The New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies Unit 1, Lesson 3

Essential Idea The New England colonies were largely settled for religious reasons. Following the English Civil War, the Middle and Southern colonies were settled.

Religious Problems in England Puritans- wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church through reform Separatists- decided the Anglican Church was too corrupt to be reformed and left England Pilgrims- this group of Separatists sailed to America in 1620

Pilgrims Arrive On the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and others sailed for Virginia but landed at what is now Massachusetts The colonists signed the Mayflower Compact, agreeing to establish a government ruled by majority The colonists formed Plymouth (1620), led by William Bradford

Early Troubles Plymouth suffered from a plague that left only 50 alive The colonists also struggled to grow food in the cold and rocky environment Squanto, from the Wampanoag tribe, taught colonists how to grow food In 1621, the Wampanoag and colonists celebrated a successful harvest (basis for Thanksgiving)

Massachusetts Bay Colony In 1630, Puritans (non-Separatist) left England to escape persecution They formed Massachusetts Bay Company and left for America, led by John Winthrop Winthrop wanted the colony to be a Christian model for the world, calling it a “city upon a hill”

Puritans Migrate Great Puritan Migration- over 20,000 Puritans left England for America Eventually (1691), Plymouth was absorbed into the much larger Massachusetts Bay colony Boston became a major city and eventually the beginning point of the American Revolution

Massachusetts Bay Government The General Court and churches were governed separately but were closely related The General Court passed laws regulating moral behavior and supporting churches with taxes Churches were governed by “church members” who had had “conversion experiences”

The Puritans and Heresy Puritans had no tolerance for heretics, (people who disagreed with the church) Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts for heresy Williams helped establish Rhode Island, where he allowed religious freedom Anne Hutchinson was also banished when she challenged the authority of Puritan leaders

New Hampshire (and Maine) The land above Massachusetts was split into New Hampshire and Maine New Hampshire became a royal colony Maine was considered part of Massachusetts until 1820

Connecticut Thomas Hooker founded Connecticut so non-church members could participate in government too Fundamental Orders of Connecticut- first written Constitution in America

War with Indians (again) Overall, these northern colonies (future states) became known as “New England” The Wampanoag and New Englanders initially got along through trading for furs Over time, New Englanders wanted more land and wanted the Wampanoag to adopt English laws, customs, and Christianity

King Philip’s War Tension peaked with the outbreak of King Philip’s War in 1675 The Wampanoag were led by “King Philip” (Metacomet) The colonists killed King Philip and destroyed many Indian villages King Philip’s War represented the last major stand of Indians against New Englanders How did Chesapeake and New England colonists compare in their relationships with American Indians?

New England in 1650

The Dutch Settle in America The Middle Colonies are Settled: The Dutch (Netherlands) settled the area between England’s New England and Chesapeake colonies Henry Hudson explored the region that the Dutch claimed as “New Netherland” The main settlement, on Manhattan Island, was called “New Amsterdam”

England Takes New Netherland The English Civil War had disrupted English settlement in America Following its Civil War, England used its superior military to easily take New Netherland from the Dutch New Netherland became “New York” and New Amsterdam became “New York City” New York City, like Boston, became a major trading area New York

Quakers A religious group arose in England known as the Quakers (Society of Friends) Quakers were pacifist (anti-violence) and believed in religious toleration Quakers thought everyone had an “inner light” and believed all sexes and races were equal

Pennsylvania The English king granted William Penn, a Quaker, land in America that became Pennsylvania Pennsylvania had complete religious and political freedom and Philadelphia was the capital Pennsylvanians respected Indians and coexisted with them peacefully (unlike most English colonies) A wider variety of European immigrants came to Pennsylvania than any other colony Quakers in Pennsylvania

The Carolinas Carolina: Carolina was established as a single colony but developed into two separate regions

South Carolina Had good harbors and wealthy port cities (like Charles Town) The slave trade flourished here

North Carolina Bad harbors, contained many poor farmers and few slaves Independent-minded people moved in from Virginia and South Carolina

Georgia Georgia was settled as a refuge for England’s poor people Slavery and alcohol were initially banned Georgia was a “buffer colony” between English colonies and Spanish-owned Florida