Which religious reform movement sought to purify the Church of England and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

• A. Quakerism
• B. Anglicanism
• C. Catholicism
• D. Puritanism

Answer: (D)

Puritanism focuses on purifying the Church of England from Catholic practices and authority, insisting worship and church life be guided strictly by Scripture. This movement pushed for simpler ceremonies, reform of church governance, and greater moral discipline. When pressure and persecution in England intensified, many Puritans left for the New World and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s to create a model, godly community where their reforms could be practiced openly. This combination of reformist aims and colonial settlement is what ties the movement to Massachusetts Bay. Quakerism arose later and settled in different places with different goals, Anglicanism is the church they aimed to reform, and Catholicism is a separate tradition.