English Colonization of New England

Puritans Reformation of Anglican Church Too much like Catholics Followed teachings of John Calvin People were born sinners Predestination Predestination – Salvation is predetermined by God since he was all knowing. However, if you’re a Puritan, God has probably chosen you, assuming you stick to the strict doctrine of the church

Plymouth Colony – 1620 Settlement of North America – Virginia Co. (Joint Stock) Landed in Mass. south of modern day Boston Pilgrims called Separatists –isolation was good Mayflower Compact Democracy in America William Bradford After rejection in England and failing to establish a successful colony in Holland, this group of Puritans worked with the Virginia Company to establish a new colony in Northern Va. Instead of disembarking in Virginia, they landed in Mass. south of modern day Boston and established a colony far from Jamestown or England Separatists - they felt the British empire and its Anglican teaching could not be reformed, so they separated from them Not everyone on board the Mayflower was a Puritan and before they disembarked they formed an agreement signed by all members to live by the rules they determined in the Mayflower Compact – which said that the colonists must abide by the will of the majority an agreement to legislate for the good of the people Not a constitution because it did not detail laws/regulations but opened the door for democratic governance

Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630) Est. a Royal Colony - Boston Puritans - non-separatists Governor – John Winthrop Winthrop called the colony a “City on the Hill” Built Fenway Park Est. a Royal Colony Eleven ships carrying several hundred people landed in Boston. Governor – John Winthrop Religion: non-separatists Winthrop called the colony a “City on the Hill” They wanted to create a religious society that was the paragon of virtue. A model for those people in England to follow hoping that Anglican reform would take place. Government: Town Councils were created Members of the church were council members Although they were not church officials they were all high ranking people within the church, so the church effectively made the laws To vote you needed to be a male, landowner, and a member of the church in good standing. Economy Did not long for riches, but they did want to make enough to support themselves and grow as a colony Small farms, furs, lumber and fishing were the primary exports

Puritan Work Ethic Worship & hard work were tenets of Puritanism They reserved some time for leisure, but not much

New England Local Government Town Councils Church officials not allowed Must be church member - high ranking people were elected Vote: male member of the church in good standing For a short period of time, you also had to be a landowner to vote

New England Education Old Deluder Acts – grammar school in every town – Why? New England Primer

Economy in New England Subsistence farming Lumber, fur, naval stores, fish, shipping Did not want for gold What was the Puritan philosophy of business? What was the Puritan philosophy of business? Did not believe in making excess profits. Merchants were simply middlemen who profited from producing nothing

Native Relations in New England Got along at first Indians were pagans/wild Puritans leaders feared Indian life would appeal to some Puritans Some conversion attempts Got along at first Indians were pagans - surrendered to their worst instincts Living in the wild instead of laboring hard to conquer and transcend nature Puritans feared that the Indian lifestyle would seduce their people to join the Indian ranks To prevent this the Puritans changed the land They cut down forests Created farms Built English looking structures They also tried to convert the Indians they encountered

Native American Tensions N Englanders felt Indians underutilized the land. Land transactions were often misunderstandings Tensions from cutting down forests to farm, graze, build houses Led to conflict N Englanders saw the Indians as underutilizing the land. They tried to buy/trade for tracts of land Often there was a misunderstanding with regard to the terms of the agreements New Englanders looked at the transaction as taking ownership of the land Natives looked at it as the English being allowed to use the land Colonists would be upset when they saw Indians walking on what they thought was their land Tensions also stemmed from the colonists cutting down forests to make fields for farming/grazing/ building houses

Religion in Mass Bay There was almost no tolerance for other religions and certainly not for religious dissent Roger Williams Anne Hutchinson There was almost no tolerance for other religions and certainly not for religious dissent Roger Williams – came to Mass in 1634 Believed in separation of church and state Believed in treating Indians as equals, souls to be converted He was kicked out of the colony and moved on to form Rhode Island in 1635-36 Anne Hutchinson Claimed that she received the word of God on her own from prayer and Bible study, therefore she did not need to hear God through her preacher She left for RI

Salem Witch Trials (1692) Salem, Mass Devil is trying to influence (lack of piety) Executed 20 people Cotton Mather Influential preacher Bought into hysteria Convinced devil was influencing people

First Great Awakening Secular Puritanism Jonathan Edwards – 1730s-1740s Fire and brimstone Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God Works for a while, by 1750s secularization continues Secular Puritanism Even though the piousness of the Puritans is dying out, the people of the North embrace the idea of hard work still This develops into a highly diversified, robust economy of commerce, financial services, industry, etc It flourishes because people work hard to excel and succeed This can be equated with the development of the North A movement that took place in NE, Middle and Southern colonies A revival of religious focus in an increasingly secular America People in NE more concerned with making money than being Puritans Safety Evangelical movement that took place in all sections of the country, across denominations (Presbyterians, Congregationalists (Puritans), Baptists)