New England Colonies

1. New England Colonies

2. The Voyage of the Mayflower • Early 1500s ACE – King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and established the Church of England, directly under control of the Crown of England • Separatists – Group who wanted to break away from the Church of England • The Pilgrims were a Separatist group who fled to Holland and finally North America • Broke a deal with the Virginia Company to settle within that company’s boundaries • Blown off course by wind, they landed in an area charted and named “New England” by John Smith • Onboard their ship (Mayflower), the men signed an agreement called the Mayflower Compact, in which they agreed to follow laws for the common good

4. The Pilgrims Found Plymouth • At Plymouth, Pilgrims endured a starving time – By spring half of the colonists died • Samoset (Pemaquid) and Squanto (Pawtuxet) helped the Pilgrims negotiate peace with Chief Massasoit and taught them how to fish, hunt, and grow crops • “Welcome, Englishmen” - Samoset • Pilgrims traded with Natives to acquire furs and lumber – Both could be shipped back to England for profit • Fall 1621 – Plymouth celebrated a good harvest by holding a three day feast (“Thanksgiving”) • Accounts also indicate that the Pilgrims helped Natives attack another tribe around this time

5. The Puritans Come to Massachusetts Bay • Between the 1630s and 1640s, the Puritans left England to escape bad treatment from King James I • Puritans sought to reform or “purify” the Church of England • The Great Migration – Thousands of Puritans leave England • 20,000 settled in New England • Puritan merchants invest in the Massachusetts Bay Company • By 1629 ACE, the company received a royal charter to settle in New England • 1630 ACE – 11 well-supplied ships carrying 1,000 passengers arrived in Massachusetts Bay • Puritans were well-prepared and did not suffer a starving time • Led by John Winthrop • Commonwealth – a community of people working for the common good

6. The New England Way • Basic unit of New England life – the congregation, a group of people who belong to the same church • People made laws and public decisions as a group in the meetinghouse • In Massachusetts Bay Colony only male church members could vote and hold office • Male members of a congregation could elect representatives to the General Court, which chose the governor • By law everyone had to attend church services • Sermons provided instruction to Puritans – “The New England Way” • Emphasized duty, godliness, hard work, and honesty • Believed vices such as dancing and playing games led to laziness • Strong work ethic – Believed God required you to work at your vocation • All children required to learn to read so they could read the Bible

7. Puritans Form New Colonies • 1636 ACE – Thomas Hooker moved his congregation to the Connecticut Valley • They wrote and adopted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticutin 1639 ACE • The orders were essentially a constitution, a plan of government • Extended voting rights to non-church members and limited the power of the governor • 1623 ACE – village near modern-day Portsmouth, New Hampshire is founded • 1638 ACE – John Wheelwright established the town of Exeter • They drew up the Exeter Compact, which was based on the Mayflower Compact

8. Challenges to Puritan Leaders • Roger Williams, a minister from Salem, Massachusetts, founded the first Baptist church in America • Williams opposed mandatory church attendance and taking Native American land by force • 1636 ACE – Williams left Massachusetts and founded the colony of Rhode Island • Rhode Island guaranteed freedom of religion and a separation of church and state in the government • Anne Hutchinson believed that a person could worship God without a church, minister, or Bible • She held discussion challenging church authority in her home • 1638 ACE – Hutchinson, after being brought to trial, is forced to flee to Rhode Island • Quakers – believed that each person could know God directly through an “inner light” • Believed in pacifism and treating Natives fairly • Many left for Rhode Island to escape persecution

9. King Philip’s War • Growing number of colonists began to push Natives off of their land • Europeans believed in private property which could be owned by individuals, while Natives believed that land belonged to everyone • 1675-6 ACE – Puritan colonists fought a war against Native Americans • King Philip was the English name for Metacom, leader of the Wampanoag • Metacom organized an alliance of tribes to fight the Puritans • Wampanoag lost the war (3,000 Natives killed [including Metacom], 500 enslaved, many were forced to become laborers) • Colonists lost around 600 settlers and 12 villages were destroyed • Colonists took more Native land

10. The Salem Witchcraft Trials • Late 1600s ACE - Several Salem, Massachusetts village girls were told stories about witches by Tituba, a slave from the West Indies • While pretending to be “bewitched,” the girls falsely accused others of practicing witchcraft • 1692 ACE – Witchcraft trials began with ministers acting as judges in religious courts • “Touch test” used to test witches • Clergy viewed the witch-hunts and trials as sign that God wanted villages to return to a strict lifestyle • Hundreds accused, 20 were executed (19 by hanging, 1 by pressing) • The experience showed how society can sometimes create scapegoats for its problems