Section 2
The New England Colonies
Section 2 Focus Question
How did religious beliefs and dissent influence the New
England Colonies? To begin answering this question,
• Learn about the geography of the New England Colonies.
• Read about the Puritan settlement in Massachusetts.
• Understand how religious conflicts led to new colonies.
• Note how the New England Colonies grew and changed.
Section 2 Summary
Although farming was difficult in New England, the forests
and fishing grounds were rich resources. The Puritans
founded a colony to practice their religion freely. Religious
disputes led people to found new colonies. The growing
number of colonists led to many changes in New England.
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Geography of New England
New England covers the northeastern corner of the United
States. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are in
southern New England. New Hampshire, Vermont, and
Maine are in the north. Much of the region has hills, low
mountains, and forests. Thin, rocky soil made farming
difficult, but just off the coast were rich fishing grounds. ✓
Puritans in Massachusetts Bay
The Puritans, a larger group than the Pilgrims, wanted to
reform, not separate from, the Church of England. In the
1620s, King Charles I forced hundreds of Puritan ministers
to give up their positions. In 1630, about 900 Puritans
formed the Massachusetts Bay Company and set sail for
Massachusetts and New Hampshire. They were led by
landowner and lawyer John Winthrop.
The Puritans’ main settlement in the Massachusetts Bay
Colony was Boston. By the mid-1630s, the colony had an
elected assembly, the General Court. Adult male Puritans
elected the General Court and the colony’s governor each year.
The Puritans did not offer others toleration, or recognition that
people have a right to different opinions. ✓
Key Events
1565
Spain builds the
first permanent
European
settlement in
North America.
1607
English start
colony at
Jamestown,
Virginia.
1682
William Penn
founds the
colony of
Pennsylvania.
1732
Georgia is
founded by
James
Oglethorpe.
✓ Checkpoint
Name the present-day states that
make up
• Southern New England:
_____________________________
_____________________________
• Northern New England:
_____________________________
_____________________________
✓ Checkpoint
Name the ruler who forced Puritan
ministers to give up their positions.
_______________________________
Unit 1
Chapter 3
Section 2
33
✓ Checkpoint
List four colonists who had
disagreements with some aspects
of the Puritan religion.
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Reading Strategy
TH
E
______________________________
______________________________
✓ Checkpoint
Explain why Metacom declared
war on the English.
______________________________
______________________________
Growth and Change
Puritans believed that towns and churches should govern
themselves, and that people should work hard and live in
stable families. Each Puritan town set up a town meeting, or
an assembly of townspeople that decides local issues. New
England families earned their living by farming, making
leather and other goods, fishing, and shipbuilding. By the
1660s, 300 ships were fishing off the coast or shipping goods.
By the 1670s, the number of Native Americans fell to
12,000, due to European diseases. In 1675, the Wampanoag
chief, Metacom (also called King Philip), fought Puritan
expansion. Some Native Americans supported him, but
others helped the settlers. The fight, known as King Philip’s
War, killed thousands. In 1676, Metacom was killed. ✓
Check Your Progress
1. What were Roger Williams’s beliefs?
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
2. What did the Puritans believe about towns and churches?
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
___ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ ___ _
34
Unit 1
Chapter 3
Section 2
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Underline two
beliefs in the
k
bracketed
ar t
M
x
paragraph that
Te
affected Puritan
society. Then use
these details to make a general
statement about Puritan society.
New Colonies
Religious conflicts led to new colonies. Roger Williams,
minister of a church in Salem, believed that Puritans should
leave the Church of England. He also thought Native American
land should be bought, not taken. Forced to leave
Massachusetts in 1635, he moved to Rhode Island. In 1644,
colonists there received a charter of self-government from
the king. People could worship as they chose.
Bostonian Anne Hutchinson was put on trial in 1638 for
questioning Puritan ideas. Forced out of Massachusetts, she
made a settlement in Rhode Island. Thomas Hooker, a
minister, also left Massachusetts in 1636 and founded
Hartford, Connecticut. In 1639, the Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut set up an elected legislature and governor. In
1662, Connecticut received a charter of self-government. In
1638, John Wheelright, forced out of Massachusetts for
agreeing with Hutchinson’s views, founded Exeter, New
Hampshire. Massachusetts tried to control New Hampshire,
but in 1680, the king made it a separate colony. ✓
Section 2 Notetaking Study Guide
Question to Think About As you read Section 2 in your textbook and take
notes, keep this section focus question in mind: How did religious beliefs and
dissent influence the New England Colonies?
! Use this chart to record key information from the section. Some information
has been filled in to get you started.
The New England Colonies
Geography of New England:
•
Thin, rocky
soil made ________________ difficult.
• Just off the ______________________ coastline are some of the _______________
______________________ in the world.
• The long winters and short, warm summers meant that the colonists caught fewer
diseases
and _____________________ than colonists in Virginia.
Puritans in Massachusetts Bay
Who They Were
Why They Left England
People who wanted to ________________,
not ____________________ the Church of
_______________________
1620s: King Charles I persecuted them .
They believed their way of life___________
__________________________________.
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Events
1630s: 900 Puritans formed the ____________________________________________
• Led by _______________________________, who was a_______________________
• Established ___________________________________________________________
• Elected an assembly known as the _________________________________________
• Only _________________________________________________________could vote.
• By 1634, _____________________________________________________________
20,000 people lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
.
New Colonies
• Disagreements about religion _____________________________________________ .
• The Puritans did not believe in ___________________________.
• Roger Williams: Believed Puritans should _________________________________ and
______________________________________. Founded _______________________
and decided that the colony would have no __________________________________ .
• Anne Hutchinson: Questioned some Puritan teachings and was__________________
_______________________. In 1642, she traveled to _________________________ .
• Thomas Hooker: Disagreed with ___________________________________. Founded
______________________. In 1639, colonists drew up the _____________________ .
• John Wheelright: Shared some of ___________________________ views. Founded
___________________________________________. In 1680, New Hampshire became
a_________________________________ .
Refer to this page to answer the Chapter 3 Focus Question on page 46.
Unit 1
Chapter 3
Section 2
35