American colonial history is often characterized as the result of English citizens who were fleeing religious persecution and who sought to live independently of the monarchist rule. This essay explores more specifically the communities of early American colonials, the Pilgrims (or Saints) and the Puritans. Together, their religious beliefs and cultural practices contributed towards the events that prompted a war with England for the American colony’s independence. This essay considers these two groups as distinct cultures who represent differing traditions to American history and expansion.