General New England Information

COLONIES NOTES

GENERAL NEW ENGLAND INFORMATION:

Religion: Religious beliefs often determined how the Puritans lived, worked, and spend their free time. People attended church on Sundays, the service often lasted most of the day; and people read the Bible. Puritans discouraged leisure activities such as plays, card games, etc. These activities were seen as a waste of time.

New England Towns: Most people lived in small towns. They wanted to feel like they were part of a community. At the center of town was the common, a parklike area shared by the townspeople for animals to graze (cattle, sheep, and other livestock). Houses were built along the common. Other buildings were an inn, general store, sawmills, and blacksmith shop. Many people used barter (trading) system.

Family: A fireplace was always kept burning in the main room of the house. Cooking was done, as well as heating water for cooking and washing. Pickling and storing fruits and vegetables was important so it would last through the cold winter. Women and girls made clothing, soap, candles, quilts. Nothing went to waste as supplies were limited (cloth, etc.). Men and boys hunted for food, furs, and hides. They cut firewood, worked in the fields, and made their own tools. They grew corn, wheat, rye, barley, pumpkin, squash. When they harvested their crops, they could trade some with England for paper, lead, paint, and other things they needed and could not produce.

Education: Important because they believed everyone should be able to read the Bible. Although some boys continued their education beyond the basics, most children did not go to school for very long because they were needed to help at home. Harvard was founded in 1636 as a place to train ministers. It was the first college in the colonies.

Economy: There was a struggle to farm because the soil was hard and rocky, and the winters were long and cold. Many raised herds of dairy cows and sheep. Surplus (extra) goods were sold or traded at local shops. Also, farmers traded or sold surplus livestock, grain, wool, fruit, and wood in port cities. At the docks, farmers bargained with merchants (free-market system). Merchants traded with other colonies and England. Lumber industry was big. New England had vast forests filled with trees. Shipbuilding helped contribute to the prosperity of the colonies. Because of the many coastal towns, fishing and whaling were big industries as well. Over time, the whale population declined, making whaling a harder way to make a living.

Jobs: cooper (built barrels), blacksmith (made iron tools and other things), constable (maintain order), town crier (call out news), grave digger, fence viewer (made sure fences that protect crops were in good condition).

Trade: Exports (products leaving the colonies) were to be sent to England only; imports (products coming into the country) were to be English-made only. The Middle PAssage was the long ocean journey that transported millions of enslaved Africans to the West Indies and then onto the colonies. The Triangular Trade Routes (map on page 226 of SS textbook) connected England, the English Colonies, and Africa.

Massachusetts -- NE

Origins: Plymouth - In 1620 Pilgrims left England on the Mayflower, headed for Virginia. They left for 2 reasons - economic opportunities and religious freedom. King Henry VIII had banned the Catholic Church in England and began the Church of England. You had to belong to that Church or you could be punished. At first called Separatists because they separated for the Church of England, they later became known as pilgrims (a person who makes a journey for religious reasons). The Virginia Company had already established a successful colony at Jamestown and was paying for this trip as well. A storm blew them off course and they landed in Massachusetts, Cape Cod. They didn’t have permission to stay in Massachusetts. The Virginia Company wanted any gold or silver found in the New World. They were led by William Brewster, a Puritan preacher; they named the colony Plymouth. John Carver was elected the first governor, he was followed by William Bradford. The first winter was very hard -- by spring there were only 50 out of the original 102 settlers. Population remained low for the next 10 years.

Massachusetts Bay Colony - In 1629 King Charles I of England allowed some wealthy businessmen to start this colony with a charter. They were to set up a trading business. They also wanted to grant religious freedom to settlers. Massachusetts Bay Colony at Salem was the second settlement in Massachusetts. In 1630 John Winthrop led a group of Puritans to settle near there, and became governor.

Economy: Colonists came to the New World to start farms. They found rocky soil and thick forests. There were long, cold winters and short, hot summers. There were many farms, but the soil was not great for growing crops. Trapping animals for their fur and then trading the fur was another way to make money. New England had many harbors, so colonists fished, built ships and shipped products to other colonies and England. Leaders divided land among the colonists hoping to make people work harder. Farming, fishing, fur trading. Settlers wanted to start farms and businesses.

