Why did the Puritans migrate to America?

The Puritans migrated to America primarily for religious reasons. They were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to "purify" the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices, maintaining that the Church had not been fully reformed and needed to become more protestant.

The Puritans felt persecuted in England under the English Church and the monarchy, which at various times enforced policies that went against Puritan beliefs. When King James I, and later Charles I, supported the Church of England's practices and governance, which included elements like the hierarchical structure of bishops, the Puritans saw an increasing infringement on their religious freedom.

The last straw for many Puritans was the elevation of Archbishop William Laud in the 1630s who enforced the use of the Book of Common Prayer, rites, vestments, and church hierarchy more stringently – practices which the Puritans despised.

Seeking a region to exercise their religious beliefs freely, many Puritans opted to leave England. They saw America, particularly the New England region, as a "new world" where they could establish a community based on their religious ideals and live without the interference from the Church of England or the monarchy. This led to a significant migration, notably the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620, and the establishment of colonies like Massachusetts Bay, where Puritan ethos profoundly shaped the early governance and community life.