What role did religion play in the American colonies?

Religion played a significant role in the American colonies. Though the thirteen colonies were business ventures for many of the English who settled in North America, religious freedom was also a motivating factor for travelers in search of a new life.
At this time in history, England was home to many Puritans, members of a religious group who felt, generally, that the Church of England in the seventeen century was too attached to its Catholic roots. The Puritans who believed in separating from the larger group became Pilgrims, and many of these Pilgrims traveled to North America to settle what would become the New England colonies. The Plymouth Colony was established by this religious group in search of religious freedom in a new land.