Religion/Family:Pilgrims came to the New World to break away from the Church of England. Puritans came to practice their religious beliefs and did not want to break away from the Church of England. But they wanted a more “pure” religion; they were called Puritans. Puritans based every part of their lives on their religious beliefs. The lived by strict rules and harshly punished people who spoke out in dissent or missed church. Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were expelled because they disagreed with rigid religious beliefs of the Puritans. Anne Hutchinson was convicted of sedition, or speaking in ways that caused others to work against the government.

Education was very important to the Massachusetts Colony. They wanted everyone to learn to read so they could read the Bible. As the population grew, they made rules about establishing schools.

Slavery/Native Americans: Plymouth colonists struggled in the colony the first winter. They were unprepared for survival. They were helped by Samoset and Tisquantum, Native Americans who had been living there for a long time and showed the colonists where to fish and how to plant crops. Both groups benefited from trading goods -- Indians traded furs for metals and cloth. In 1621 a treaty was signed with the Native Americans and the First Thanksgiving was celebrated. After 1630, with the arrival of more colonists and the establishment of another settlement, many colonists were no longer friendly with Native Americans. As conflicts arose, trading ended. William Bradford who once made peace with Native Americans, but later pushed war to push them out of New England. In 1675 members of the Wampanoag tribe killed colonists’ cattle that roamed free and trampled the corn crop of the Native Americans. Colonists killed a Native American to get even. These events led to King Philip’s War. King Philip was was the Wampanoag chief. Natives burned some towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts. They kidnapped colonists. Eventually the colonists took away their land.

Government: Pilgrims arrived with no government. To keep order, men aboard the Mayflower signed a compact (agreement), the Mayflower Compact. Signers agreed fair laws would be made for the good of the colony; they were all responsible for making laws. Included was the idea of majority rule. William Bradford, governor, led the Pilgrims. Self-government was a new concept. John Carver, William Bradford, John Winthrop were among several men elected governor early on in the colony’s history. There was strict control over the colonists; they did not welcome people with different beliefs.

Rhode Island -- NE

Origins: Roger Williams moved to what is now Narragansett Bay and formed the first permanent settlement in the area called Providence. He had been a Puritan preacher in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who had come for religious freedom. He disagreed with the leadership of the Massachusetts Colony and would not keep quiet. He didn’t think that government should tell people how to practice their religion, and he felt religion and government should be separate. He also felt the colonists should pay the natives for the land they took. In 1635, after a court trial, he was expelled from, or ordered to leave,Massachusetts, and went to what is now Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The Wampanoag tribe welcomed him and taught him many things. He purchased land from the Narraganset that become Providence.

Anne Hutchinson left Massachusetts and started a settlement on an island near Providence. Her settlement joined Roger Williams settlement under the charter that formed Rhode Island in 1647

Economy: Farms, fishing, trading

Religion/Family: People were given freedom to practice any religion they wanted. This was the first colony to welcome people of all religions and nationalities. There were the first Jews, Quakers, and Baptists. Anne Hutchinson was another person who spoke out in Massachusetts; she was arrested. She taught women they could pray to God without the help of a preacher. This was against the laws of the Puritan Church. She was forced to leave Massachusetts and also came to Rhode Island like Roger Williams.

Slavery/Native Americans: Five Native American tribes were in Rhode Island before Europeans came to the area. Largest group was the Narragansett tribe. Also were the Niantic, Wampanoag, Pequot, and Nipmuc tribes. They farmed, hunted deer, fished. There was a spirit of cooperation with Native Americans.

Government: Williams organized government based other consent of the people. There was a spirit of cooperation with the Native Americans

New Hampshire -- NE

Origins: In 1603, Martin Pring explored the shoreline for some wealthy merchants in England. They were looking for a shortcut to Asia. The businessmen wanted Pring to bring back plants and roots that could be used as medicines. He didn’t find those things, but found a forest full of trees and fur-bearing animals. Pring did not want to make a settlement.

In 1605, French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited New Hampshire - he too was searching for a water route to Asia. John Smith had already established England's first American colony in Jamestown. In 1609 he left Jamestown and went back to England. In 1614, he returned to lead a whale-hunting, fishing, and fur trading expedition in the northeastern part of what is now the US. He returned to England, but wrote about New England and encouraged Europeans to go there.

In 1623, a Scottish settler named David Thomson set out to find a fishing settlement. In 1679, the settlement known as Portsmouth joined others in the area to form the colony of New Hampshire.

