Puritanism
Puritanism was the belief that all men were born sinners, also known as the idea of "original sin." It was believed by the Puritans that the Bible was the direct and literal word of God, and that it was to be followed precisely as directed by the priests of the church. Puritans wanted to be detached from the beliefs of the Church of England, resulting in their move to the New Found Land.
John Winthrop
John Winthrop, a very influential Puritan leader and preacher, was born in Edwardson, Stuffok, England in 1588. He was the governor of Massachusetts Bay, New England, and attended Trinity College in practice of law. While in London, at the Groton Manor, he was inspired by other Puritan leaders and went through a deep spiritual awakening of Puritanism. He continued on to influencing others on the ideas of Puritanism and continued to be a model of reform for the New England Church. He also wrote many famous books which included "City Upon a Hill". He later died in 1649 among many others that passed from various other reasons such as disease, limited resources, and exhaustion from travel on the Mayflower.
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather was another very influential leader in Puritanism, and interestingly, was related to Richard Mather and John Cotton, a few of many other influential leaders. Cotton Mather was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1663. He attended Harvard College and graduated in 1678. He started teaching but learned of his speech impairment and stopped. He decided to become a pastor at his father's church and ministered for the rest of his life. He soon came to be known as one of the most influential people of his time. He later died in 1728.
Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards, one of the most commonly known Puritan leaders, was born in East Windsor, Connecticut on the 5th of October 1703. Edwards attended Yale College in 1716 at under 13 years old. Edwards continued to study theology but was deeply interested in science and later preached the sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, one of the events he is most famous for. Edwards continued to preach and serve as an influence to all Puritans until his death due to smallpox innoculation on the 5th of March 1758.