Chapter 3 Section 2: The New England Colonies

Pilgrims and Puritans: After the Protestant Reformation, religious tensions remained high. A group of Protestants called Puritans wanted to purify, or reform, the Anglican Church because they thought the bishops/priests had too much power. Extreme English Protestants also wanted to separate from the Church of England. One such group were the Pilgrims, and in the 1600’s they left England to escape persecution. They first immigrated to the Netherlands in 1608, but they did not want to have to learn the Dutch culture and language, nor did they want their children to lose their heritage. So after asking England for permission, they packed aboard the Mayflower and sailed for Virginia.

The Mayflower Compact: The Pilgrims landed north of VA, and instead landed at Plymouth Rock in present-day Massachusetts. Since their charter gave them lands in Virginia under the laws of the Virginian colonial government, they needed to make their own laws. The male passengers on the ship created and signed the Mayflower Compact, a legal contract promising fair laws to protect the general good. This was one of the first attempts at self- government in the English colonies. The settlers struggled through the winter and half of them died from sickness.

Pilgrims and Native Americans: The next spring a Native American named Samoset walked into the colony and spoke in broken English to the colonists (learned from English fishermen) and gave the people useful information. He also introduced them to a Patuxet Indian named Squanto, who showed them how to fertilize the soil with fish remains for healthier crops. This improved relations between the groups. To celebrate their success, the Pilgrims hunted wild turkeys and invited the chief and other Native Americans for a feast that became known as the first thanksgiving.

Pilgrim community: The Plymouth settlement had it’s problems, but the settlers overcame them. They had trouble farming and hunting, but traded with the Native Americans for food. Unlike the settlements in Virginia, they had many families. They educated their children, worshiped freely, and took care of one another. The women cooked, spun and wove clothing, made food and soap, and cared for the animals. The men repaired tools and worked in the fields., built shelters, and gathered wood. Women had more rights than they did in England, and could even own property.

Religion and Government in New England: During the 1620’s England economy suffered and the king had raised taxes to cover his losses. The Church was also punishing Puritans because they were criticizing the Church. These problems led to many English families leaving England. King Charles also granted a charter for the Puritans to settle in Massachusetts. The Puritans arrived with many supplies and livestock, and built the Massachusetts Bay colony. They traded with the Native Americans as well as the Plymouth colony, so they had fewer deaths than earlier colonies did. The charter they had allowed them more leeway under the law, so they were able to create a court of their own to govern their people.

Dissent amongst Puritans: Minister Roger Williams separated his church from the other New England congregations, and they made him leave MA. He took his supporters further south and they founded Providence, which was in an area that would later develop into the colony of Rhode Island. Once there, Williams supported the separation of church and state and religious tolerance for all. In Boston, Anne Hutchinson spoke out against the need for ministers to guide people in their relationship with God. Puritan leaders didn’t think that women should be religious leaders, so they forced her out of the colony. She left with her followers and founded Portsmouth (again in Rhode Island).

Salem witch Trials: The worst community conflicts in New England involved the witchcraft trials of the early 1690’s. The largest number of these trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of girls had accused people of casting spells on them. The community formed a special court to judge the witchcraft cases, and often the court pressured the suspected witches to confess. By the end of the Salem witch trials, 19 people had been put to death.

New England Economy: The New England climate was harsher than in the South, and the land was rocky. They could raise animals, but could not farm. Because of this, slavery wasn’t as important to them. Merchants did well, trading meat, furs and other goods. They became very wealthy and powerful. Fishing was another leading industry, as the waters of New England were rich with fish and whale. Shipbuilding became important as well, since the area had ample forest and the growing fishing industry needed quality ships. Other trades such as blacksmithing, weaving, and printing grew as well.