New England colonies

In this section you will learn about the Pilgrims and Puritans, their relations with the Native Americans, and their settlement of the New England colonies.

New England

The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims were a religious group that separated from the Church of England, who in turn had separated from the Catholic Church.

With a voyage arranged by the Virginia Company, the Pilgrims set sail for America aboard the Mayflower and landed in Plymouth, New England in 1620.

Pilgrim’s Voyage to Plymouth

England Plymouth The Pilgrims lived on the ship for over a month before they left. The trip took 66 days. They lived on the ship during the first winter.

The Mayflower crew spotted Cape Cod on November 9 The Mayflower crew spotted Cape Cod on November 9.  The Pilgrims decided to head south, where it encountered rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked. Rather than risk another attempt, they decided to stay and explore Cape Cod, anchoring in Provincetown Harbor. They explored Cape Cod, trying to decide where they would build their plantation.  On December 25, 1620, they decided upon Plymouth.

Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock                                                                                  Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock

The Pilgrims landed outside the limits of the Virginia Company’s jurisdiction. For the sake of order, the Pilgrims signed an agreement to obey laws established for the good of the colony - the Mayflower Compact. This compact help establish the idea self-government and majority rule in America.

Signing of the Mayflower Compact, a painting by Edward Percy Moran, which hangs at the Plymouth Museum.

John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts. John Winthrop, governor of Mass. John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts.

Bradford's transcription of the Mayflower compact

Most of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower were men Most of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower were men. Men were the head of the family. Wives were expected to obey them. Children were expected to obey their Mother and Father. Some of the men brought their wives and children along. After the first winter, only 3 of the 17 wives were still alive to care for the 50 remaining men and children. Nearly half of all the pilgrims died that first winter.

After a devastating first winter, a Native American, Squanto, acted as an intermediary between the Pilgrims and local Native American tribes, who in turn taught the pilgrims to plant, grow, and fish.

The Plymouth settlement celebrated the blessings of the first good harvest, holding a three day feast. It was the first Thanksgiving.

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The Puritans

Between 1630 and 1640, a religious group called the Puritans fled England to escape bad treatment by King James I. This became known as the Great Migration.

In 1630, about 1,000 pilgrims, working for the Massachusetts Bay Company, settled in New England. John Winthrop became the colonies first Puritan governor.

                                

In 1636, Thomas Hooker moved his congregation to the Connecticut Valley, where they wrote and adopted a rudimentary constitution called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

Hooker's Company reach the Connecticut                                  

Roger Williams, a Salem Massachusetts minister, opposed the forced attendance at church and the taking of Native American lands by force practiced by the Pilgrim colonists. He fled to Rhode Island, where he established the first Baptist church in America.

Roger Williams

First Baptist Church in America First Baptist Church in America. Williams founded the congregation in 1638

In 1692, brought on by accusations from several young Puritan village girls pretending to be bewitched, more than a hundred people were arrested and tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witchcraft trials resulted in the execution of 20 people mainly by hanging.

The Quakers

Anne Hutchinson believed that a person could worship God without the help of a church, minister, or Bible. Another group that came to be known as the Quakers, held similar beliefs. Both groups sought sanctuary in Rhode Island after deplorable treatment by the Puritans.

Quakers in Pennsylvania meeting with Native Americans

Europeans believe that land could be owned by individuals Europeans believe that land could be owned by individuals. Native Americans believed it belonged to everyone. Between 1675 and 1676, fierce fighting over these differences, known as King Philips War, was ultimately won by the English settlers.

                                 King Philip, the son of Massasoit and chief of the Wampanoag. His Wampanoag name was Metacom, Metacomet, or Pometacom.

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