Religion strongly influenced the development of colonial society in the Puritan New England regions and the Quaker Middle Atlantic regions. The Puritans, Pilgrims, who were extreme Separatists wanted to break away from the Anglican church of England. The Pilgrims decided to leave England because of religious conflict. In 1620 a group of the Separatist aboard the Mayflower, set out for Virginia. However, the ship was blown of course and it landed off the rocky coast of New England. They established Plymouth Bay as their site. The Pilgrims had landed outside the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company; consequently they drew up the Mayflower Compact, which became a precedent for later written constitutions. The Compact was a great step toward self-government. .
The Puritans leader, William Bradford, was worried that non - Puritan settlers might corrupt his settlement. The little colony of Plymouth was quiet and quaint. It wasn't a success economically of numerically, however it was morally and spiritually. In 1691, it merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. .
During the Great Migration of 1630 only 14,000 came to Massachusetts. Among them was John Winthrop. He became the colony's first governor. He believed that he had a "calling" from God to lead the new religious experiment. He helped Massachusetts to flourish as a fur trading, fishing, and shipbuilding blossomed into key industries. .
The Puritans had no tolerance for any one who didn't shared their beliefs. They believed in pre- destination and that an orderly family was essential for society. They stressed hard - work and simplicity. They thought that if you worked hard in the present then, you would be rewarded in the afterlife. Religious leaders had enormous influence. They strongly influenced admission to church membership. The Puritan Bay colonists believed that they had a covenant with God to assemble a holy society that would serve as a model for humankind.
