1. New England Colony Massachusetts Founded in 1630 Founded by John Winthrop Presented by Amanda Dern and Zoe Schroeder

2. Geographical Characteristics & Climate Was rocky and had lots of sand. Was shaped by glaciers and covered with ice. The ice took away all the rich soil and it left a thin rocky layer of dirt. It was too sandy for farming so it was hard for them to farm. Summers were steamy hot and winters were bitterly cold. The growing season was short because it lasted from late May to early October. They had thick trees in the forests.

3. Reason For Settlement A place were they could serve their god and follow the rules of their bible. So they could have a fair vote in their laws. They wanted to form good communities.

4. Religious Beliefs They were Puritans Only Puritans could come to the church. Everyone could attend a town meeting. One law required all people to attend church services. They believed that they should set a good example for other people by following laws based on the bible.

5. Government They had self-government. Everyone could attend a town meeting, but only men who owned property could vote. They had more self government than people in most other European colonies. The puritans had some experience with self- government in England, Massachusetts.

6. Education Puritans wanted people to read the bible. Fifty or more families had to build a school to teach reading and writing. Parents thought that their children should learn about Christianity. Parents taught their children to read so then they could read the Bible. Once the kids knew how to read they could also read school books too. New England villages had more than 100 families build grammar schools.

7. Agriculture/Manufacturing The Agriculture was fishing and the food was livestock and corn and also lots of fish. The manufacturing was lumbering and ship building. They caught whales for whale blubber to use for the oil in lamps. The most common fish they caught was cod. Whaling was one of the most important industries in New England.

8. Settlements/Homes They lived in small wooden houses with few rooms or windows. Homes just had one main room, with a huge fireplace. A table stood in the middle of the room for meals. At night families slept on mattresses near the fire to keep warm. Wealthier families might have a second story or loft, where there would be more room for sleeping.

9. Towns/Cities Some major cities in Massachusetts were Boston, Quincy, Plymouth, Salem, Lexington, And Concord. A settlement first started in Plymouth and so went on. In 1620, the pilgrims set up a colony at Plymouth, what is now Massachusetts.

10. Other Interesting Facts Massachusetts children don’t have to go to school, they just have to go to the church meeting every Sunday. Massachusetts was named for “Large Hill Place”. Puritan religion shaped the government of Massachusetts Bay colony. The meeting house was the most important building in the puritan community. Puritans banished Roger Williams from Massachusetts.

11. Important People To Know Roger Williams Anne Hutchinson The Narragansett Indians The Wampanoag Indians Metacomet the leader of the Wampanoag Indians King Phillip Pequot Indians William Bradford