17 th century Europe was not very tolerant in religion. In England, a group of Protestants (the Puritans) didn't have the possibility to be free in their religion: they were persecuted.

They decided to travel to the new continent: America to practice their religion freely. 102 Puritans crossed the Atlantic Ocean in September, 1620 from Plymouth, England.

The boat you can see on the left is the exact reconstruction of the original "Mayflower". It is now in the USA.