Final answer:
Harvard University was founded by the Puritans in 1636 as part of an effort to train ministers and create a community based on their religious values.
Step-by-step explanation:
The group that founded Harvard University was the Puritans. Harvard was established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature, named after its first benefactor, John Harvard, and with the primary purpose of training Puritan ministers. The Puritans, members of a group seeking reform within the Church of England, played a significant role in the colonizing of New England. Unlike the Pilgrims, who were Separatists and settled Plymouth, the Puritans believed in reforming the Church from within rather than completely separating from it. Many of the leaders in the New England colonies, including John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, were Puritans who sought to create a community based on their religious beliefs.