Student Study Guide for the American Pageant
CHAPTER 3 Settling the Northern Colonies, 1619–1700
Chapter Summary
The New England colonies were founded by English
Puritans. While most Puritans sought to “purify” the
Church of England from within, and not to break
away from it, a small group of Separatists—the
Pilgrims—founded the first small, pious Plymouth
Colony in New England. More important was the
larger group of nonseparating Puritans, led by John
Winthrop, who founded the Massachusetts Bay
Colony as part of the “great migration” of Puritans
fleeing persecution in England in the 1630s.
A strong sense of common purpose among the first
settlers shaped the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Because of the close alignment of religion and politics
in the colony, those who challenged religious
orthodoxy, among them Anne Hutchinson and Roger
Williams, were considered guilty of sedition and
driven out of Massachusetts. The banished Williams
founded Rhode Island, by far the most religiously and
politically tolerant of the colonies. Other New
England settlements, all originating in Massachusetts
Bay, were established in Connecticut, Maine, and
New Hampshire. Although they shared a common
way of life, the New England colonies developed with
a substantial degree of independence.
The middle colonies took shape quite differently. New
York, founded as New Netherland by the Dutch and
later conquered by England, was economically and
ethnically diverse, socially hierarchical, and politically
quarrelsome. Pennsylvania, founded as a Quaker
haven by William Penn, also attracted an
economically ambitious and politically troublesome
population of diverse ethnic groups.
With their economic variety, ethnic diversity, and
political factionalism, the middle colonies were the
most typically “American” of England’s thirteen
Atlantic seaboard colonies.
GLOSSARY - To build your social science vocabulary, familiarize yourself with the following terms:
Predestination - The Calvinist doctrine that God has foreordained some people to be saved and some to be damned.
Elect - In Calvinist doctrine, those who have been chosen by God for salvation.
Conversion - A religious turn to God, thought by Calvinists to involve an intense, identifiable personal experience
of grace.
Visible saints - In Calvinism, those who publicly proclaimed their experience of conversion and were expected to
lead godly lives.
Calling - In Protestantism, the belief that saved individuals have a religious obligation to engage in worldly work.
Heresy - Departure from correct or officially defined belief.
Seditious - Concerning resistance to or rebellion against the government.
Commonwealth - An organized civil government or social order united for a shared purpose.
Autocratic - Absolute or dictatorial rule.
Passive resistance - Nonviolent action or opposition to authority, often in accord with religious or moral beliefs.
Asylum - A place of refuge and security, especially for the persecuted or unfortunate.
Proprietary - Concerning exclusive legal ownership, as of colonies granted to individuals by the monarch.
Naturalization - The granting of citizenship to foreigners or immigrants.
Blue laws - Laws designed to restrict personal behavior in accord with a strict code of morality.
Ethnic - Concerning diverse peoples or cultures, specifically those of non-Anglo-Saxon background.
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Locate the following places by reference number on the map:
____ Rhode Island
____ Massachusetts Bay
____ New Hampshire
____ Pennsylvania
____ New Jersey
____ Delaware
____ New York
____ Plymouth
Locate the following places by reference number on the map:
____ Boston
____ Salem
____ Connecticut River
____ Delaware Bay
____ Hudson River
____ New York City
____ Albany
____ Philadelphia
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Why is John Calvin a significant figure in U.S. History? ____________________________________________________
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What action taken by Henry VIII aided the entrance of Protestant beliefs into England? (pg. 44) ____________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
What impact did the Mayflower Compact have on self-government in the United States? (pg. 44) __________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
What special qualities did William Bradford possess? (pg. 45) _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
What was the historical significance of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Bay? (pg. 45) _______________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
What was the primary difference between the Separatists and the Puritans (pg. 45) ______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
Explain the ways in which the Massachusetts Bay Colony was “blessed”? (pg. 46-47) ___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What did Governor Winthrop mean when he said “we shall be a city upon a hill”? (pg. 46) ________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Test Practice
Among the Puritans, it was understood that (pg. 47)
A) they would establish democratic government in America. B) clergymen would hold the most powerful political
office. C) the purpose of government was to enforce God's laws. D) all adult white male landowners could vote for
political leaders. E) women could become religious leaders.
What happened to people who flouted (disobey) the authority of the Puritan clergy in Massachusetts Bay? (pg. 47)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
What belief did Anne Hutchinson advocate that violated Puritan doctrine? (pg. 47) ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
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Test Practice
Roger Williams' beliefs included all of the following except (pg. 48)
A) breaking away from the Church of England. B) demanding oaths regarding religious beliefs. C) condemning the
taking of Indian land without fair compensation. D) denying the authority of the civil government to regulate religious
matters. E) challenging the legality of Massachusetts Bay's charter.
Settlers of the Connecticut River colony were formed by: (pg. 49) ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
Study the map and its caption on page 49
Test Practice:
Unlike other English voyagers to the New World, the Puritans (pg. 51)
A) transplanted entire communities. B) lost most of their Old World habits. C) immigrated as individuals rather than in
groups. D) came only for religious reasons. E) renounced their membership in the Church of England.
