The English Puritans who settled the New England colonies in the 16th and 17th centuries were seeking religious freedom from the Church of England, which they felt had not fully reformed from Catholicism. The Puritan vision appealed to many who were weary of poverty and crime in England. The New England colonies granted land ownership to families who founded self-governing towns for defense, schools, and church attendance. Families had six to seven children on average and divided labor along gender lines, with men doing heavy work and women maintaining the home. Commerce began with the fishing trade, shipping better quality fish to Europe and inferior fish to the West Indies.