New England Colonies
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What is a colony?
◦ A colony is a settlement far from the country
that rules it.
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What is a colonist?
◦ A colonist is the person living in
the colony.
Why did the English want colonies
in America?
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The English wanted to establish colonies
in America because they hoped to find
gold, other natural resources, and some
groups were also seeking religious
freedom.
Why did people settle in the New
England colonies?
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Massachusetts
◦ (1630) they settled here to escape religious
persecution in England.
Connecticut
◦ (1636) they settled her for farming, trade, and
political freedom.
Rhode Island
◦ (1636) they settled here to establish colonies for
people of all religions.
New Hampshire
◦ (1679) they settled here to trade, for fishing and for
religious freedom.
Religion in the New England
Colonies
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For religious freedom including;
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Quakers
Anglican,
Baptist
Presbyterian.
With the majority being Puritans.
Characteristics of the New England
Colonies
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The New England Colonies consisted of
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and
New Hampshire.
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These colonies had thin, rocky soil, making it a
very difficult place to farm.
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It was rich in other valuable resources such as
thick woods excellent timber for homes, and the
coastal waters were rich with fish and whale.
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The first colony in this region was Massachusetts.
Mayflower Compact
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In the early 1500s England broke away
from the Roman Catholic Church under
the leadership of King Henry VIII.
He created a new Christian church
called the church of England.
Some people felt this church was much
like the Roman Catholic Church and
they wanted to separate from the
Church of England.
William Bradford
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William Bradford led the group of
separatists and decided to leave England to a
settlement where they could worship as they
pleased.
They became known as Pilgrims.
In September 1620, Bradford and his group
boarded The Mayflower and their destination
was Virginia but instead landed in the New
England region.
Before landing, the Pilgrim leaders decided to
write a plan of government for their colony,
the Mayflower Compact.
The compact stated that the government
would make “just and equal laws…for the
general good of the colony.”
System of Government
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Religious leaders were actively involved while the
colony struggled to develop a form of government
compatible with Puritan beliefs.
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Political and religious authority was often combined
and voting was restricted to church members.
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This reinforced the Puritan belief that God sent them to
cleanse the culture of what they regarded as corrupt,
sinful practices.
How did Thanksgiving occur?
When the Pilgrims finally
settled, many were dying
due to sickness and
starvation.
 Native Americans began
helping them and showing
them where to hunt and
how to grow corn.
 When they gathered their
harvest in the fall, the
Pilgrims invited the Native
Americans to a
thanksgiving celebration.
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Roger Williams
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Many Puritan settlements were built in
Massachusetts.
They had very strict laws that people
were required to follow. Not everyone
agreed with all the Puritan laws.
Roger Williams spoke out against them
because he believed that the
government should not punish citizens
for what they believed.
Because of this, Williams was forced to
leave Massachusetts by the Puritan
leader.
He founded a settlement south of
Massachusetts and named in Providence.
This was the start of a new colony,
Rhode Island.
Under his leadership, Rhode Island
became the first English colony in North
America to offer complete religious
freedom to settlers.
Anne Hutchinson
 (1591-1643) She was a Puritan
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leader banished from Massachusetts
for her religious views.
She was another dissenter who
angered Puritan leaders in
Massachusetts.
She believed that a person’s own
faith in God was more important
than the church’s rules and laws.
She held religious discussions in her
Boston home.
She taught that faith alone, not
membership in the organized
church, was enough to be
considered a good Christian.
John Wise
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(1652-1725) He was
a political leader in
Massachusetts during
The American
colonial period.
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He was noted for his
protest against British
taxation.
Quakers
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Quakers were another religious group
whose beliefs differed from those of other
churches.
Quakers had no priests or ministers.
They would not fight in wars. English
Quaker, William Penn, was jailed several
times for his beliefs.
He wanted to start a colony where
Quakers could live safely. In 1681, England’s
King Charles II granted land in North
America to Penn.
Penn founded Pennsylvania there. Penn
welcomed people from many countries to
his colony.
They practiced different religions.
Penn also treated American Indians with
respect. Therefore, they lived in peace with
the colonists.
Puritans
 Sailed from England to North
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America in search of religious
freedom.
They wanted to “purify” or reform
the Church of England.
Like the Pilgrims, the Puritans faced
persecution in England.
Many were put in jail for their
beliefs. The Puritans were led by
John Winthrop.
Winthrop believed that the Puritans
should build their own colony in
New England.
Puritan towns were carefully
planned.
Each family had its own land on
which to build a home and a farm.
Pilgrims
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The story of Pilgrims began in
England during the early 1500’s.
At this time, England broke away
from the Roman Catholic Church.
England’s King Henry VIII created a
new Christian church called the
Church of England.
Everyone in England had to belong to
this church.
A man named William Bradford was
a leader of a group of Separatists.
Bradford’s group decided to leave
England and start a settlement of
their own, where they could worship
as they pleased.
These colonists became known as
the Pilgrims.