New England (or Northern) Colonies Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Connecticut

James I ruled England from 1603-1625 He was the first to call himself the “King of Great Britain” He struggled with Parliament – he felt he ruled by divine right He persecuted Pilgrims because: They did not believe he ruled by divine right They would not recognize him as leader of the Church of England

One group called Separatists (because they were appalled at the corruption of the English church & abandoned it) left England. First they went to Holland, but ultimately decided to start fresh in the New World. In 1620, they set sail for Virginia, but their ship, the Mayflower, went off course and they landed in modern-day Massachusetts. Because winter was approaching, they decided to settle where they had landed. This settlement was called Plymouth. The Separatists, however, wanted to leave the Church entirely. They felt that the Church of England was too corrupt to be salvaged. 30 Separatists aka Pilgrims (one of the Puritan groups) got on the Mayflower (had more than 100 people in it, including the Pilgrims)  Settled on Plymouth Rock (the site of an old Indian village wiped out by the epidemic of 1616-1618)

While on boards, the Pilgrims signed an agreement establishing a “Civil Body Politic” and a basic legal system for the colony. That agreement, the Mayflower Compact, is important because: (1) it created a legal authority and an assembly & (2) it asserted that the government’s power derives from the consent of the governed. The male settlers elected a governor and initially made all decisions for the colony at town meetings. Later, as the population increased, Plymouth created an assembly to which the landowning male settlers elected representatives

MAYFLOWER COMPACT The compact brought an element of democracy to America and was an example of the practice of self-government in the colonies.

PILGRIMS The Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony (1620)

Like the settlers in Jamestown, the Pilgrims received life-saving assistance from local Native Americans Squanto, from the Native American tribe of the Pokanokets spoke English, having earlier been captured by English traders and imprisoned in England for several years. Squanto served as the Pilgrims’ interpreter and taught them how to best plant in their new home. When he had returned from Europe, he found that his village had been wiped out be the great epidemic. * Important note: Interaction between Native Americans and settlers was rarer in Massachusetts than in Virginia because the Native Americans of Massachusetts had previously suffered a plague that had decimated much of the population

                                                                                                                                                                  During the 17th century, monarchs in Europe were Absolutists, or they believed that their power was given to them from God. Charles I of England publicly declared his believe in the divine right of kings. Insisted that a monarch’s power came directly from God & that it was his subjects duty to obey him The Puritans wanted to purify, or reform, the Church of England from within How do Puritans differ from Pilgrims? Likened the king’s absolute authority to a father’s authority over his children

PURITAN MIGRATION 1629 to 1640

In 1629, a powerful colony called Massachusetts Bay was established by the Congregationalists Driven out by Charles I Forced clergymen from their pulpits They resorted to secret meetings for worship The Congregationalists were Puritans. They became convinced that they could still do this, but pursue that aim in America. In a dramatic move, the Congregationalist merchants boldly decided to transfer to New England. The settlers would then be answerable to no one in the mother country and would be able to handle their affairs, secular and religious, as they pleased.

Led by Governor John Winthrop, Massachusetts Bay developed along Puritan ideals. All Puritans believed that they had a covenant with God, and the concept of covenants was central to their entire philosophy. Government was to be a covenant among the people; work was to serve a communal ideal, and of course, the true church (that is, the Puritan church) was always to be served. The Puritans believed that God had made a covenant – that is, an agreement or contract – with them when they were chosen for the special mission to America. In turn, they covenanted with one another, promising to work together toward their goals.

PURITANS Leader: John Winthrop To establish holy society --- “city upon a hill” Middle class settlers, educated and organized Ruled as “Bible Commonwealth” or theocracy New England Way = Puritan covenant with God Successful as fur traders, fishermen and shipbuilders

New England Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Connecticut good harbors small farms and towns trade centered around harbors hilly, forested and shallow soil cities: Boston 15,000 – 1750 fishing, lumber and trapping Family, religion and community Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Connecticut

Communities well organized PURITANS Pilgrims eventually merge with the Puritans to form Massachusetts Bay Colony Communities well organized Established towns Protestant Work Ethic Family values

Building the Bay Colony Who could vote in the town government? In town government, all property-owning males could vote in town meetings Since the idea of government was to enforce God’s laws, religious leaders (e.g. John Cotton) were very influential The clergy were barred from formal political office – early “church/state separation” Protestant work ethic, limited worldly pleasures, fear of hell

Both the Separatists and the Congregationalists did not tolerate religious freedom in their colonies, even though both had experienced and fled religious persecution - Two major incidents during the first half of the 17th century demonstrated Puritan religious intolerance:

(1) Roger Williams Teacher in the Salem Bay settlement taught a number of controversial principles: Church and state should be separate Challenged charter for illegally taking land from Indians The Puritans banished Williams, who subsequently moved to modern-day Rhode Island and founded a new colony in 1636 (aided by Indians) Rhode Island’s charter allowed for the free exercise of religion, and it did not require voters to be church members He told his follow settlers that: (1) the king of England had no right to grant them land already occupied by Indians (2) the church and state should be kept entirely separate (3) Puritans should not impose their religious beliefs on others This created a problem because Puritan leaders placed a heavy emphasis on consensus in both religion and politics. They could not tolerate significant dissent. Rhode Island adopted a policy of tolerating all religions, including Judaism. This forerunner of religious freedom eventually became one of the hallmarks of the United States.

