New England Colonies

Pilgrims & Puritans

• Religious tension in England after Protestant Reformation

• Puritans- protestants who wanted to purify and reform the Anglican Church.

• Thought bishops and priests had to much power

English Protestants

• Separatists- were Protestants who cut all ties with Anglican Church. Formed their own churches. How do you think the Anglican Church responded?

• Pilgrims-separatist who left England went to Netherlands. To escape persecution. Happy, but didn’t like children loosing English culture- so load up and come to America.

Pilgrims

• Formed a Joint-Stock company with some merchants- left on September 16, 1620, on the Mayflower, to come to America.

• Over 100 Women, Children, and Men, not all Pilgrims, but most were, and led by Pilgrim William Bradford.

• Granted permission to settle in Virginia

The Journey

• Rough- 2 months- bad weather- blew ship off course. Sighted land- they were far North of Virginia.

• New that they would be out of authority of Virginia, so needed a plan for government and authority.

Landing

• Mayflower Compact- legal contract drawn up on the ship, to have a plan of self-rule of their colony. 1st self-governing of the colonies

• Signed by 41 male passengers on board. • Landed at a place called Plymouth Rock, in present day

Massachusetts.• Over half of the Pilgrims died the first year

Pilgrims and Native Americans

• Plymouth colony was struggling, and got a little help! • Patuxet Indian-Squanto- taught the pilgrims to fertilize

the soil with fish remains.• He also introduced them to other local Indian groups.

They helped each other. After the first big harvest they celebrated by having a feast. Killed wild turkeys. (Thanksgiving)

Pilgrim Community

• Most became farmers- however farmland was not great. Fishing was not great either in the area.

• Not a very successful economic colony. • Family based compared to Jamestown: Religion,

Education, health care, everyone helped everyone survive. Common Good.

Women in Plymouth

• Women-cooked, spun an wove wool, sewed clothing. Made soap, butter, carried water, dried fruit, and cared for the livestock.

• More rights than women in England: they could make contracts, take cases to court, and widows could own property.

The Great Migration

• Puritans- disagreed with the church, and were not allowed to criticize it. This along with economic bad times led to a Great Migration of people from England to American and Caribbean colonies. From 1629-1640

• 40,000 people left.

Plymouth Bay Colony

• 1630- left England-to seek religious freedom• Led by John Winthrop• Believed they had made a promise to God to build and

create an ideal Christian Community.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

• Well Prepared• Brought tools, livestock• Traded and got along well with Native Americans. • Colony did well, not a lot of deaths