Final answer:
The Pilgrims, led by William Bradford, originally bound for the New World away from the Netherlands, founded the Plymouth Colony in New England in 1620 to practice their religion and maintain their English identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The colonists who first arrived to settle in New England, specifically the Pilgrims led by William Bradford, were originally bound for the New World to establish a settlement away from England and the Dutch land in the Netherlands. They were in search of a place to practice their religion freely, maintain their English identity, and establish a society based on their own principles. The colony they established, Plymouth, was one of the first English settlements in New England and was founded for the express purpose of creating a community based on reformed Protestantism, free from the perceived corruption of the Church of England. With the signing of the Mayflower Compact, they emphasized their desire to found a colony for "the glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country," setting a precedent for self-governance and the influence of religion on the political structure of their new society.