The New England Colonies Chapter 3 Section 2 The New England Colonies

The New England Colonies Pilgrims and Puritans Religion continued to be a problem in England after the Protestant Reformation Puritans- wanted to purify or reform the Anglican Church Bishops and priests had too much power Groups wanted to separate out and they start forming other churches Pilgrims separated and left England in the early 1600’s Moved to the Netherlands so they became immigrants (people who left the country of their birth to live in another country)

The New England Colonies Pilgrims continued The pilgrims weren’t happy that their children were being brought up under Dutch culture instead of English Formed a joint-stock company and headed toward Virginia Sept. 16, 1620- boarded the Mayflower and headed toward America Landed North of Virginia thus were not in the government controlled land and their charter was no good Formed their own set of laws- Mayflower Compact One of first attempts at self government http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp

The New England Colonies

The New England Colonies Pilgrims and Native Americans 1621- Somoset walked into the colonists settlement Had learned English from Fishing boats Gave Pilgrims information about the area Introduced them to Squanto Squanto a Patuxet Native American that knew English since he once had lived there Helped the fertilize soil and form a relationship with the Wampanoag Indians Pilgrims invited Chief Massasoit and 90 others for a celebration on the Harvest, became the First Thanksgiving

The New England Colonies Pilgrim Community Settlement was poor, but people had rights and kids were educated Most men were farmers Women did things like weave and other household work Women had many rights Could sign contracts, sue and if they were widowed then they could own land

The New England Colonies Puritans leave England Poor economy in England Many out of work, high taxes also Puritans were being punished by the Church of England Great Migration Between 1620 and 1640 thousands left England Puritans formed Massachusetts bay company 1630- John Withrop led the group to form a new settlement Formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony Grew very strong, Puritans had brought many tools and livestock with them, also had good trade with other colonies

The New England Colonies Religion and Government in New England Massachusetts Bay Colony had to follow English law but had much independence Had General Court to help run things Turned it into a self government Each town sent delegates to the Court 1644- became bi-cameral Government leaders were also church leaders Male Church member were the only people that could vote Colonists tried to become “God’s elect or chosen Full members in the church, gave them more rights

The New England Colonies 1636- Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts and formed Connecticut 1639- wrote “Fundamental of Connecticut More democratic than in Mass. First written “Constitution” of the Colonies Had courts and legislative powers Roger Williams Disagreed with Massachusetts Formed Rhode Island Separation of Church and State Religious Tolerance

The New England Colonies Anne Hutchinson Though of as radical Forced out of Massachusetts Formed Portsmouth which became part of Rhode Island Witch Trials 1690’s Salem girls accused of being witches, led to 19 people being put to death

The New England Colonies New England Economy Not good for farming Slavery wasn’t important to the region Developed good trade relationships Merchants grew wealthy Fishing became a huge part of the regions economy Whaling also was a major industry Shipbuilding took part due to the other water industries and the closeness of Forests to gather wood and good harbors There were very highly skilled workers and craftsmen in New England Set up guild system with master craftsman and apprentices learning the craft Journeymen were higher than apprentices and traveled learning their tasks

The New England Colonies Education Very important in New England Had to be able to read and write in order to read the Bible 1647- General Court of Massachusetts said that every town of 50 families must have a school Used the New England Primer as a textbook Most kids stopped education after elementary and went to work 1636- John Harvard founded Harvard College William and Mary was founded in 1693 By 1700- 70% of men and 40% of women could read and write in New England