(2) Mistress Anne Hutchinson Antinomianism = the belief that faith and God’s grace – as opposed to the observance of moral law and performance of good deeds – was suffice to earn one a place among the “elect.” Her teachings challenged Puritan beliefs and the authority of the Puritan clergy The fact that she was an intelligent, well-educated, and powerful woman in a resolutely patriarchal society also turned many against her. She was tried of heresy, convicted, and banished. The title Mistress revealed her high status. She greatly admired John Cotton, a minister who stressed the covenant of grace, or God’s free gift of salvation to unworthy human beings. Mistress Hutchinson began holding women’s meetings in her home to discuss his sermons. Mistress Hutchinson offered Puritans certainty of salvation, instead of a state of constant anxiety. Her approach also lessoned the importance of the institutional church and its members. She was interrogated by John Winthrop. She was able to cleverly defend herself. However, she triumphantly and boldly declared that God had spoken to her directly, explaining that he would curse the Puritans’ descendants for generations if they harmed her. That assertion assured her banishment. Several years later, after she moved to New Netherland, she and most of her children were killed by Indians. Mistress Hutchinson threatened not only religious orthodoxy, but also traditional gender roles. Puritans considered actual women inferior to men. They were almost as outraged by her “masculine” behavior as by her religious beliefs. Winthrop charged her with having set wife against husband, since so many of her followers were women.

Half-Way Covenant 1st generation’s Puritan zeal diluted over time Problem of declining church membership 1662: Half-Way Covenant – partial membership to those not yet converted (usually children/ grandchildren of members) Eventually all welcomed to church, erased distinction of “elect”

Population of the New England Colonies

CHART: THIRTEEN COLONIES Colony/Date Person Responsible Why Founded Governed/Owner Massachusetts 1621—Pilgrims Plymouth Colony 1630---Puritans Mass. Bay Colony William Bradford Pilgrims John Winthrop Puritans Plymouth merges with Mass. 1691 Religious freedom, avoid religious persecution, to start a “city upon a hill”, and to begin a new life. Mayflower Compact Theocracy General Court Royal Colony Rhode Island 1644 Formed from Mass. Roger Williams Exiled from Mass. Anne Hutchison Dissatisfied with Mass. Bay Colony Religious freedom Consent of the governed Self-governing colony Connecticut 1662 Rev. Thomas Hooker Religious freedom, exploring the frontier and settling new areas. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut New Hampshire 1679 John Mason Sir Ferdinando Gorges Part of Mass. Bay Colony and set up for greater opportunity in frontier---trade goods, fur, fishing & lumber industry

Growth of the Colonies: 1690

New England Spreads Out 1635: Hartford, Connecticut was founded by Dutch/English settlers. Some Puritans moved westward to Connecticut with Rev. Thomas Hooker 1639: Fundamental Orders – modern constitution established democratic government 1641: New Hampshire taken over by overly aggressive Bay Colony 1679: Annoyed by greed of Bay Colony, king arbitrarily separates it, becomes royal colony

As the population of Mass As the population of Mass. grew, settlers began looking for new places to live. One obvious choice was the Connecticut Valley, a fertile region with lots of access to the sea (for trade). The area was already inhabited by the Pequots, however, who resisted the English incursions.

The Pequot, once a powerful tribe, controlled all of Connecticut east of the Connecticut River. They numbered 2,500, and their name meant "Destroyer". The Pequot War of 1637 diminished their influence significantly. In 1655, the Pequot were resettled onto a strip of land near New Haven. Although the tribe gradually scattered, those that remained were subjected to great numbers of white settlers. By 1735, the colonists had encroached so severely on the Indians' land, cutting down their timber and stealing their crops, that the Pequots petitioned Governor Joseph Talcott for help. None was forthcoming, and the Pequot population continued to dwindle, so that by 1850 the number of full- blooded Pequot Indians was down to forty.

When the Pequots attacked a settlement in Wakefield and killed 9 colonists, members of the Mass. Bay Colony retaliated by burning the main Pequot village, killing 400, many of them women and children. The result was the near destruction of the Pequots in what came to known as the Pequot War. The Pequots were blamed, and agreed to a series of Puritan demands. In 1836, an English trader was killed by a Narraganseett (a Native Americans from another tribe) who fled into Pequot territory. When the Pequots refused to surrender him, the Massachusetts legislature drafted articles of war against the Pequot. They surrounded a Pequot fort on the Mystic river and set it afire. After they were defeated by colonists in the Pequot War of 1637, the Pequots' influence diminished significantly, and many of them were sold into slavery. In 1655, some Pequots were released and resettled onto a strip of land near New Haven. Although the tribe gradually dispersed, those that remained in Connecticut were forced to share their land with great numbers of English settlers. Although descendants remained by 1910 the number of full-blooded Pequot Indians was down to sixty-six.

Compare & Contrast: New England vs. Chesapeake Entire families tended to emigrate to New England; in the Chesapeake, immigrants were often single males The climate in New England was more hospitable, and so New Englanders tended to live longer and have larger families than Chesapeake residents A stronger sense of community led New Englanders to settle in large towns that were closer to one another Those in the Chesapeake lived in smaller, more spread-out farming communities = had tobacco has a cash crop

Similarities: Conflict with Native Americans Democratic traditions Contrast with Virginia: Different environments led to difference in economy Key role of religion & family in New England colonies

Population Comparisons: New England v. the Chesapeake

Which map is the Chesapeake?                                                                   Which map is of the New England colonies? Which map is of the Chesapeake colonies? Which map is the Chesapeake?