Puritan And Pilgrims: A Comparative Analysis

It is widely known that the United States was founded by descendants of Europeans that were seeking religious refuge and freedom. However, to the lay-historian, the labels “Puritan” and “Pilgrim” are often used interchangeably in reference to the English colonists of the New World. This is an honest mistake; there is much ambiguity even in historical texts regarding the differences between Puritans and Pilgrims. The most erroneous assumption seems to be that the Pilgrims of Plymouth colony were Puritan. Again, an honest mistake, considering that both were born from the same distaste with the Church of England. Indeed, Puritans and Pilgrims came from the same cradle of opposition, but approached their respective dissents from the Church differently enough to clearly separate the two groups (Allen & Schweikart, 2004). To understand the beginnings of Puritans and Pilgrims, it is to first understand the development of the Church of England. Henry VIII began his reign as a devout Roman Catholic. After his marriage to Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir, Henry requested an annulment from the Pope. At this time, Spain was the richest country in the world; the Pope denied the annulment because it would likely sever the financial support from Spain that was needed by the church to fight
Both the Puritans and the Separatists wanted personal liberty to practice their religion free from persecution. The Puritans and Pilgrims shared nearly identical religious beliefs; it was their individual stances taken against the Church of England that differentiated them. Simply, the difference of wanting to reform versus wanting to separate completely is what plotted the trajectories of each toward the New