Puritans – People who wanted to “purify” the Church of England and follow the teachings of the Bible rather than priests or bishops. Pilgrims – People who travel for religious reasons; a group of Puritans who left England because they were persecuted (treated badly because of their beliefs).Immigrants – People who leave the country of their birth to live in another country.

Protestant Reformation

• Protestant Reformation = A religious movement that began as an effort to reform the Catholic Church.

• Before the Protestant Reformation, most Europeans were Roman Catholics (type of Christianity).

• In 1517, a priest named Martin Luther nailed a paper to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany criticizing the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther said that the church was too wealthy and abused it’s great power.

Protestant Reformation

• People who protested the Catholic Church were called “Protestants.”

• The movement began in German towns in the 1520s and spread to the Netherlands, Switzerland, England, France, and beyond.

• There was fighting between Catholics and Protestants throughout Europe.

• In England, King Henry VIII founded the Church of England (AKA Anglican Church), a protestant religion that kept many Catholic traditions.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Europe+after+reformation&view=detail&id=1947AD62A908B308F39BC3F29244A00F5030242C

Pilgrims

1. Why did the Pilgrims want to leave England?

2. What do Puritans believe?

3. What happened at the first Thanksgiving? What were they celebrating?

4. What was the Mayflower Compact and why was it important?