1. 2.3 The New England Colonies
A. Seeking Religious Freedom
1. It was not easy for people to practice religion freely in Europe during the 1500s.
a) Protestants and Roman Catholics fought constantly.
2. Most European rulers believed that they could not maintain order unless everyone followed the ruler’s religion.
a) The religion chosen by the ruler was known as the established church.
b) In England, the established church was the Anglican church or the Church of England.
c) In England, people who did not follow the Church of England were persecuted, or punished.

2. 2.3 The New England Colonies
3. One religious group in England that faced persecution were the people we now call the Pilgrims.
a) They were known as Separatists because they wanted to separate from the Church of England.
b) In the early 1600s, some pilgrims settled in Leyden, Netherlands because the Dutch allowed religious freedom.
c) The pilgrims missed their English way of life.
B. Plymouth Colony
1. A group of separatists decided to return to England.
a) Along with several Englishmen who were not Separatists, they won a charter to set up a colony in the northern part of VA.

3. 2.3 The New England Colonies
b) In Sept. of 1620, more than 100 men, women, and children set sail aboard a small ship called the Mayflower.
2. In November 1620, the Mayflower landed on the cold bleak shore of present day Cape Cod, MA.
a) They called their new settlement Plymouth because they sailed from Plymouth, England.
3. Before going ashore, the Pilgrims realized they would not be settling within the boundaries of VA.
a) Not everyone was a pilgrim.
b) On Nov. 11, 1620, the 41 male passengers, both pilgrim and non-pilgrim – signed the Mayflower Compact.
c) They agreed to enter into a “civil body politic” and to make laws for the general good of the colony.
4. The Mayflower Compact established an important tradition.

4. 2.3 The New England Colonies
a) Governing through elected representatives.
5. The Pilgrims were the first of many immigrants who came to North America in search of religious freedom.
a) That did not mean that they wanted to promote religious freedom within their own group.
b) Established religions were set up in each English colony.
6. The Pilgrims set up an important precedent, or example, for others to follow in the future.
C. Overcoming Hardships in Plymouth

5. 2.3 The New England Colonies
1. The Pilgrims had arrived to late to plant any crops and they didn’t bring enough food.
a) The harsh season was also difficult to survive because the Pilgrims did not build proper shelters.
b) A good portion of the people stayed on board the Mayflower.
c) Half the people died including the governor.
d) William Bradford was chosen as the new governor and he helped the colony survive.
2. Despite the great suffering, the Pilgrims’ faith remained strong.
a) In the spring, the Pilgrims began to clear the land and plant crops.
b) They received help from the neighboring Native Americans.

6. 2.3 The New England Colonies
c) A Pemaquid Indian, Samoset, had learned English from earlier sailing along the coast.
d) The Pilgrims were introduced to Massasoit, chief of the local Wampanoags.
3. The Wampanoag who helped the Pilgrims the most was Squanto.
a) Squanto was captured by John Smith during an expedition and spent some time in England, where he learned English.
4. Squanto brought the Pilgrims seeds of native plants – corn, beans, and pumpkins – and showed them how to plant them.
a) He also taught the Pilgrims to catch eels from nearby rivers.

7. 2.3 The New England Colonies
5. In the fall, the Pilgrims had a very good harvest.
a) The Pilgrims celebrated a thanksgiving with the local Native Americans.
b) Although celebrated every year, Thanksgiving didn’t become a National Holiday until 1941.
D. Forming MA Bay Colony
1. The migration to MA Bay during the 1630s was led by a religious group known as the Puritans.
a) Unlike the Pilgrims, the Puritans did not want to totally separate from the Church of England.
b) They wanted to reform the church.
c) Simpler forms of worship.

8. 2.3 The New England Colonies
d) No organ music.
e) No finely decorated houses of worship.
f) No special clothing for priests.
2. The Puritans were a powerful group in England.
3. Charles I, who became King of England in 1625, disapproved of the Puritans.
a) He canceled Puritan business charters and had some jailed.
4. By 1629, some Puritan leaders were convinced that England had fallen on evil and declining times.
a) The Puritans persuaded royal officials to grant them a charter to form the MA Bay Company.

