Puritanism is the practice of the Puritans. The movement started in the late 16th and 17th century. The purpose was to "purify" the Church of England. This lead to the civil war in England and the founding of the colonies in North America. Most of the Puritans joined the Parliamentary party during the English Civil War and gained a lot of power but after the Restoration they went back to becoming the minorities in England once again. They believe they were chosen by God to revolutionize history and by golly, they ended up founding the first settlements in North America, where they became known as the Pilgrims.