Chapter 3, Section 2

1. Chapter 3, Section 2 The New England Colonies

2. Pilgrims and Puritans • Religious tension in England after the Protestant Reformation • Puritans • Protestant groups that wanted to purify (or reform) the Anglican Church • Believed that bishops and priests had too much power over church members

3. Pilgrims and Puritans • Pilgrims on the Move • The most extreme English Protestants were Separatists • Wanted to cut all ties with the Church of England • Formed their own churches • Were punished by Anglicans • Pilgrims • Separatist groups that fled England in the 1600’s • Immigrants • First fled to Holland but soon left because they did not want their children learning Dutch language and traditions • Preserve English traditions • Decided to leave Europe • Formed a joint-stock company with some merchants and received permission from England to settle in Virginia • Left Europe on September 16, 1620 on a ship called the Mayflower • Not all were Puritans • Pilgrim Leader: William Bradford

4. The Mayflower Compact • Pilgrims traveled rough oceans for 2 months • Sighted land far north of Virginia • Because the land was not in Virginia, it was outside of the authority of Virginia’s colonial government • Decided to establish their own basic laws and social rules

5. The Mayflower Compact • Mayflower Compact • Signed November 21, 1620 by 41 male passengers • Agreement to have fair laws and protect the general good • Late 1620, Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in modern day Massachusetts • Struggled thought the winter • Nearly half died from sickness and freezing

6. Pilgrims and Native Americans • Samoset • Met the colonists in March of 1621 • Spoke some English that he had learned from crews of English fishing boats • Provided the colonists with useful information about peoples and places in the area • Introduced the colonists to Squanto • Squanto • Patuxet who had lived in Europe and spoke English well • Taught Pilgrims to fertilize soil with fish remains • Helped Pilgrims establish good relations with the local Wampanoag • Because of Squanto, conditions in the colony began to improve

7. Pilgrims and Native Americans • Harvest feast • The Pilgrims invited Wampanoag chief Massasoit and 90 others to join them for a harvest celebration • The First Thanksgiving • Pilgrims killed wild turkeys for the event • Marked the survival of the Pilgrims in the new colony

8. Pilgrim Community • Pilgrims still continued to struggle • Rocky soil made for poor farmland • Hopes of trading furs and fishing industry faded due to poor hunting and fishing in the area • Some colonists traded corn with Native Americans for beaver furs • Made little money but formed a strong community • New arrivals from Europe helped to strengthen the colony and allow for more farming rights

9. Pilgrim Community • Pilgrim colony very different from Virginia • Many families • Children/Indentured servants educated • Families served as centers of religious life, health care, and community well being • All family members worked together to better the colony • Women cooked, cleaned, spun & wove wool, and sewed • Men farmed, repaired tools, chopped wood, and built shelters

10. Women in the Colony • Women had more legal rights in Plymouth than they did England • Could sign contract • Could sue • Widows could own property

11. Puritans Leave England • England suffered an economic crises in the 1620’s • King Charles I worsened the situation by raising taxes, leading to a political crisis as well • Church of England began to punish Puritans as dissenters

12. Great Migration • Between 1629-1640, many thousands of English men, women, and children left England • King Charles I granted a group of Puritans and merchants a charter to settle New England • Formed the Massachusetts Bay Company • 1630, a fleet of ships carrying Puritan colonists left England for Massachusetts seeking religious freedom • Led by John Winthrop

13. A New Colony • Puritans arrived in New England well prepared to start their colony • Brought many tools and livestock • Faced little resistance from Native Americans • Traded with the Plymouth Colony • Region around Boston promoted a healthful climate • Few died from sickness • 1691, Massachusetts Bay Colony expanded to include the Pilgrim’s Plymouth Colony

14. Religion and Government in New England • The Massachusetts Bay Colony had to obey English laws per their royal granted charter • However, their charter provided more independence than the royal charter of Virginia • Created a General Court to help run the Massachusetts Colony • Turned the court into a self-government to represent the needs of the people • Each town sent 2 or 3 delegates to court • After John Winthrop’s term of service, the General Court elected a governor and his assistants • 1644, the General Court became a bicameral (2 House) legislature

15. Religion and Government in New England • Politics and Religion were closely linked in Puritan New England • Government leaders were church members • Ministers were powerful • Voting privileges were reserved only for male church members • Thomas Hooker • Minister who left Massachusetts in 1636 to help found Connecticut • Wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut • Made Connecticut’s government more democratic • Allowed men who were not church members the right to vote • Outlined the powers of the General Courts

16. Religion and Government in New England • Not all Puritans shared the same religious views • Minister Roger Williams • Did not agree with Massachusetts leadership • Called for his church to sever ties with all other New England churches • Criticized unfair land practices towards Native Americans • Worried that Williams may damage colonial unity, he was forced to leave Massachusetts • Williams formed a new settlement called Providence, which later developed into the colony of Rhode Island • In Providence, Williams supported a separation of church and state as well as promoted religious toleration

17. Religion and Government in New England • Anne Hutchinson • Publicly discussed religious ideas that colonial leaders viewed as “radical” • Believed that human relations with God did not need guidance from ministers • Colonial leaders did not believe that women should be religious leaders and Anne Hutchinson was put on trial • Court decided to force her out of the colony • Left Massachusetts with her followers for Rhode Island

18. Religion and Government in New England • Salem Witch Trials • 1690’s, a group of girls in Salem, Massachusetts accused people of casting spells on them • Largest number of witchcraft trials • People were often pressured or forced to confess to practicing witchcraft • 19 people were executed for practicing witchcraft before the hysteria ended • Term “witch-hunt”

19. New England Economy • Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode island were very different from the Southern Colonies • Rocky soil • Not suitable for cash crops • Subsistence Farming: growing only enough to support your family • Little demand for farm laborers • Slavery not important to New England

20. Merchants • Trade was vital to New England • Local trade: furs, pickled beef, and pork • Trade with other Colonies • Trade overseas • Merchants grew wealthy • Became colonial leaders

21. Fishing • Rich fishing waters • Cod, Mackerel, and Halibut • Exportation of dried fish • Whaling • Killed with harpoons and dragged to shore • Provided oil for lighting

22. Shipbuilding • Shipbuilding emerged as an important industry • New England forests provided ship building materials • As trade expanded, seaports grew and more merchant ships were needed

23. Skilled Craftspeople • New England needed skilled craftspeople • Younger sons were often sent to learn skills such as blacksmithing or printing • Apprentices • Lived with master craftsman and learned from him • In exchange for room and board, apprentices performed simple tasks such as cleaning or sweeping • After a certain amount of time, apprentices became journeymen • Traveled and learned new skills in their trade • Eventually became trade masters themselves

24. Education in the Colonies • Education was important in New England • Families wanted their children to be able to read the Bible • Massachusetts Bay Colony passed some of the first laws requiring parents to provide their children with education

25. Education in the Colonies • Public Education • Communities established town schools to ensure that future generations would have educated ministers • 1647, the Massachusetts General Court passed an order that every township have a school • More schools in New England than in other colonies • Most colonial children stopped their education after elementary school

26. Education in the Colonies • Higher Education • 1636, Harvard College founded by John Harvard and the General Court • Educated ministers and met the needs of the colony’s higher education demands • 1700 • About 70% of New England men could read • About 45% of New England women could read