# Puritans a group of radical English Protestants that arose in the late sixteenth century and became a major force in England during the seventeenth century. Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England by eliminating traces of its origins to the Roman Catholic Church. They urged a strict moral code. Their influence spread during the seventeenth century to include Holland and America. Many Puritans were persecuted in their homeland and went to America, settling the colonies that eventually became Massachusetts.