30 Points! Part of America's "Creation Story" is the story about Puritans coming to America for religious freedom. We say that is why you can have religious freedom in America today. The Puritans who came to the New World were NOT interested in giving everyone religious freedom. Just the opposite. They wanted freedom to be their brand of Christian, but if you disagreed with the teachings, you would be exiled from the community. They wanted religious freedom for themselves, but not anyone else. Despite this, Americans still cling to the idea of religious freedom starting with the Puritans. Why? They weren't the first Europeans to the New World. They weren't even the first English to the New World. Why is it so important that we tell and re-tell this myth of religious freedom. Why is it so important to our national identity? Think about this for a bit before you start writing.