Analyze the extent to which religious freedom existed in the British North America colonies prior to 1700.
             The New World was first established because many people in England did not agree with their religious and political ways of life. Most people in the northern colonies had run from England due to having no religious freedom. The Puritans, Quakers, and various leaders created outbursts of reform to achieve freedom in New England. Each group had their own philosophy on how life should be lived.
             The Puritans were a group of English men who disagreed with how the Church of England was ran. The damned were allowed to sit with the saints, and the Puritans did not like this. The extreme Puritans were known as Separatists in England. Finally, these extreme Puritans left for the New World in 1620. The Puritans set up a way of government. It said, " the whole purpose of government was to enforce God's laws." Only the Puritans, the only one's eligible for church membership, could be freemen. The believers and nonbelievers had to pay taxes on the government–supported church, and had to follow God's law. After many generations, religion was not at the top of the Puritans list. In the middle of the seventeenth century a new type of sermon began to generate. It was called the jeremiad. The Puritan pulpits took it from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. The Puritans opened the church doors to anyone and everyone. This included converted and non–converted New Englander's. Women had now became the majority of the church–going population. The Puritans were unhappy about the new church policy, but it would change soon.
             There were various leaders in the New World that were improving religious freedom. Roger Williams was a threat to the Puritan leaders. He had many radical ideas. He wanted to be free from the Church of England. He fled to Rhode Island, and built a Baptist church. He established complete...