into conflict with the Pope and broke the relationship with the Catholic Church, the Church of England was created. The Church of England had the king as the head of the Church which eventually led to a competition between Protestants and Catholics for the supremacy of the Church of England.
Among with the Protestants a new branch was created that were the Puritans, they defended that any religious practices that resembled Catholicism should be removed from the Church of England.
Politics and religion were too much together, the puritans opposed the royal policy and when King Charles I came to power the Puritans that were in the Parliament opposed his authority.
When Charles I dissolved the Parliament, the Puritans saw this as religious persecution and decided to leave England.
North America became a refuge for many men and women that faced religious persecution in Europe, they eventually created colonies in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland where they could practice their religion freely.
