The Northern Colonies :The Northern Colonies An Introduction


Puritans in England :Puritans in England The Protestant Reformation influenced the development of the English colonies. John Calvin impacted Puritan thinking. Institutes of the Christian Religion. He believed in Predestination. People sought signs of “conversion.” Live saintly lives & the Protestant work ethic.


Puritans in England :Puritans in England Puritans that migrated were not dirt poor. Frustrated that Church wasn’t “purified” Monarch head of the Church. Some sought to break away from the Church. Tensions under James I. (Hated Separatists) Charles I less tolerant. (Picked William Laud) Persecution of Puritans led to Great Migration.


Puritans Leave England :Puritans Leave England Separatist Puritans went to Holland in 1608. Resented “Dutchifcation” of their children. Intended to go to Jamestown, but the Mayflower landed in coast of New England. After preliminary surveys, chose to start colony in Plymouth Rock in 1620. Mayflower Compact established principle of self-government. (Not a constitution)


Puritans in Plymouth :Puritans in Plymouth First winter was tough. (1620-21) Healthier environment compared to Jamestown. Remained charterless until it merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Persecutions of Charles I led moderate Puritans to migrate to America. (Given royal charter)


Massachusetts Bay Colony :Massachusetts Bay Colony Founded in 1630. Economy based on fur trading, fishing, and shipbuilding. (Merchants traded in West Indies) Tied to slavery. No cash crop meant fewer indentured servants. Greater balance between the sexes. Colonists saw themselves as building a holy society to be model for mankind.


Massachusetts Bay Colony :Massachusetts Bay Colony Voting rights granted to adult males belonging to Congregational Church. Non-church members couldn’t vote. Freemen voted for governor, his assistants, and the General Court. Religious leaders determined who joined church. (However, unable to hold political office) Had limited separation of church and state.


New Englanders Spread Out :New Englanders Spread Out 1660: Massachusetts Bay Colony held 20,000 of the 33,000 colonists in New England. Dissent with leadership led to founding of new colonies. Moved to Connecticut in 1635-36 and New Haven in 1638. New Haven merged with Connecticut in 1665.


New Englanders Spread Out :New Englanders Spread Out Roger Williams challenged the authority of the Puritan leadership. He was banished and founded Rhode Island in 1636. (Ann Hutchison ended up there too) Complete freedom of religion. Initially, all free men could vote. (Later limited to the propertied) Officially achieved its charter in 1644.


New Englanders Spread Out :New Englanders Spread Out Compact settlement of towns. Main purpose: to sustain a local church. Major benefits: better defense against Indians, support for public schools, and closer knit communities. Contrasted with dispersed settlements of Chesapeake.


Native Americans :Native Americans Spread of New Englanders led to clashes with Indians. Three-fourths of Indians along the coast wiped out by disease. At first, Indians competed to form alliances with the colonists. Metal goods and guns would increase power of tribes associated with English.


Native Americans :Native Americans Colonists pushed into Connecticut River Valley. Led to Pequot War. Colonists fought an unlimited war. (Mystic River) Continued expansion lead to King Philip’s War. Metacom (King Philip) was an important leader, but not the mastermind.


Native Americans :Native Americans Native Americans hit isolated farms. (Make frontier uninhabitable) With the help of Indian allies, colonists became skilled fighters in the woods. Alliance with Iroquois was crucial to English victory. King Philips’ War ended major Indian resistance in New England.


Seeds of Colonial Unity :Seeds of Colonial Unity New England Confederation banded together 4 colonies in 1643. (Puritans only) Purpose: defense against Indians, the French, and the Dutch. Each colony had two votes regardless of population. English civil wars permitted colonies to learn to govern themselves.


Seeds of Colonial United :Seeds of Colonial United Charles II restored royal control. Crown formed Dominion of New England. Covered all of New England and later New York and East & West Jersey. Sir Edmond Andros was charged with forcing colonies to adhere to Navigation Laws. Andros curbed the freedoms of colonists. Glorious Revolution led to ousting of Andros.


Seeds of Colonial Unity :Seeds of Colonial Unity In 1691 Massachusetts became a royal colony. Subject to royal governor. Voting expanded to all male property holders. In other colonies, Glorious Revolution inspired protest. (New York and Maryland) Order was restored and period of salutary neglect instituted.


New Netherland :New Netherland Dutch main interests in the East Indies. New Netherland planted to gain profit in the fur trade. (Dutch West India Company) “Bought” New York for a few worthless trinkets from Indians who didn’t own land. There was religious toleration, but little freedom. Ruled by Company in interests of stockholders. (Peter Stuyvesant the best leader)


New Netherland :New Netherland Viewed as interlopers by the English. Charles II granted the land to the Duke of York. The British navy made the deal final. New York became more “Dutch.” (Hurt women.) Contributions: Easter eggs, Santa Claus, waffles, sauerkraut, bowling, sleighing, and skating.


Pennsylvania :Pennsylvania Quakers were persecuted in England. William Penn secured land grant from king in 1681. Attracted immigrants with advertising and liberal land grants. Dutch, Swedish, English, and Welsh squatters already there. Quakers bought land from the Indians.


Pennsylvania :Pennsylvania Representative Assembly elected by landowners. No tax-supported state church. Freedom of worship. No provisions for military defense. No restrictions on immigration. Tolerant, but subject to “blue laws” Exported foodstuffs and imported textiles and manufactured goods.


New Jersey :New Jersey In 1664 Duke of York awarded New Jersey to two English noblemen. These noblemen sold New Jersey which was subsequently divided into East and West Jersey. Encouraged farming to strengthen claims on land and to collect taxes.


New Jersey :New Jersey Promised religious toleration and elected assembly that shared power with appointed governors. Ethically diverse. Economically overshadowed by New York and Pennsylvania. 1702 it became a united royal colony.


Features of Middle Colonies :Features of Middle Colonies Land was fertile in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Exported grain. Navigable rivers meant that colonists had access to the interior. (Fur trade) Abounding forests fostered lumbering and shipbuilding. Harbors of New York and Philadelphia stimulated commerce.


Features of Middle Colonies :Features of Middle Colonies Landholdings larger than New England, but smaller than South. Middle colonies more ethnically mixed. Religious toleration and democratic control.