'''Puritan''' describes several [[Protestant]] denominations, especially the Congregationalists, who sought to "purify" the [[Anglican Church|Church of England]] of the influence of [[Catholic|Roman Catholicism]] in the 1600s. Puritan ethics were noted for their strictness, especially regarding sexual behavior and the theatre. Puritan literature is highlighted by poet [[John Milton]] and writer [[John Bunyan]]. Several Puritan groups eventually broke from the Church of England.
Persecuted in England, 100,000 Puritans resettled to the American colonies, particularly the mainly to [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in the American colonies in 1630. They dominated New England and had a profound impact in shaping American history. During the [[English Civil War]], Puritan leader [[Oliver Cromwell]] deposed the monarchy under [[Charles I]]. The monarchy was restored in 1660 and Puritanism, although not persecuted, lost influence in Britain. The Puritans arrived about a decade after the [[Pilgrims]] and were different in that the Pilgrims were always interested in being separate from the Church of England, wheras the Puritans were of the belief at that time that the Church of England could be reformed and sought to purify it.
==Controversies==
==Congregationalists==
By 1700 the Puritan churches were called [[Congregational]] churches. The British also call them "dissenters" because they dissented from the official orthodoxy of the [[Church of England]]. Puritans and other Dissenters were restricted in the political rights until 1835 in Britain.
==See also==
* [[Pilgrims]]
==Further reading==