Economy: Settlers established farms, fishing villages, and a trading post.

Religion/Family: Dominated by Puritans who refused to tolerate any religion other than their own.

Slavery/Native Americans: More than 12,000 Native Americans were living in what is now New Hampshire before the European explorers arrived (Pennacook tribe). Natives farmed, hunted, and fished. Native Americans were friendly to the Europeans and taught them many survival skills. They learned how to grow corn, tap maple trees for syrup, and make canoes. They helped the settlers to hunt. Settlers gave the natives metal tools, blankets, and some weapons. New Hampshire maintained peaceful relationships with the natives for a long time. But as the population grew, the settlers began to take control of the hunting and fishing territories. New settlers brought livestock with them; these animals grazed on the land of the natives and angered the Native Americans. English and French wanted the lands for hunting. The natives were angry with the English and many tribes sided with the French. In King William’s War, natives attacked colonists. Constant attacks kept the settlers from expanding to new areas. England could not afford to send troops, so the colonists had to build their own forts.

Government: From the 1640s to the 1670s, New Hampshire towns were under the leadership of the Massachusetts Bay Colony that had established Massachusetts. They had a system of government. In 1680 they became a royal colony. There was a president and a council. Conflicts arose between New Hampshire and Massachusetts over boundaries. In 1686, King James II took away the right to make their own laws and rules. He joined New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York into one province. The king appointed Sir Edmund Andros governor. He taxed the colonists and sent those who refused to pay to jail. The colonists eventually sent him back to England and started again to make their own laws.

Connecticut -- NE

Origins: First white explorer was Adriaen Block from the Netherlands. Dutch did not want to establish a permanent settlement; they just wanted to trade with the natives. Gave natives tools and weapons. Natives gave the Dutch beaver furs which were taken back to Europe and sold. The Dutch built a fort in Hartford to protect the fur trade.

Some setters left Massachusetts to find better farmland in the fertile Connecticut River Valley. Some came because of their religious beliefs. Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister, disagreed with the way Massachusetts Colony was being run.

Economy: Fishing, whaling, shipbuilding, and shipping

Religion/Family: Thomas Hooker was a Puritan preacher who traveled to America from England. He settled in Massachusetts and did not always agree with the colony’s leaders. He believed the church should be independent from government. He felt the people of each church had the right to choose the colony’s leaders and decide on their powers. Massachusetts leaders felt the leaders of the Puritan Church should decide.

Slavery/Native Americans: Native Americans were in Connecticut long before other people came to the area. Tribes included the Pequot (most powerful tribe), the Mohegan, the Niantic, the Mahican, and the Siwanog. Natives survived by hunting and fishing. They also grew corn, beans, and tobacco. Natives were friendly to the colonists. Colonists purchased land rather than just taking it from the natives. During the 1630s the peace was destroyed. The Pequot wanted to stop the settlers from taking over the land. There was a struggle for control of the fur trade, and the settlers killed 2 members of the Pequot tribe.

Government: In 1636, Hooker and a small group left Massachusetts and moved to Connecticut to start a new colony. Everyone had a say in government. 1639 the colonists adopted the nation’s first written constitution. The set of laws was called the Fundamental Orders ofConnecticut. They established an independent government which made laws for elections, courts, powers of officials, and taxes. All white men who owned land could vote.

King Charles II established Connecticut as an independent colony. He gave them a charter, which gave colonists control over government. In 1685, after his death, his brother James II became king and wanted more control over the colony. He united the colony with others and took away the power of the colonists to rule themselves. Sir Edmund Andros was appointed governor. By 1689, King James II had been overthrown and Connecticut went back to being a separate colony.

GENERAL MIDDLE COLONY INFORMATION:

Economy: Colonists arrived to see flat plains, rolling hills, grassy meadows, thick forests. When the land was cleared, it was better for farming than New England colonies. Climate was better too. Main crops grown were wheat, barley, corn, and so these colonies became known as “breadbasket” colonies.

Population: By 1700, more than 50,000 people in the Middle Colonies. Came from many places with diverse backgrounds. Settlers were Dutch, French, Belgian, Swedish, German, Irish, Scottish. Many enslaved people were brought from Africa. Immigrants, people who come to a country to make a new life, left their countries for several reasons: economic opportunities, find religious freedom, escape war. There was more tolerance and freedom in the Middle colonies than in the NE colonies.