Lesson 2: The New England colonies Chapter three Lesson 2: The New England colonies

Chapter 3 vocabulary words used in this lesson Dissent- to disagree with or oppose an opinion Persecute- to mistreat a person or group on the basis of their beliefs Tolerance- the ability to accept or put up with different views or behaviors

Seeking Religious freedom In 1534, King Henry the VIII of England established the Anglican church. Over the years, the church’s belief system changed. Two groups dissented, disagreeing with the church’s beliefs and practices. The Puritans wanted the church to go back to the way it was originally. The Separatists wanted to form a completely new church. The Separatists were persecuted because of their beliefs.

The pilgrims settle Plymouth In 1620 a group of Separatists decided to go to America They became known as Pilgrims They got permission to settle in Virginia and practice their religion freely. They sailed on the ship the Mayflower. Unfortunately, they drifted off course and landed in present-day Massachusetts.

The mayflower compact The Pilgrims called the place they landed, Plymouth. Since they were not in Virginia, they decided they needed a government. They drew up a document called the Mayflower Compact It was a key step in the development of representative, democratic government in America.

Native American help During their first winter in America, almost half of the Pilgrims died. Illness, hunger, and cold were the biggest dangers to the colonists. With the help of the Wampanoag people, especially Squanto and Samoset, the colony survived. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag celebrated with a feast of thanksgiving.

New colonies In 1629 a group of Puritans formed the Massachusetts Bay Company. They received a royal charter and John Winthrop was made the colony’s governor. Most of the 900 colonists settled in a place called Boston. By the 1630s, 15,000 Puritans had settled in Massachusetts. The Puritans came to America for religious freedom although they showed little tolerance for different beliefs.

Connecticut In the 1630s people started to settle west of Boston. The leader of these people, Thomas Hooker, did not like how Massachusetts leaders were running things. In 1636 led his followers to the Connecticut River Valley. In 1639, they drew up a plan for government called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

Rhode Island In 1636, Roger Williams settled Rhode Island. He had been banished from Massachusetts because of religious dissent. The Narragansett tribe sold land to Williams and he founded the city of Providence. Rhode Island became a safe place where people of all faiths could worship freely.

New Hampshire In 1638 John Wheelwright led a group of dissidents from Massachusetts to found the town of Exeter. They called their new colony New Hampshire. It became an independent colony in 1679.

New England Colonies Climate: Generally, this region has long winters and thick, rocky soil. This made large scale farming difficult. Many people turned to the ocean to make a living. Colony Names: Massachusetts Connecticut Rhode Islands New Hampshire

Conflict with Native Americans As settlers spread across New England, they often came into contact with Native Americans. At first, they traded with each other. However, conflicts arose. Starting in 1675, the Wampanoag and colonists fought a 14 month war against each other. The colonists won. This forever destroyed the power of the Native American tribes in New England.