1) Puritans settled New England in the 1620s-1630s to escape religious persecution in England and establish religious communities according to their beliefs. The Pilgrims established the Plymouth colony in 1620 and Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630. 2) The colonies were organized around strict religious principles, with communities governed by compacts like the Mayflower Compact that established democratic rule. Life was difficult in the early years with high mortality rates. 3) Dissenters like Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams challenged Puritan orthodoxy and were exiled, with Williams founding the more religiously tolerant colony of Rhode Island. Tensions also grew between the colonists and Native Americans, leading