I.
New England Colonies
A. The Voyage of the Mayflower
1. Dissenters – people who disagreed with teachings of Church of England
2. Religious Freedom and Self-Government
a. Separatists – wanted to completely separate from Church of England
b. Persecuted (mistreated, thrown in jail, etc.) by English government
c. Fled to Holland
i. Holland known for tolerance – acceptance of different beliefs
ii. Didn’t like it there either – returned to England
d. Asked for permission to settle in America
e. Eventually became known as Pilgrims – people that make a religious journey
3. The Pilgrims Found Plymouth
a. Sailed on Mayflower
b. Blown off course – supposed to land near Virginia
c. Charter did not apply to this land
d. Signed Mayflower Compact
i. Signed by men aboard ship
ii. Established self-government of new colony
iii. Helped establish concept of majority rule
e. Went through a “starving time”
i. ½ of settlers died
ii. Saved by Natives who taught them how to plant crops – esp. Squanto
f. 1st Thanksgiving – fall of 1621
i. 3 day feast
ii. Celebrated good harvest
B. The Puritans Come to Massachusetts Bay
1. Puritans – religious group that did not want to break away, but wanted to purify
Church of England and get rid of any trace of Catholicism
2. The Great Migration
a. Massachusetts Bay Company – joint stock company owned by Puritans
i. Received charter to settle New England
ii. Allowed to govern itself
b. About 1000 settlers came
c. Established Boston in 1630
d. About 20,000 settled within 10 years
3. The New England Way
a. Religious society
b. Congregations – self governing churches
i. Chose own minister
ii. Had a meetinghouse where religious services were held – whole town had to
attend
iii. Meetinghouse used for town meeting
c. Puritan values
i. Hard work – to honor God
ii. Education – to read Bible
iii. Representative Government
d. Voting rights extended from investors to any male church member
C. Massachusetts Bay “Seeds” New England
1. Rhode Island Welcomes Dissenters
a. Roger Williams from Salem said the following
i. Had no right to take land from Natives
ii. Should not be forced to attend church
iii. Should not force beliefs on others
iv. Separation of church and state
v. Banished – kicked out of colony
vi. Established Rhode Island in 1636
a) Guaranteed religious tolerance
b) Guaranteed separation of church and state
vii. Williams also founded first Baptist Church
b. Anne Hutchinson
i. Believed clergy were not among the elect
ii. Challenged church authority
iii. Banished from Massachusetts
iv. Fled to RI in 1638
c. John Wheelwright
i. Supporter of Hutchinson
ii. Fled to New Hampshire, established town of Exeter
iii. Became separate colony in 1679
2. Connecticut Extends Voting Rights
a. 1636, Thomas Hooker moved congregation south
b. Set up Connecticut
c. Wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
i. Extended voting rights to non-church members
ii. Expanded representative government
D. The Fight For Tolerance
1. Puritans Persecute Quakers
a. Quakers were Protestant dissenters
i. Felt men should tremble (quake) at the word of God
ii. Could find God through an “inner light”
iii. Ministers got in the way of knowing God
iv. Women were spiritually equal to men
v. Punished for beliefs – jailed, whipped, or banished
vi. Puritans began to execute banished Quakers who returned
vii. Some chose to become martyrs – people that die for a religious cause
viii. Most famous was Mary Dyer
a) Banished 3 times from Massachusetts
b) Returned to protest intolerance
c) Captured and executed when she returned a fourth time
d) Execution led to greater religious tolerance
E. Creating a New England
1. New England Foundations
a. Many came from densely populated areas – used to living in towns
b. Set up similar communities in America
c. Most were religious dissenters against either Catholic or Anglican Church
d. Most came from English middle class
i. Highly educated
ii. Highly skilled
iii. Wealthier than southern settlers – few indentured servants
iv. Most came with “companies” – family and friends who came together
2. Questions About an Established Church
a. Should each colony have an “official” religion?
b. Puritans dominated New England
i. Only established church in Massachusetts
ii. Also major force in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island
a) CT and NH tolerated some groups, but persecuted others
b) RI tolerated all Christian denominations and Judaism
3. Democratic Traditions
a. Settlers established democratic practices
i. Puritan churches were self-governing
ii. In MA, men elected the governor and legislature
iii. Voting rights expanded, especially in MA and CT
iv. Towns controlled own affairs
v. Town meeting became a symbol of self-government
vi. New England became famous for its democracy