Which group were English Protestants who aimed to reform the Church of England, live morally strict lives, and sought religious/political freedom (including John Winthrop and Nathaniel Ward)?

• A. The Puritans
• B. The Separatists
• C. The Roundheads
• D. The Cavaliers

Answer: (A)

Puritans were English Protestants who sought to reform the Church of England from within, aiming to purify its practices and leadership rather than break away entirely. They emphasized strict moral discipline, plain worship, and governance rooted in scripture and covenants, believing that true liberty came from living according to religious principles as well as political order. Their pursuit of religious and political freedom led many to establish new communities in America, where they could practice their faith and shape society by their ideals. John Winthrop and Nathaniel Ward were prominent Puritans who helped organize and lead the Massachusetts Bay Colony, embodying the drive to create a church-centered, principled society in the New World. By contrast, Separatists wanted to form independent churches outside the Church of England, while Roundheads and Cavaliers refer to political factions in the English Civil War, not groups defined by reforming within the church.