Plymouth and the New England Colonies

Review Settlers and colonists came to the New World for three main reasons: Search for Religious Freedom Economics Opportunities Find Work Colonists wanted to escape religious persecution, they wanted to invest in joint-stock companies (the Virginia Company), and they wanted to find new opportunities for work.

Seeking Religious Freedom The Jamestown settlers had come to America in search of wealth. The next group of English colonists arrived in search of religious freedom. Remember this? King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church in the year 1534. This upset many English citizens.

Two groups of people formed: Puritans- the Protestants who wished to reform the Anglican Church. Puritans wanted to purify the church. Separatists- Those people who wanted to set up their own churches. Separatists wanted to separate from the church.

The Pilgrims Settle Plymouth In 1620 a group of Separatists decided to move to America. They became known as the Pilgrims. A pilgrim is someone who undertakes a religious journey. The Pilgrims were able to get grants of land from the Virginia Company. They got permission to settle in Virginia and to practice their religion freely. They boarded a ship called the Mayflower and left to begin their new lives.

Journey in the Mayflower The Mayflower drifted (sailed) off course on its journey across the Atlantic. The first land the Pilgrims sighted was Cape Cod, which was North of their target. It was November and they knew that winter/bad weather was coming. They went ashore on a cold day in December at a place they called Plymouth.

The Mayflower Compact Plymouth was outside the territory of the Virginia Company and its laws. While they were still on the ship, the Pilgrims signed a document they called the Mayflower Compact. The document set up an organized, orderly government. Each signer promised to obey the laws passed “for the general good of the colony.” This was a key step in setting a representative, democratic government in America.

Native American Help During their first winter in America, almost half of the Pilgrims died. Illness, hunger, and cold took a terrible toll. In the spring, however, two Native Americans, Squanto and Samoset, became friends with the colonists. Squanto and Samoset taught the Pilgrims to grow corn, beans, and pumpkins as well as showed the colonists where to hunt and fish. The colonists might not have survived without their help.

Squanto and Samoset They also helped the Pilgrims make peace with the Wampanoag people who lived in the area. For a little while, both groups lived together in harmony. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims included their new Wampanoag friends in a feast of thanksgiving.

New England Colonies Besides the founding of Plymouth, the New England colonies consisted of several other colonies: The Massachusetts Bay Colony Connecticut Rhode Island These colonies all considered religion to a key factor in moving to the New World.

Massachusetts Bay Colony In 1629 a group of Puritans formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They received a royal charter to establish a colony north of Plymouth. The company chose John Winthrop to be the colony’s governor. In 1630, Winthrop led about 900 men, women, and children to Boston. During the 1630s, more than 15,000 Puritans moved to Massachusetts to escape religious persecution and economic hard times. This movement was called the Great Migration.

Massachusetts Bay Colony Unlike the Plymouth Colonists, Winthrop and his assistants made the colony’s laws. After some time, adult male church members were allowed to vote- later, property needed as well. The Puritans came to America to put their religious beliefs in to practice. However, they had little tolerance for different beliefs. They strictly enforced their religious rules- Theocracy. This lack of tolerance led people to form new colonies.

Connecticut The leader of this group was Thomas Hooker. He did not like how Winthrop and other Puritan leaders ran the colony. In 1636 Hooker led his congregation to the Connecticut River Valley where they new they could farm successfully. He founded the town of Hartford. In 1639 they adopted a plan of government called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was the first written constitution in America- A major step forward in shaping the government we have today.

Rhode Island A minister named Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island. Williams felt that government should not force people to worship in a certain way. Williams was forced out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, so he founded the town of Providence. Rhode Island, with is policy of religious toleration, became the first place in America where people of all faiths could worship freely.