They are the ones in the North. We have clever names for things. Northern Colonies They are the ones in the North. We have clever names for things.

Let’s start with the basics. Climate- Mild summers, harsh winters. Soil- Mostly rocky, made farming difficult but not impossible. As a result, lots of merchants since farming was a tough way to make a living.

Who founded them? Puritans- They were English who wanted to “Purify” the English church. They set up a settlement in Plymouth (current day Massachusetts) as a “Holy Experiment.” Unlike the Jamestown settlers, their motivation was religious.

Massachusetts Bay Colony Founded in 1629, led by John Winthrop It was run by very strict Puritan laws, eg. No drinking, no dancing, no arguing with your wife, etc… There was no distinction between Church and State, the leaders of the Church were also the political leaders.

“A City Upon a Hill.” This famous phrase was coined by Winthrop and is Biblical in nature. It means that he wanted the Mass. Bay Colony to be the pious example for the rest of the world. This attracts many Puritan families (another difference than Jamestown).

Roger Williams He didn’t believe that people should be forced to follow a religion. This view makes him unpopular and he is kicked out of the colony. He leaves and founds Providence, which is in present day Rhode Island.

Anne Hutchinson She doesn’t believe that you need “organized religion” in order to properly worship God. This makes her unpopular with the leaders of Mass. Bay, and she too is kicked out. She heads to Rhode Island as well, where Williams allowed religious toleration.

Conflict with Natives As Massachusetts and Rhode Island expand, they come in constant conflict with the Native Americans. Pequot War- Connecticut 1637 Pequot tribe was upset with the expansion of settlers and retaliated. Settlers form alliance with the Narragansett tribe and brutally kill most of the Pequot.

King Phillip’s War Massachusetts, 1675 Metacomet (Wampanoag Chief, called King Phillip by the English) organizes a revolt against Puritan settlements throughout New England. English fight back and eventually win (after 1 year) but they lost 10% of their military aged men.