This is only a study guide for the test and should guide you in studying. Use the packet information from
“Founding the Colonies” as well as any notes you have to help clarify anything you still don’t understand. If you
have any questions, look for the answers in your packet and notes or attend extra help!!!
New England Colonies- Answer Key
Colony
Massachusetts
(Plymouth Colony
Pilgrims)
Year founded/ Reason
founded
-1620
-Religious freedom
Massachusetts Bay
Colony
(Puritans)
-1630
- Wanted to
purify/reform the Church
of England
Connecticut
-1633
-Religious exile
Founder/ leaders/
famous people
Leader- William Bradford
(Hackett)
Major Facts
-Mayflower Compact
-Puritans created a “City
Upon a Hill”
- They felt they were
better than others
Leader- Thomas Hooker
-Founded it because he
was exiled from
Massachusetts
-Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut
Rhode Island
-1636
-Religious freedom from
Puritans
Leader- Roger Williams
-Founded it when he was
exiled from
Massachusetts because
he wanted religious
freedom
- This colony gave full
religious freedom to all
New Hampshire
-1623
Leaders- John Mason
(from NH)
-Sir Gorges (from Maine)
-Huge fishing and ship
building colony
Climate/ landforms/
geography
*New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New
Hampshire)- poor for farming due to many rocks. Most colonists were involved
with fishing, shipbuilding, and shipping products to and from England out of
multiple harbors because of the major waterways in New England.
* Middle Colonies (New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania)- most
colonists owned small farms, aside from a few rich landowners in NY and NJ.
These colonies interacted with the most powerful Native American tribe- the
Iroquois.
* Southern Colonies (Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, and South
Carolina)- full of large plantations run by wealthy landowners. Many crops were
grown (tobacco, rice, wheat, and indigo), which were exported back to England.
Slave labor became the major way plantations grew and harvested crops.
Government
*Crime and punishment- most punishments were shameful/embarrassing and
physically painful. Some punishments were the stocks, the pillory, the ducking
stool, whipping, and branding letters into the skin.
*Government models: The Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut, the General Court, and New England town meetings all shaped the
government we have today. All of those forms of government gave power to the
people, encouraged involvement of colonists, and prevented one person from
having complete control. We use similar practices in our government today.
*For extra studying- make sure you know what each governmental model did!*
New England Key Terms- Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mayflower Compact- agreement made aboard the Mayflower
a. Set up a government
b. Picked leaders
c. Make and follow laws
Pilgrims- Settlers of Plymouth Bay Colony who were fleeing persecution
Established Church- Church of England; government established religion (you had to follow that
religion or you couldn’t live there); head of the Church was king.
Persecuted- When you are punished for your beliefs. This is why people wanted to escape their
homeland and head towards the colonies. They were being persecuted for certain beliefs.
Separatists- Another name for pilgrims separating from the Church of England.
Puritans- Religious group who wanted to reform the Church of England. They founded
Massachusetts and created a “City Upon a Hill.”
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Reform- To change or make better. People settled in the colonies and reformed the government
and religion.
Church of England- Mandated religion of England (the religion people were forced to follow in
England).
City Upon a Hill- The land where the Puritans settled. They designed the city on a hill because they
felt better than anyone else. (Think about Emerald City).
Charter- A legal document that allows you to start a business.
Banish- To send away permanently
Fundamental Orders of CT- The laws Hooker created when he founded Connecticut.
Ship building- An extremely important aspect of Colonial life because the fastest way to get from
one place to another was by water. Britain benefitted from lumber found in the Colonies because
the British required large amounts of wood to build ships, which they needed in order to trade
goods.
Meetinghouse- A building typically used for worship and public assembly
King Philip’s War- Metacom, called Philip by colonists, was a Wampanog leader who led his tribe
against the colonists and attacked more than 50 towns. He was fighting against the colonists
because they were taking his land. He was defeated and killed, and many of his remaining
tribesmen were sold into slavery, and hostility between Native Americans and colonists increased.
Happy studying! 