Where does the idea that the founding fathers were escaping religious persecution come from? Generally "founding fathers" refers to the framers of the declaration of independence and the constitution, and the leaders of the American revolution. All of these people lived in the thirteen colonies, and (so far as I'm aware, anyway) none of them had fled England to escape religious persecution.

Some groups of American colonists were, in part, fleeing persecution, like the Puritans, Pilgrims, and (to a lesser degree) the Quakers. But those groups left England well over a hundred years before the revolution, so we can't really conflate their experiences with those of the founding fathers.

I believe you are mixing up the Puritans with the group commonly referred to as the founding fathers. There is also a long span of time between the initial waves of settlers and the rebellion. I am no historian, however, and expect this comment to be removed shortly.