Discuss the Protestant Reformation. What were the major issues involved? What were the reasons for success, and what were the effects on the New World?

The major issues involved in the Reformation were the corruption of the Catholic Church and the desire of some Christians to establish a closer relationship to God and the Scriptures. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the wall of the Church of Wittenburg, he sought to address the buying of indulgences, the practice of buying one's way out of sins, and simony, the buying or selling of ecclesiastical favors or church offices.
There was widespread discontent with these church practices, which is part of the reason for the Reformation's success. Pilgrims and Puritans, religious groups who had a major cultural impact on the early American colonies, were also Protestants. Though the Anglican Church, a Protestant Church that had been established in England, existed largely as an excuse for King Henry VIII to marry whom he pleased without interference from the Catholic Church, Pilgrims and Puritans could not realize religious freedom in England. The Pilgrims went first to the Netherlands, which was a freer society, but continued on to Plymouth Colony to establish their own society founded on their religious principles. The Puritans, who sought a "pure" approach to Scripture, had the same goal.
It is important to note that both Protestants and Catholics populated the New World. Florida, for example, was initially a Spanish territory. The area sold during the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, as well as parts of the Midwest, were populated by the French. The British Caribbean islands, including the sugar-rich island of Barbados, was part of the Anglican tradition, while those colonized by Spain, such as Cuba, were Catholic.