Which English religious group sought to reform the Church of England and was known for moral discipline and political/religious freedom (including John Winthrop and Nathaniel Ward)?

• A. The Puritans
• B. The Pilgrims
• C. The Quakers
• D. The Cavaliers

Answer: (A)

Focusing on reform from within the church and building a disciplined, covenantal community is what defines this group. The Puritans aimed to purify the Church of England in practice and doctrine while staying inside its structure, and they believed that a morally ordered society was essential for true religious freedom. In the American setting, this meant establishing communities like Massachusetts Bay that pursued both religious reform and political liberty for their own members, guided by strict moral discipline. John Winthrop embodies this approach as the governor who led the New England colony with a vision of a united, covenantal commonwealth, while Nathaniel Ward, a Puritan minister, represents the active internal reform spirit and pursuit of civil liberty within that framework. By contrast, the Pilgrims were Separatists who broke away from the Church to practice freely, the Quakers emerged later with different religious emphases, and Cavaliers were a political faction rather than a religious movement.