9. 2.3 The New England Colonies
b) The company’s bold plan was to build a new society based on biblical laws and teachings.
c) John Winthrop, a lawyer and a devout Puritan, believed that the new colony would set an example for the world.
5. Some settlers joined the MA colonists for economic rather than religious reasons.
a) Younger sons of English wealthy families would seek cheap land or a chance to start a business.
6. In 1630, John Winthrop and 1,000 Puritans arrived in MA with Winthrop being chosen as the first governor of the MA Bay Colony.
a) Only stockholders in the colony could vote.
b) Non-voting members resented the fact that taxes were being passed without their consent.

10. 2.3 The New England Colonies
7. Winthrop and the other stockholders wanted the colony to run more smoothly so they let all male church members vote.
a) Later male church members also elected representatives to an assembly called the General Court.
8. Under the leadership of Winthrop, the MA Bay Colony flourished.
a) Between 1629 and 1640, 15,000 men, women, and children journeyed from England to MA creating the great migration.
E. New Colonies Form Over Religious Differences

11. 2.3 The New England Colonies
1. Disgruntled Puritans were asked to leave the colony and they formed new colonies.
2. In May 1636, a Puritan minister named Thomas Hooker led about 100 settlers out of MA Bay.
a) Hooker and his followers founded Connecticut with strict limits on the power of government.
b) The settlers wrote a plan of government called the Fundamental Orders of CT.
c) It gave voting rights to all white male property owners, and it limited the powers of the governor.
d) CT became a separate colony in 1662, with a new charter granted by the King of England.
3. Another Puritan to challenge MA Bay was Roger Williams.

12. 2.3 The New England Colonies
a) Williams’s ideas alarmed Puritan leaders.
b) He believed that the church had too much power, and that church leaders did not have the right to force people to attend religious services.
c) Williams sought to form a new colony.
4. Williams also believed in religious tolerance, which is a willingness to let others practice their own beliefs.
a) Non-Puritans were not allowed to worship freely.
b) In 1635, the General Court ordered Williams to leave the colony.
c) He fled to Narragansett Bay to live with Native Americans.
d) The Native Americans sold him land to start a colony which eventually became Rhode Island.
e) RI was a place of religious tolerance for all.

13. 2.3 The New England Colonies
5. Among those who fled to RI was Anne Hutchinson.
a) Hutchinson was a devout church goer, but she would disagree with some of the minister’s teachings.
b) Puritans believed that a woman did not have the right to question God’s law.
c) In Nov. 1637, Hutchinson was ordered before the MA General Court.
d) The court could not prove that Hutchinson broke any laws or went against any church teachings.
6. Hutchinson made a serious mistake when she declared that God spoke directly to her.
a) The Court ordered her out of the colony.

14. 2.3 The New England Colonies
b) In 1638, Hutchinson, along with some family and some friends, went to RI.
F. War Erupts Between Puritans & Native Americans
1. Coastal villages that made good harbors were ideal for fishing and shipping.
a) In 1680, the coastal towns north of Boston were made into the separate colony of New Hampshire.
2. Some colonial leaders like Roger Williams tried to treat the Native Americans fairly.
3. The largest conflict came in 1675 when the Wampanoag chief Metacom (King Philip) ordered attacks on New England villages.

15. 2.3 The New England Colonies
a) Other Native American groups allied themselves to the Wampanoag and destroyed 12 towns and killed 600 European settlers.
b) Metacom was captured and killed with his family being sold along with 1,000 other Native Americans into slavery.
G. The Towns of New England
1. Puritans believed that people should worship and tend to local matters as a community.
a) At the center of town was the common.
b) The Puritans took their Sabbath, or holy day of religious observance and rest, very seriously.

16. 2.3 The New England Colonies
2. At town meetings, which were normally held in meeting houses where the settlers worshipped, settlers discussed and voted on many issues.
3. Puritan congregations also discussed and voted on church issues.
a) This led to growth of democratic ideas.
b) Still, Puritan laws were strict, like in 1692, 20 innocent men and women were executed convicted of being a witch.
4. New England was a difficult land for colonists.
a) The rocky soil was poor for farming and required much labor.
b) Native Americans taught the settlers to grow many crops.