THE ENGLISH COLONIES1605-1774

THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES

THE BIG IDEAEnglish Colonists traveled to New England to gain religious freedom

MAIN IDEA #1The Pilgrims and Puritans came to America to avoid religious persecution

MAIN IDEA #2Religion and government were closely linked in the New England colonies

MAIN IDEA #3The New England economy was based on trade and farming

MAIN IDEA #4Education was important in the New England colonies

PILGRIMS V. PURITANSPuritans wanted to purify, or reform, the Anglican Church (Church of England)

Pilgrims wanted to separate from Anglican Church

Some pilgrims left England to escape persecution. They became immigrants, people who leave the country of their birth to live in another country

PILGRIMSLeft Netherlands in 1620Arrived at Plymouth Rock in present-day Massachusetts in late 1620

PILGRIMS AND THE MAYFLOWER COMPACTMayflower Compact: early attempt at self-government

Pilgrims agreed to have fair lawsAuthority of government based on covenants

PILGRIMS AND THE NATIVE AMERICANSSquanto taught Pilgrims to fertilize soilPilgrims celebrated first Thanksgiving with the Wampanoag Native Americans

PILGRIM COMMUNITYMost were farmersFamily members worked together

PILGRIM WOMENCooked, sewed clothing, wove woolHad more legal rights than in England

PURITANSPuritans were dissenters who disagreed with official opinions and church actions in England

Many thousands left England in Great Migration from 1629 to 1640

Puritan colonists led by John Winthrop went to Massachusetts to seek religious freedom

Established Massachusetts Bay Colony

PURITANSPuritan colonists led by John Winthrop went to Massachusetts to seek religious freedom

Established Massachusetts Bay Colony

“For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. Soe that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.”

-John Winthrop, 1630

RELIGION AND GOVERNMENTThe colonists established a General Court that turned into a type of self-government

Government leaders were also church membersDissenters were forced out of the colony

RELIGIOUS CONFLICTSThomas Hooker and followers founded Connecticut to make government more democratic

“Father of American democracy”

RELIGIOUS CONFLICTSRoger Williams founded Providence and supported the separation of church and state

RELIGIOUS CONFLICTSAnne Hutchinson questioned teachings of Puritan leaders and was forced out of the colony

Believed that people could have a relationship with god without ministers

RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS In the 1690s Salem held the largest number of witchcraft trials. Nineteen people were put to death

NEW ENGLAND ECONOMYFarming

Harsh climate and rocky soil meant few cash cropsMost farming families grew crops and raised animals for their own use

Little need for slaves

NEW ENGLAND ECONOMYTrade

Merchants traded goods locally, with other colonies, and overseas

Fishing was one of region’s leading industriesShipbuilding was also an important industry

NEW ENGLAND ECONOMYWomen

Ran farms and businessesPracticed Medicine

EDUCATIONPublic EducationCommunities established town schools.Students used New England Primer, which had stories from the Bible.

The ability to read the bible was the main reason for public education.

Most children stopped education after elementary grades.

EDUCATIONHigher Education Important to colonists John Harvard and the General Court founded Harvard College in 1636.

College of William and Mary founded in Virginia in 1693.

THE BIG IDEAEnglish Colonists traveled to New England to gain religious freedom

MAIN IDEA #1The Pilgrims and Puritans came to America to avoid religious persecution

MAIN IDEA #2Religion and government were closely linked in the New England colonies

MAIN IDEA #3The New England economy was based on trade and farming

MAIN IDEA #4Education was important in the New England colonies

SHORT ANSWER1. What made the Pilgrims decide to immigrate to America?

2. Which of Anne Hutchinson’s beliefs angered Puritan Church leaders? Why?

3. New England had plenty of forests. How do you connect this fact to the economic importance of certain industries in the region?

4. What factors helped the Puritans succeed in establishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

5. How did Squanto aid the Pilgrims in Plymouth colony?

6. Why did New England colonists think education was especially important?

QUESTION #1 What made the Pilgrims decide to immigrate to America?

Religious tension in England remained high after the Protestant Reformation. Tension arose between Pilgrims and the Church of England because Pilgrims thought bishops and priests had too much power over church members. Pilgrims were Separatists, people who wanted to separate from the Anglican Church. Anglican leaders punished Separatists. To escape punishment, Pilgrims immigrated to the Netherlands. When they began to fear that their children were losing their connection to the Dutch culture and language, they got a charter from England to start a colony in America.

QUESTION #2 Which of Anne Hutchinson’s beliefs angered Puritan Church leaders? Why?

Anne Hutchinson believed that people could have relationships with God without the help of ministers. This belief posed a threat to the authority of the Church in the community. If people didn’t need ministers, they didn’t need the Church.

QUESTION #3 New England had plenty of forests. How do you connect this fact to the

economic importance of certain industries in the region?

The shipbuilding industry benefited economically from the huge supply of wood provided by the region’s forests. They used it to build different types of ships and boats in order to meet the demands of various traders. The ships they built helped the fishing industry as well as merchants who used the ships for trading purposes. Shipbuilding also attracted skilled craftspeople to the region.

QUESTION #4 What factors helped the Puritans succeed in establishing the

Massachusetts Bay Colony?

The best answers will name at least three of the following factors: Puritans arrived well prepared to start their colony, having brought tools and livestock. The climate around Boston was healthful so few Puritans died from illness. The local Native Americans offered little resistance to the Puritans. The Massachusetts Bay Colony also benefited from trade with the Plymouth Colony.

QUESTION #5 How did Squanto aid the Pilgrims in Plymouth colony?

Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to fertilize the soil with fish remains. Squanto also helped the Pilgrims establish relations with the Wampanoag Indians. Both of these things led to the improvement of conditions in Plymouth colony.

QUESTION #6 Why did New England colonists think education was especially important?

They thought it was especially important for religious reasons. They wanted their children to learn to read the Bible. They also wanted to educate future ministers.