During the early years of colonization in the New World, England (pg. 53)
A) closely controlled its colonies. B) maintained an excellent relationship with the Indians. C) paid little attention to its
colonies. D) made sure all the colonies had royal charters. E) began the importation of African slaves in large numbers.
In what way did the New England Confederation have a long-lasting significance? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________.
What is benign neglect and why did it become prolonged? _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
What was the purpose of the Dominion of New England? (pg. 53-54) _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What effect did the Dominion of New England have on the American colonists? (pg. 54) __________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
What impact did England's Glorious Revolution have on the colonies? (pg. 54) _________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Explain the origins of the Dutch colony of New York? (pg. 56) _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Test Practice
The New England Confederation regarded Dutch New Netherland as (pg. 56)
A) a welcome friend. B) an enemy to be wiped out. C) an easy target for Indian raids. D) the next victim of New
Sweden. E) a trading partner.
When the English gained control over New Netherland, (pg. 58)
A) the autocratic spirit survived. B) democracy replaced the old autocratic system. C) the colony grew quickly.
D) new leaders distributed land grants in a more democratic fashion. E) they did so with great bloodshed.
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Summarize some of the characteristics of the Quakers? (pg. 59) _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
These next two questions have the answers summarized for you in blue underlined font – read them carefully
Describe the founding of Pennsylvania: (pg. 60) In 1861, from a debt owed his deceased and unapproving father, young
Willam Penn secured a large tract of land in the New World to serve as a refuge for other Quakers, persecuted in England.
He advertised aggresively for additional settlers to come and grow the colony. They were very tolerant of the Indians and
had good relations with them for a while, until the Scots-Irish arrived. Due to its many liberal features (modern, economic
opportunity, civil liberty, religious freedom) Pennsylvania “held aloft a hopeful torch in a world of semi-darkness”, and
thus attracted a wide range of ethnic groups. By 1700, only Virginia and Mass had > populations. 
Explain the general features of the Middle colonies: (pg. 62) broad expanse of land, fertile soil, broad unhurried streams,
lumbering, shipbuilding and commerce, more ethnically mixed than the other colonies, religion tolerant. Economic and
social democracy prevailed. Quakers – proportionately, made a compassionate contribution to human freedom.
Test Practice:
The middle colonies were notable for their (pg. 61)
A) lack of good river transportation. B) unusual degree of democratic control. C) lack of industry. D) status as the
least “American” of the colonies. E) established churches.
Arrange the following events in chronological order: (A) great Puritan migration, (B) founding of Plymouth Colony, (C)
Protestant Reformation, (D) founding of Rhode Island.
Arrange the following in chronological order: the founding of (A) New York, (B) Massachusetts Bay, (C) Pennsylvania,
(D) Plymouth.
Carefully read the “Varying Viewpoints” on page 64-65 to answer these last two questions: These special sections
deal with an area of historical studies known as historiography. It is a requirement of this course that you read these
sections and other handouts on historiography – which, defined simply, address the art of historical interpretation. More
specifically, historians are constantly reviewing new materials and studies to form an ever changing view of how certain
historical events are to be explained and understood.
Recently, historians have increasingly viewed the colonial period as? (pg. 64) _________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
The picture of colonial America that is emerging from new scholarship is a society formed by: (pg. 64-65) __________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________.
Chapter Review Questions
Multiple Multiple Choice Test Practice: Each of the following questions may have two, three, four, or five correct
answers. Mark all correct answers for each question.
John Calvin believed in
a. predestination.
b. conversion.
c. the “elect.”
d. antinomianism.
e. divinity of Mary.
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Puritans
a. were Calvinists.
b. thought that the Church of England should be open to all comers.
c. especially attracted England's economically depressed.
d. thought that the Protestant Reformation was bringing too much change too quickly.
e. supported the Separatists.
Separatists
a. were radical Puritans.
b. were also known as Pilgrims.
c. authored the Mayflower Compact.
d. sought to reform the Church of England from within.
e. were led by John Winthrop.
The New England colonies included
a. Massachusetts Bay.
b. New York.
c. Connecticut.
d. Rhode Island.
e. Pennsylvania.
Roger Williams got into trouble with Massachusetts Bay authorities because he
a. questioned the legality of the Massachusetts Bay charter.
b. advocated Roman Catholicism.
c. claimed that the colony's civil government should not regulate religious behavior.
d. claimed to have had a direct revelation from God.
e. wanted to leave the colony.
Factors leading to the first major European migration include
a. a population explosion.
b. economic depression.
c. better quality ocean going vessels.
d. religious repression.
e. the use of African slaves.
The Pequot War of 1637 resulted in
a. the abolition of Indian “praying towns.”
b. the virtual annihilation of the Pequots.
c. four decades of uneasy peace between the Puritans and the Indians.
d. praise for the colonists from people in England for having dealt effectively with the Indians.
e. better relations with the remaining Indians.
Pennsylvania
a. introduced an unusually liberal land policy that attracted a heavy flow of immigrants.
b. had fertile soil that produced surplus grain for export.
c. was first settled by small colonies of Swedes.
d. was founded with the intention of making a profit.
e. was named after William Penn.
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