The New England Colonies
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Massachusetts-Split into two colonies
1. Plymouth Colony: founded by William Bradford for the
purpose of religious freedom of the Pilgrims.
2. Massachusetts Bay Colony (City upon a hill): founded by
John Winthrop for the purpose of wanting a more pure form
of the Church of England (Anglican Church).
 John Winthrop was the governor of Massachusetts. He
was an authoritarian leader who believed that the
church should control everything and that only
Puritans should have a voice. He had very strict
control over life in the colony. They did not
welcome people whose beliefs differed from their own.
The Pilgrims wanted to completely separate from the Church of
England, but the Puritans only wanted to reform it to make it
more pure.
Connecticut was founded by Thomas Hooker. Hooker didn’t believe
in John Winthrop’s philosophy that the church should control
everything. He believed that people, even non-puritans, should
have a say and that the governor should have limited power.
New Hampshire was formed when settlers from Massachusetts and
freed indentured servants began settling in the colonies. These
people were looking for economic opportunities.
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As settlers spread across New England, they began settling
where Native Americans already lived. Colonists expected
the Native Americans to give up their land. Remember,
Native Americans believed that you could own land.
Disagreements led to war between the colonists and the
Native Americans. King Philip’s War (1675) was fought
between the colonists and tribes of Native Americans united
by Metacomet, the leader of the Wampanoag. The colonists
called Metacomet King Philip. Hundreds of colonists and
thousands of Native Americans died.
Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams. Williams was
expelled from Massachusetts for believing that the church had
too much power and that the church and the government should be
separate.
 Williams’ Ideas were later adapted as part of the
Constitution (Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church
and State)
Life in New England
 Religion was the center of life in the colonies.
 On Sunday, everyone was required to attend Mass. Those who
didn’t attend were punished.
 Puritans encouraged strict rules.
 School was also important. Puritans believed that that
every person should learn to read to read the Bible.
 Town Hall Meetings were where decisions were made.
Everyone was able to attend, but only male, church members
were allowed to vote.
New England’s Economy
 Farming was not easy because of thin, rocky soil.
 Raised farm animals like cows and sheep.
 Some colonists cut lumber to build houses and ships
 Shipbuilding became a leading industry in New England.
 Fishing and whaling were also important. Whale oil was in
high demand so the whaling industry grew quickly.
 The New England colonies became leaders in shipping and
trading because of their location on the coast of the
Atlantic. England set up strict rules for trading in the
colonies. Exports from colonies could only be sent to
other English colonies or to England itself. Colonists
were supposed to buy only those imports that came from
England.
Triangular Trade and the Middle Passage
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The triangular trade was the routes that connected England,
the west coast of Africa, the West Indies, and the English
colonies.
Trading ships carried goods, raw materials, and enslaved
Africans
Millions of Africans were placed on ships and forced to
travel across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the English
colonies. This journey was called the Middle Passage.
In the late 1700s, some New England states passed laws that
prohibited slavery. In 1774, Connecticut and Rhode Island banned
the importation of enslaved people. In 1780, the Massachusetts
legislature adopted a freedom clause that people interpreted as
outlawing slavery.