New England Colonies

New England Colonies, 1650

The Pilgrims in Plymouth ■Pilgrims were separatists who refused to worship in the Anglican Church, fled to Holland to avoid compromising religious beliefs ■Migrated to America in order to maintain distinct identity & settled in New England Mayflower Compact ■Formed the Mayflower Compact to create a “civil body politick” among settlers (became the 1 st American form of self-gov’t)

Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England (Anglican Church) from the Catholic influence. Separatist (also a form of Puritans) but wanted to total separation of the Catholic Church on the Church of England.

The Great Puritan Migration

Massachusetts Bay ■Formed in 1630 ■Puritans seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity. ■But were very intolerant of others.

“A City on a Hill” ■Winthrop emphasized a common spiritual goal: to create a “city on a hill” as beacon of righteousness ■New England experienced unique demographic & social trends: –Settlers usually came as families –NE was a generally healthy place to live –Settlers sacrificed self-interest for the good of the community

“A City on a Hill” ■As Mass Bay colony grew beyond Boston, towns began to develop their own unique personalities: –Had town meetings which was a form of direct democracy. –Allowed voting by all adult male church members –There economy was shipbuilding., fishing, lumbering, and subsistence farming. –Strong work ethic pushed

Pequot War ■The Pequot War was an armed conflict in between an alliance of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies with Native American allies (the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes) against the Pequot tribe.Massachusetts BayPlymouthNative AmericanNarragansettMohegan Pequot ■Most of the Pequot people, warriors or otherwise, were killed by the colonists and their allies, or captured and sold into slavery in Bermuda.slavery Bermuda

Education in New England ■NE towns regarded education as fundamental family responsibility; towns began to create elementary schools funded with local taxes: –NE had, by far, the highest literacy rate in America –In 1638, Harvard became America’s first college

Limits of Dissent: Roger Williams ■Puritans never supported religious toleration, esp Roger Williams: –Williams was a separatist who questioned the validity of the colony’s charter because the land was not bought from natives –Promoted “liberty of conscience” where God (not leaders) would punish people for their “wrong” religious ideas ■Expelled to Rhode Island in 1636

Limits of Dissent: Anne Hutchinson ■Anne Hutchinson believed she was directly inspired by God: Antinomianism –Believed that “converted” people are not subject to man’s laws, only subject to God’s laws (Antinomianism) –Challenged Mass Bay’s religious leaders ■Banished to Rhode Island

Mobility and Division ■Massachusetts Bay spawned 4 new colonies: –New Hampshire –Rhode Island –Connecticut –New Haven

Women in New England ■Was the colonial era the “golden age” for women? –Women contributed to society as wives & mothers, devout church members, & ran small- scale farms ■But were not equals with men: –Women could not legally own or sell property; divorce difficult –Women did what God ordained

Social Hierarchy in New England Local gentry of religiously devout families guided town meetings Large population of yeomen farmers loyal to the local community Small population of landless laborers, servants, & poor NE churches focused on its members; outsiders were not welcomed & often moved away

King Philip’s War ■In 1675, Metacomet (“King Philip”) led the Wampanoag Indians against NE colonists: –1,000+ Indians & colonists died Dominion of New England –Large war debt led James II to annul the Mass Bay charter & create the “Dominion of New England” by combining Mass, Conn, RI, Plymouth, NY, NJ, & NH under a new royal charter

Witchcraft in New England ■Charges of witchcraft were common in New England ■But the “Salem panic” of 1691 led to 20 public executions before the trials were halted in 1692 ■Possible causes: –argument over church ministers –poor farmers accusing rich farmers to gain land –reactions to independent women

Salem Witch Trials