Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
 Distinct Colonial Regions Develop
- the New England colonies consisted of Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts
- by A.D. 1750, there were over 1 million colonists in New
England
- features of New England include long winters, rocky soil,
and many English colonists
- the majority of people make their living through farming
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
 The Farms & Towns of New England
 subsistence farming: producing food for a family and maybe
a little for trade
- farming was difficult because of the short growing season
and the rocky soil
- towns were created because large plots of land were sold to
groups of people
- towns had a meeting house in the middle, greens, and
farmhouses
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
 Harvesting the Sea
- farming was difficult, so many turned to fishing for food (cod,
halibut, lobster, & mackerel)
- colonists used New England’s many trees for shipbuilding
(2,500 trees could used for one ship!)
- New England’s economy relied on fishing, timber,
shipbuilding, & whaling
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
 Atlantic Trade
- colonists exchanged goods with other colonies, Europe, or
through the Triangular Trade
- New England became quite
wealthy from the triangular
trade, which forced England
to pass the Navigation Acts in
A.D. 1651
- England tried to tax &
control all ships in the
Triangular Trade
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
- England struggled to control smuggling and pirates, like
Blackbeard (Edward Teach)
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
 African Americans in New England
- New England did not have very many slaves due to the short
growing season and the poor soil for crops
- farmers could not afford to
house & feed slaves during the
long winter months
- most slaves were used as
servants, cooks, gardeners,
stable-hands, and dock
workers
Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England:
Commerce & Religion
 Changes In Puritan Society
- Puritanism began to decline for three reasons:
1. greed drove economic success instead of Puritan beliefs
2. increased competition from other Protestant faiths
3. political changes (by A.D. 1691, voting was based on
property ownership instead of church membership)