4.3 Notes
Massachusetts Bay Colony
 In 1620, England became having economic problems, which led to an increase in
_____taxes_______.

The Church of England also began punishing Puritans because they were
______dissenters_.
o Dissenters: People who disagree with official opinions

Charles I refused to allow Puritans to criticize church actions

These economic, political, and religious problems led to the ____Great
Migration__________________.
o Great Migration- Mass Migration of thousands of English people to the
Americas that took place between 1630 and 1640.

Charles I granted a group of Puritans a charter to establish a colony in the area
known as_________New England_______________.

They formed the _____Massachusetts Bay Company_______________.

In 1630, a fleet of ships carrying Puritan colonists left England for Massachusetts
o They hoped to have freedom to ___practice their religion freely____.

The colony’s governor was ____John Winthrop___.
o Winthrop believed that _their community____ should be the focus of the
Puritan colony.
o He said that “We shall be like a___city upon a hill____; the eyes of all
people are on us”

Covenant: _____sacred agreement___________________________

The Puritans believed that they had made a covenant with God, and they agreed to
build an ideal _____Christian_________ community.

The Puritans were well prepared for their colony in New England.
o They brought large #s of ________tools____ and
____livestock__________
o They also ____traded___ with the colony of Plymouth
o Unlike the Virginia colony, they had a _healthy_____ climate.

Because of these factors, few Puritans ___died from sickness____.
Church and State in New England

Massachusetts was subject to English laws, like Virginia, but they were allowed
more ____independence_______.

The company charter created a General court to help run the colony.
o This court was a form of government that served the needs of its people.
o This court elected the _______governor_____ and his assistants

It eventually became a two-house ___legislature_______.

Two groups; each decision needed a majority to pass in the
house

Politics and ______religion_____ were closely linked in Puritan New England.

Government leaders were also church members.
o Ministers had a great ____power___ in Puritan communities

Male church members were the only colonists who could ___vote_______.

In 1636, Minister Thomas Hooker and some of his followers decided to leave
Massachusetts and establish _____Connecticut______.

Thomas Hooker was known as the “____father of American democracy______”
o Helped write the Fundamental orders of Connecticut, which made the
gov’t more democratic.

Male non-church members were allowed to vote.

____Powers____of the general courts were outlined.
Daily Life and Customs
 New England colonists’ lives centered around religion, family duties, and public
work

Puritan religion shaped everyday life in colonial England

Church brought all the members of the community together, and community life
was generally more stable than in Virginia.

Colonists were more middle class than the rich or poor colonists in Virginia.

Jobs included:
o Skilled workers
o Farmers
o Fisherman/Fur Traders

Farmers grew food for their own use, instead of for sale as in Virginia

Virginia farms required slaves or servants, while New England farms were
smaller and were run by families

Most colonists came in family groups
o Children would help to run the family farm
o Parents also sometimes helped choose their children’s husband/wife

Puritan women had three main duties
o Obey husband
o Have children
o Run the household

Puritan men were expected to treat their wives with kindness and respect.

Education was important part of New England society
o Parents wanted their children to be able to read the Bible
o 1636 John Harvard founded Harvard College
o More people in New England could read and write than in Virginia
Dissent in Massachusetts

Some Puritans disagreed with certain religions views
o Minister Roger Williams

Disagreed with Massachusetts leadership

He created a new settlement called Providence

Supported the separation of church and state

Promoted religious tolerance
o Anne Hutchinson

Discussed radical religious ideas that upset Puritan leaders

Ex: That God speaks to people directly, apart from the
Bible

Her popularity worried Puritan leaders

She was put on trial for her ideas, and forced out of the colony