CA - New England Lesson

New England

The first New England colonies were established by the Puritans in present-day Massachusetts. Most of the colonists came with their whole family for a better life and to practice religion as they saw fit. As a result of strict religious beliefs, the Puritans were not tolerant of religious beliefs that differed from their own. Rhode Island was founded by religious dissenters from Massachusetts who were more tolerant of different religious beliefs.

Communities were often run through town meetings unless the king had established control over the colony. In colonies that the king controlled, there was often an appointed royal governor and a partially elected legislature. Voting rights were limited to men who belonged to the church, and church membership was tightly controlled by each minister and congregation. As more and more children were born in America, many grew up to be adults who lacked a personal covenant (relationship) with God, the central feature of Puritanism. In response, Puritan ministers encouraged a half-way covenant to allow partial church membership for the children and grandchildren of the original Puritans.

A Closer Look - Map Highlighting the New England Colonies

Image Credit: Map used and altered with permission from Mr. Nussbaum.com (http://mrnussbaum.com/13colonies/13regions/)

King Philip's War (1675 - 1676) was an early and bloody conflict between English colonists and Native Americans. It was named after the leader of the Native Americans. King Philip's Native American name was Metacom. Many colonists died in the war, but it caused such a heavy loss of life among the Native American population that large areas of southern New England became English settlements.

In 1686, the British king Charles II canceled the Massachusetts charter that made it an independent colony. To get more control over trade between America and the colonies, he combined British colonies throughout New England into a single territory governed from England called the Dominion of New England. The colonists in this territory greatly disliked this centralized authority. In 1691, Massachusetts Bay became a royal colony.

In the 1690s, the famous Salem witch trials took place. In a series of court hearings, over 150 Massachusetts colonists accused of witchcraft were tried, 29 of which were convicted, and 19 hanged. At least six more people died in prison. Causes of the Salem witch trials included extreme religious faith, stress from a growing population and its bad relations with Native Americans, and the narrow opportunities for women and girls to participate in Puritan society.

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