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Puritans and New England
Puritans (Congregationalists)
•  John Calvin
–  Wrote “Institutes of the
Christian Religion”
–  Predestination
•  Calvinism in England in
1530s
–  Wanted to purify the
Church of England of
Catholicism
•  Against separation of
church and state
•  Feared England
becoming too secular
Puritan Ideas
•  Puritan Work Ethic
•  Convert the unbelieving
–  Very discouraged at slow pace of
conversions and Reformation
•  Had special covenant with God
•  Predestination
–  Elect (Visible Saints): only ones worthy of
church membership
–  Visual conversion
•  All people should be literate
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Persecution of Puritans
•  Puritans challenged King James I
(1603-1625)
–  James would not allow Puritans to defy him as
spiritual leader--would inspire others to defy him
as political leaer
–  James responded by harassing them, closing
churches, etc.
•  Economic depression of late 16th century
was devastating to Puritans (wool industry)
Separatists
•  Predecessors to Puritans (in colonization)
–  Wanted to separate, not purify the church
•  Could not stand going to church with corrupted Anglican
church members
–  Fled persecution in England
•  1608: Holland (lived for 12 years)
•  Feared Dutchification of children
•  Wanted religious freedom and still be Englishmen
•  1620: Plymouth Bay
–  Did not have charter (not recognized by England
and did not have the rights of an Englishmen)
–  William Bradford (and Myles Standish)
–  Mayflower Compact: first written government
document in colonies
Puritans Leave England
•  1629: Charles I dismissed parliament
and increased Puritan persecution
•  1629: Group of Puritans obtained
charter
–  Formed Massachusetts Bay Co.
–  Intended to be religious colony
–  Left in 1630 with over 1,000 people
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A City Upon a Hill
•  Massachusetts Bay
•  Stressed community
over individual
–  Protestant Work Ethic
–  Strong discipline
•  Transgressors severely
punished
• 
Great Migration :
70,000 Puritans (and
others) came in 1630s
–  Expanded into
Connecticut and Rhode
Island
–  Many settled in W. Indies
Economics of Massachusetts
Bay
•  Agriculture, fishing, timber, furs
•  Villages
–  Close together
–  Communal
–  Small farms
–  Singles could not live alone
–  Stressed education
–  Town meeting form of government
Education
•  Towns of more than 50
families were required
to provide education
•  Harvard College (1636)
•  First tax supported
public schools (1642)
•  First printing press in
New World
–  Half of adults were
literate
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• The New
England
Primer
(1683)
Government
•  Free male church
(Congregational) members
could vote
–  40% of population had
right to vote
–  All had freedom of
speech (town hall mtgs)
•  Everyone paid taxes
•  Governor and his aides was
elected annually
–  Had almost unlimited
powers
–  John Winthrop was first
governor
•  Representative assembly
also elected annually
New England Families
•  Puritans migrated as families
–  Stability
–  Promoted growth
•  Women had few rights
–  Gave up property rights after marriage
•  Common beliefs meant social harmony
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Agriculture
•  Broad ownership of land
–  Most farmers were 50 acres or less
•  Needed to move westward
•  No crop rotation
–  Gap between rich and poor not large
•  Owning land meant
–  Economic power
–  Political power (influence and, after 1691, required
for voting)
•  Poor land quality meant more cities, centers
of trade
Roger Williams
•  Separatist
•  Complete separation of
church and state
–  Puritans had some
separation (ex. Clergy
could not hold office)
–  Church still had a lot of
influence
•  Puritans intruding on Indian
land
•  Fled in 1636 and obtained
charter for Rhode Island in
1644
•  Built first Baptist church in
colonies
Anne Hutchinson
•  Antinomianism
–  Faith alone necessary for
salvation
–  Said she talked directly
with God
–  Goes against obeying
law
–  Goes against work being
sign of being the Elect
•  Kicked out of
Massachusetts in 1638
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New England Spreads
•  Maine in 1623
–  Absorbed by Mass. In
1677
•  New Hampshire in 1629
–  Absorbed by Mass. In
1641
•  Connecticut founded in
1636 by Thomas
Hooker
•  New Haven in 1639
–  Will merge with
Connecticut in 1662
Indian Relations
•  Europeans brought disease
–  Natives die and Puritans take land
–  Showed God was on their side
•  New England expansion brings more
contact and clashes
•  1637: War with Pequots in Connecticut
–  Pequots sided with Dutch which made them trade
rivals
–  English and Native allies beat Pequots
–  Pequots virtually destroyed
King Philip s War
•  King Philip (Metacom)
formed alliance of
Indian tribes in 1675
–  Tired of treatment by
English
•  Coordinated attacks in
New England
–  1676: 52 towns attacked
–  King Philip captured
ending war
•  Natives not much of a
threat after this.
•  Did slow westward
expansion
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New England Federation
(1643)
•  Four New England
colonies unite to
protect themselves
–  Plymouth
–  Massachusetts Bay
–  Connecticut
–  New Haven
•  First attempt at
colonial union
Changing Values
•  As more people come
to colonies:
–  More people pursue
riches--move away from
Protestant Work Ethic
–  Expanding out of towns
and away from church
and neighbors
–  More diversity
•  Puritans dispersed
•  Dampened religious
zeal
Half-Way Convenant (1662)
•  Diversity meant fewer conversions
•  New rule for church membership
•  Non-Puritans (”Non-Elect”) could be
baptized but could not receive full
communion
–  Weakened distinction between Puritans
and non-Puritans
–  Gave non-Puritans a say in government
–  Weakened Puritan control in New England
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