The Development of the English Colonies

Four Colonial Regions

New England

Middle

Southern

Backcountry

The New England Region

Massachusetts

Vermont

New Hampshire

Connecticut

Rhode Island

The Voyage of the Mayflower

In the early 1600s, a religious group called the Separatists called for a break with the Church of England

The Pilgrims were a Separatist group who received harsh treatment under the reign of King James

They first left England for Holland

The Voyage of the Mayflower

Pilgrims received a charter from the Virginia Company to settle in North America

The Mayflower landed at Plymouth in November 1620.

Plymouth was outside of the Virginia Company’s boundaries so the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact.

Helped establish the idea of self-government and majority rule

The Pilgrims Found Plymouth

Half the group was dead by

spring…..why?

The Pilgrims Found Plymouth

Native American named Squanto taught them how to plant, hunt, and fish

Squanto acted as translator between Pilgrims and groups such as the Wampanoag, Pequot, and the Narragansett

Traded with Native Americans and shipped lumber back to England for profit

Celebrated the first Thanksgiving sometime in the fall of 1621 with the Native Americans

The Pilgrims Found Plymouth

The Puritans Come to Massachusetts Bay

Puritans left England between 1630 and 1640 to escape bad treatment by King James I

Didn’t want to break from Church of England – wanted to reform, or “purify”, its practices

They left England by the 1000s. Became known as the Great Migration.

The Puritans Come to Massachusetts Bay Received a royal charter to

settle in New England and arrived in 1630.

Arrived with 11 well-supplied ships and 1000 passengers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Colonial governor John Winthrop stated the new colony would be a commonwealth, a community in which people work together for the good of the whole.

The New England Way

Meetinghouse• Church• Town

meetings

• Only male church members could vote or hold office

• Elected representatives to lawmaking body called General Court

EVERYONE HAD to attend church

“New England Way” describes both Puritanbeliefs and society• duty• godliness• hard work• honest

Work ethic helped New England colonies grow rapidly

All children required to learn to read by law so they could read the Bible

Connecticut Is Formed

In 1636, Thomas Hooker moved his congregation to the Connecticut Valley

Wrote and adopted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1639

Extended voting rights to non-church members and limited the power of the governor

New Hampshire

First village founded at Portsmouth in 1623

John Wheelwright established the town of Exeter in 1638

Town founders drew up the Exeter Compact; modeled after the Mayflower Compact

Challenges to Puritan Leaders

Roger Williams

He founded the Baptist church and the colony of Rhode Island

He opposed forced church attendance and the taking of Native American land

Anne Hutchinson

Challenged church authority by conducting discussions in her home

Believed a person could worship without the help of a church, minister, or Bible

Fled to Rhode Island in 1638

Challenges to Puritan Leaders

Quakers believed each person could know God through an “inner light” without the help of a minister or Bible.

Also believed in fair treatment of Native Americans

Quakers were whipped, imprisoned, and hanged.

The Towns of New England

As Puritan congregations grew, so did the towns surrounding the churches

Land divided up among members of congregations

Tradespeople, like blacksmiths and carpenters, set up shops to meet the needs of the townspeople

The Farms of New England

Farming in New England was not a common way of life for most

Practiced subsistence farming, which is to grow enough for your family but not enough to make a living off of

Why do you think New Englanders didn’t grow large cash crops?

The Farms of New England

Short growing seasonCooler average spring and fall

temperaturesSoil is very rocky and sandy

Crops crave rich, moist soil

Cities of New England

Harvesting the Sea

The forests abundant timber and cities on the coast made shipbuilding a main source of income

The Atlantic Ocean was described as “…a great pasture where our children’s grandchildren will go for bread!” Fishing

Whaling

Trade

Triangular Trade

Effects of New England Growth

King Phillip’s War

Navigation Acts

Changes in Puritan Societies

Salem Witchcraft Trials

King Phillip’s War

Differences in ideas of land ownership between Europeans and colonists

As towns and settlements grew, European encroachment of Native American land led to conflict

King Phillip’s War, from 1675 – 1676, occurred between the Wamponoag and the Puritans

The Wamponoag suffered greatly: Casualties

Sold into slavery in the West Indies

Forced to become laborers for English towns

Navigation Acts of 1651

Designed to ensure England received part of New England’s trading profits 1. All shipping had to be done in English ships or ships

made in English colonies.

2. Products such as tobacco, wood, and sugar could only be sold to England or its colonies.

3. European imports to the colonies had to pass through English ports.

4. Any colonial good not shipped to England would be taxed.

To avoid paying taxes, many goods were traded illegally, or smuggled.

Changes in Puritan Society

Economic success led many to care less about religion

Increasing competition from other religious groups

Massachusetts received a new royal charter in 1691 that granted the right to vote based on land ownership – not church attendance

The Salem Witchcraft Trials