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In Plymouth, and other areas of Massachusetts, religion played a major role in the development of the area. At first, the founders of Massachusetts planned on staying with the Anglican Church, but that soon changed. Each town in this colony had its own rules and regulations, given its own rights and freedom to control the church. Eventually, Plymouth and Massachusetts formed its own organization, known as the Congregational Church. This group was known as Puritans, English Protestants who believed the Church of England was incomplete, needing work to be done. These people were much more simple minded and more realistic. There was no traditional ceremonies or any sacraments received from priests. They used their knowledge from information from the Bible, such as how actions on Earth lead to salvation or damnation (Heaven or Hell). While the Puritans were monitored by the authorities within the community, the people still had freedom to do as they wished, as long as they showed respect to others and made no trouble. The Puritans did not accept Roman Catholics or Anglicans.

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In Pennsylvania, there was a similar issue on religion, as in Plymouth. The Society of Friends were a group formed in the middle of the 17th Century in England. Also known as the Quakers, this group was pushed due to circumstances of preaching of George Fox and Margaret Fell. The difference between the Quakers and Puritans is that they rejected the concepts of sin and predestination. They believed that every person had a conscious that could lead a person to the greatest potentials of salvation. Also, this church, generally, accepted women. They viewed women as equal to those of men, even allowing women to participate and assume roles in the church. The symbolism is supposed to represent the partnership and respect for George Fox and Margaret Fell. The Quakers had no church government, with only some meetings with representatives. These people had no paid clergy, and were pronounced as pacifists. They were not very popular with other religious groups in England, due to their practices and beliefs. The Quakers even separated other religious groups, as a great amount were jailed. Due to the increased unpopularity, many Quakers in England moved. Some of the Quakers first went to the New Jersey/Maryland Area. Others went to northern Carolina and New England. Eventually, most Quakers remained in Pennsylvania.

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The three main types of colonies each had their own differences. For example, the New England Colonies attracted different types of people. Specifically, the Puritans went to Massachusetts for an economic interest. In the New England Colonies, the Puritans took advantage of the land and the location. Off the coast of America, they established a colony in the New World and created the Massachusetts Bay Company. By 1629, there were many groups of Puritans being dispatched to New England. As time went on, it grew to more than just a business enterprise, but as well as an opportunity to migrate from England. More people kept moving to this area. Puritans also saw this as an opportunity to gain freedom of religion. In the Middle Colonies, New York and Pennsylvania played important roles. Originally, New York was controlled by the Dutch. British forces took them out of New York, and many Puritan Separatists and Pilgrims from the Mayflower retreated here. In New York, there were lots of rivers, as well as a good place for trade (a good harbor). There was also a lot of iron. Aside from trade, farming and mining played important roles as well to the economy. In Pennsylvania, there would be a group of Quakers (led by William Penn) who retreated there, in hopes of finding safety from other religious groups. Penn saw a major investment in this area, thus moving his people to Pennsylvania. In the Southern Colonies, there was a more complicated situation. In Maryland, Cecilius Calvert, Lord (Baron) Baltimore, led his group of Catholics to a safer environment. With the Chesapeake Bay, there was easy access for trade, as well as good farming. In Georgia, the land was taken by British who prevented the Spanish from moving up north (as the Spanish had control over Florida). There was lots of swampland and forests in Georgia, with an economy of lumber, trade, and farming.