EMF12.20The History of Harvard University

Puritans played a very important role in Harvard history as well as in American history. In the 16th and 17th century, a series of religious reforms took place in England. Finally, the Church of England was established as the Established Church. To escape religious persecution, many people fled from England to other countries. Many puritans had received classic style of higher education in Oxford University and Cambridge University in England. They wanted to pass on to their descendants this kind of education. Therefore, in 1636 the first and oldest institution of higher learning in the United States was established 140 years earlier than the foundation of the United States.