Session 3: Exploration

and Colonization

The New England

Colonies

Class Objectives

• Locate and Identify the 4 New England colonies and the 2 original settlements of the Pilgrims and Puritans.

• Explain the Puritan Covenant Community, its relationship to the Mayflower Compact and the Puritan reason for leaving England

• Define 5 key aspects of Puritan society

• Analyze the Salem Witchcraft trials

• Explain 4 reasons for the decline of the Puritan Church.

• Justify the actions of Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson and Native Americans in their resistance to Puritan society.

• Define 4 aspects of the New England Economy

The New England Colonies

• Made up of Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, Rhode

Island and Connecticut.

• English religious dissenters

called Pilgrims leave Holland

and establish the Plymouth

Colony in 1620.

• The Massachusetts Bay

Colony is established in 1629

by English Puritans seeking

religious freedom.

The Puritan Exodus

• “All other Churches of Europe are brought to desolation,

and our sins, for which the Lord begins already to frown

upon us and to cut us short, do threaten evil times to be

coming upon us, and who knows, but that God hath

provided this place to be a refuge for many whom he

means to save out of the general calamity, and seeing the

Church hath no place left to fly into but the wilderness,

what better work can there be, than to go and provide

tabernacles and food for her when she be restored.”

–John Winthrop (Governor of the Massachusetts

Bay Colony and leader of the Puritan movement)

A City Upon a Hill

• The Pilgrims were made to sign the Mayflower Compact which granted them religious freedom in exchange for loyalty to the British Crown.

• Like the Pilgrims, the Puritans left England to avoid religious persecution.

• The Puritans formed a Covenant Community, or holy society in accordance to the Mayflower Compact.

• According to John Winthrop, the Massachusetts Bay Colony would be a “City upon a hill” or a model for Christianity around the world.

Puritan Society

• Religious Principles

– Intolerant of anyone who did not follow the Puritan belief system

– Religion dominated all aspects of society, including the belief in predestination and the existence of the devil.

• Government

– Governed by religious officials called “the elect” who believed they were chosen by God to lead. No division between church and state.

– The community was governed through direct democracy in a town meeting setting.

• Society

– Male dominated society (women could not own property) and rigidly divided by social class.

– The community played an integral role in Puritan society and would become involved in marital and family disputes.

Check for Understanding

• What are the 4 New England Colonies?

• What are the 2 original New England settlements?

• What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact to the Pilgrims and Puritans?

• Why did the Puritans leave England?

• What is a “covenant community”?

• What is 1 characteristic of Puritan Religious life…Political life…Social life…?

Video: The Salem

Witchcraft Trials

• Based on the information in the video provide an example for each of the aspects of Puritan society discussed in class.

Part 1 Part 2

• How were the trials influenced by Puritan religious, political and social characteristics?

Decline of the Puritan Church

• Religious separatist groups as well as the hysteria caused by the Salem Witch trials convinced many that the Puritan Church had lost grip on society.

• In 1691, the new Massachusetts charter banned the practice of only allowing Puritan church members voting privileges.

• The Great Awakening, a religious movement in the 1730’s and 1740’s broke away from Puritan ideals and offered new sects of Christianity.

• The New England economy became extremely prosperous changing the focus from religion to gaining wealth.

Warm- Up Activity

• In a pair or small group, read pages 52-54 in your

text.

• On a the back of your notesheet, write down how

Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson and the Native

Americans responded to Puritan society. Be sure to

include their complaints and their response to

those complaints.

Puritan Dissenters

• Roger Williams:

Complaint: believed that the Puritan church had no right to punish settlers for their religious beliefs.

Response: fled the church and founded Rhode Island

• Anne Hutchinson:

Complaint: worshippers did not need church or ministers to interpret the bible.

Response: banished and later move to New Netherland (New York) for religious freedom.

• Native Americans:

Complaint: Puritans took their land and enforced strict laws on the Natives

Response: King Phillips War, although the Indians lost, New Englanders lost a huge portion of their men of military age.

New England Economy

• Geographic Conditions:– Rocky coastlines, rolling hills and

mountains made it difficult for farming but excellent for ports and a commercial economy.

• Types of farming: – small scale corn, wheat, and livestock due to

the poor soil and limited land. Fishing becomes a major staple.

• Goods produced: – ship building, and manufactured goods such

as leather, rum, and other artisan craft.

• Labor Force:– Although there were few slaves and

indentured servants, most of the labor force were professional artisans, craftsmen and farmers.

Check for Understanding

• How were the Witch trials influenced by religious, politicaland social tensions.

• What are the 4 causes for the decline of Puritan society.

• What were the complaints and responses of Williams, Hutchinson, and the Native Americans towards Puritan society.

• What were the geographic conditions, types of farming, goods produced, and labor forces that drove the New England Colonial economy.

Next Class

• Session IV: Exploration and

Colonization- The Middle

Colonies

• Review Tuesday

• Test next Thursday, 9/23