The American colonies were established for a variety of reasons. The three most important themes of English colonization of America were religion, economics, and government. The most important reasons for colonization were the search for refuge, religious freedom and economic opportunity. To a lesser extent, settlers sought to establish a stable and progressive government. Many colonies were founded for religious purposes. While religion was involved in all the colonies, Massachusetts, New Haven, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were created exclusively for religious purposes. The people of Massachusetts were Puritans who believed in predestination and the ideal that God is perfect. Many Puritans in England were persecuted for their nihilistic beliefs because they felt that the Church of England, led by the king, did not apply a literal enough interpretation of the Bible. The penalties of persecution included prison and even execution. To seek refuge, they split up to travel to Holland due to its proximity, lower cost, and safer passage. However, their life in Holland was very different from that in England. The separatists did not rebel against English culture but rather preferred English culture. They did not want their children to be raised in the Netherlands. They also felt that Holland was too liberal. Although they enjoy freedom of religion, they decide to leave for America. The Pilgrims, or travelers, set out for America on the Mayflower and landed on Cape Cod in 1626. They missed their destination, Jamestown. Even though the climate was extremely rocky, they did not want to move south due to their Puritan beliefs. They believed that everything was predestined and that they must have landed on this rocky place for a reason. They moved slightly north to Plymouth Rock in order to survive more comfortably. Also due to their Puritan beliefs, they had good relations with the Native Americans. Their pacifist nature led the Indians to participate in their harvests. In gratitude, the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving in 1621. A second group of Puritans from England, the Massachusetts Bay Company, came to Massachusetts for more economically motivated purposes due to their non-minimalist beliefs. New Haven and Connecticut were two other colonies founded. exclusively for religious purposes. Many Massachusetts separatists felt that religion was too liberal within the colony. They felt that the beliefs were not sufficiently enforced and that people were not living according to literal interpretations of the Bible. These separatists separated from Massachusetts and formed a new colony, New Haven..