by Steven Koch

Created on: September 30, 2010   Last Updated: October 01, 2010

Time has blurred the differences between the Pilgrims and the Puritans. To many people the words Pilgrim and Puritan are interchangeable when describing New England's early settlers. While there were many similarities, there are also distinct differences between the two groups.  

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) a compromise was reached between the two dominant religions in Britain – Anglicanism (or Church of England founded by Henry VIII) and Roman Catholicism. It was an uneasy truce; both sets of believers wanted to see the other banished from the land believing their way was the only true path to salvation.

With the ascension of King James I (1603-1625), the Anglicans began to make new demands toward ousting the “Papists”. They believed James would be sympathetic as he was raised according to Calvinist teachings.  The Anglicans were disappointed when James rejected most of their proposed reforms. In addition he disapproved of their version of the Bible – the Geneva Bible - because some of the marginal notes within the bible dismissed the concept of the King's Divine right to rule as heresy.

Those settlers who we now know as “The Pilgrims” (who were not called by that name until the 18th century) were religious separatists who disagreed with the direction and organization of the Anglican Church. Many of these original separatists were simple farmers and artisans. They were persecuted for their defiance of British law and royal decrees, sometimes to death. Although they were not alone in their disagreement with some of the basic church doctrines, they decided to “separate” rather than try to change the church from the inside.

In 1608 the Pilgrims fled to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. The Netherlands was more tolerant of different religions having experienced religious persecution from Roman Catholic dominated Spain, which controlled the “low countries” until 1575. The Pilgrims were able to practice their religion in relative peace, but they did not approve of moral freedoms practiced in Amsterdam and feared the long-term effect it would have on their children. When combined with low wages, poor prospects for future employment and the new threat of a war with Spain, the Pilgrims negotiated with Britain and obtained approval to sail to the new world and establish a new colony. Ultimately the Pilgrims travelled to the New World for religious freedom.

The Puritans were those

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