There were various reasons why the American colonies were founded. The three most important themes of the English colonization of America were religion, economics, and government. The most important reasons for colonization were the search for refuge, religious freedom and economic opportunity. To a lesser extent, the colonists sought to establish a stable, progressive government. Many colonies were founded for religious purposes. While religion was involved throughout the colonies, Massachusetts, New Haven, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were founded solely for religious purposes. The people of Massachusetts were Puritans who believed in predestination and the ideal that God is perfect. Many Puritans in England were persecuted for their nihilistic beliefs because they believed that the Church of England, led by the king, did not enforce a sufficiently literal interpretation of the Bible. The punishment for the persecution included imprisonment and even execution. To seek refuge, they split up to go to Holland due to its proximity, lower costs and safer passage. However, their life in Holland was very different from that in England. The Separatists did not rebel but preferred English culture. They didn't want their children to grow up in Holland. Furthermore, they believed that Holland was too liberal. Despite enjoying freedom of religion, they decided to leave for America. The Pilgrims, or sojourners, left for America on the Mayflower and landed on Cape Cod in 1626. They had missed their destination, Jamestown. Although the climate was extremely rocky, they did not want to move south due to their Puritan beliefs. They thought that everything was predestined and that they had to land on this rocky place for a reason. They moved slightly north, towards Plymouth Rock, to survive more comfortably. Also because of their Puritan beliefs, they had good relations with the Native Americans. Their pacifist nature led the Indians to help with their crops. As a sign of thanks, the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621. A second group of Puritans in England, the Massachusetts Bay Company, came to Massachusetts for more economically motivated purposes due to their non-minimalist beliefs. New Haven and Connecticut were two other colonies founded. exclusively for religious purposes. Many Massachusetts separatists believed that religion was too liberal within the colony. They felt that beliefs were not being enforced enough and that people were not living according to literal interpretations of the Bible. These separatists further separated themselves from Massachusetts and formed a new colony, New Haven.