They had no legal right to be there. The group of Pilgrims established something very unique. They established the Mayflower Compact that said that you would recognize the will of majority. The Pilgrims were determined to form a permanent settlement. .
During the same time the London Company was starting to colonize in North America. The London Companies head quarters was in London. The company was composed of casual Puritans. The London Company had bought out the old Virginia Company Charter, which gave them the right to settle from South Carolina to Virginia. In 1607 the London Company had an expedition to Jamestown, Virginia. The settlers of this colony were composed of criminals, decayed gentlemen, and indentured servants. In 1610, Jamestown was a permanent settlement. .
Virginia is the exception to the rule in colonization. Virginia was colonized not due to England's domestic problems but more as a matter of saving face for James I. In 1607, The Gunpowder Plot occurred in England. The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to blow up the parliament building by Catholics with Spanish support. James I was friendly with Catholics and this whole situation didn't look good on his part. James I even renewed The London Company's charter by giving them 200 miles of land North and South of Virginia, and all land West of the Atlantic Ocean. Although, in 1624 the London Company goes bankrupt and Virginia became a royal colony, or in direct control of England.
In 1625, James I dies and his son Charles I takes over. Charles I is not respected because of his arbitrary rule, and because he is self centered. Charles I gave most business to his friends and because of this, many Puritans were lost in England's economy. Due to this, in 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Colony is established. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a closely built movement by a group of financially solid people. The Puritans left England not as a flight or a retreat, but as a base operation to avoid persecution.
