Directions: Read the following and take notes in your note book. Due next class.
• The Church of England is the established state
church in England (aka Britain).
• King Henry VIII is the founder of the Church of
England.
– Split-off from the Catholic Church
– The Pope would not let Henry divorce his wife and
remarry
• King Henry declared that the King was, "the
only supreme head of the Church”
The Pilgrims, also known as the
Separatists, founded the Plymouth
Colony in 1620
They wanted to separate themselves
from the Church of England
 In the Pilgrims opinion, the C. of E. had
become too much like the Catholic Church
Religious persecution by the Church of
England toward the Pilgrims led to their
departure from England
 The Pilgrim Separatist flee persecution in 1608
 Go to Holland
Return to England for a short time
Leave England again for America seeking religious
freedom
 Sail to America in a ship called the Mayflower
 Sail past their intended destination
 They write the Mayflower Compact and therein
establish the basis for self-government and majority
rule in Massachusetts
 The Mayflower Compact was a document
that 41 male passengers aboard the
Mayflower signed on Nov 21, 1620.
 This document set out rules by which the
Pilgrims agreed to govern themselves.
 In it the signers agreed to have fair laws to
protect the general good of the settlement.
Click The Mayflower Compact read the
following webpage and answer the
questions on the next slide
 http://americanhistory.about.com/od/colon
ialamerica/a/may_compact.htm
1) Explain why the Pilgrims thought of
themselves as independent.
2) Did they still view themselves as under the
control of the British government? Explain
your answer and give proof from the webreading.
3) What is a social contract according to what is
written about the Mayflower Compact.
4) What impact did this document have on
American History?
 The Puritans were also members of the Church
of England
 Puritans also believed the Church of England had become
too much like the Catholic Church
 Puritans wanted to purify the practices of the Church
of England
 Puritans did not want to separate from the church like
the Pilgrims
 Puritans did not want to destroy the church like the
Pilgrims
 Puritans main purpose was to restore the Churches
original purity
 The Puritans founded the Massachusetts Bay
Colony in 1630
Aimed to create a colony that would be “A city
upon a Hill” or beacon of light to the rest of the
world
 Create a model community/society
 Be an example to the Church of England
 Help the church realize its error and lead it to
repentance
Puritan religious values influence the New
England colonies.