UNIT 3: The New England Colonies

The FOUNDERS of the New England colonies had a spiritual goal. Fed up with the
ceremonial Church of England, Pilgrims and Puritans sought to recreate society in the
manner they believed God truly intended it to be designed.

Religious strife reached a peak in England in the 1500s, when Henry VIII broke with the
Catholic Church of Rome. The new church under the king's leadership was approved by
the English Parliament, but not all the people in England were willing to accept the
Church of England. At first, the battles were waged between English Catholics and the
followers of the new Church — the ANGLICANS.

 The PILGRIMS, called the Separatists in England because of their desire to

separate from the Anglican Church, were persecuted by agents of the throne.
 The PURITANS, so named for their desire to purify the Church of England,
experienced the same degree of harassment.

PILGRIMS and Puritans believed in the teachings of JOHN CALVIN. According to Calvin,
neither the teachings of the Catholic nor the Anglican Churches addressed God's will.
King James and his son CHARLES (STUARTS) supported the Church of England, but
secretly admired the ceremonies of the Catholic Church. To these kings, Calvin was a
heretic. The Stuart kings saw America a means to get rid of troublemakers.

1. THE MAYFLOWER AND PLYMOUTH COLONY

Not all the English Separatists set out for the New World. The first group to leave England
actually headed for the Dutch Netherlands in 1608. They became uneasy in their new land
as their children started speaking Dutch and abandoning English traditions. They became
disgusted with the attention paid to worldly goods, and the presence of many "unholy"
faiths. The great Separatist experiment in the Netherlands came to a quick end. The
Pilgrims set their sights on the New World in late 1620.

Crossing the Atlantic

Over a hundred travelers embarked on the voyage of the Mayflower in September 1620.
Their voyage took about two months. One death was suffered and one child was born.
The child was named OCEANUS after the watery depths beneath them.

The Pilgrims were originally bound for Virginia to live north of Jamestown under the
same charter granted to citizens of Jamestown. Lost at sea, they happened upon a piece
of land that would become known as Cape Cod. After surveying the land, they set up
camp not too far from PLYMOUTH ROCK.

Since they were not landing within the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, they had no
CHARTER to govern them. Who would rule their society? In the MAYFLOWER COMPACT
OF 1620, the Pilgrims decided that they would rule themselves, based on majority rule of
the townsmen. Plymouth colony began to lay the foundation for democracy in the
American colonies.

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 2. WILLIAM BRADFORD AND THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

November was too late to plant crops. Many settlers died of scurvy and malnutrition
during that horrible first winter. Again like in Jamestown, the kindness of the local Native
Americans saved them from a frosty death. When the Mayflower returned to Europe, not
a single Pilgrim deserted Plymouth.

Soon neighboring Indians began to build relations with the Pilgrims. SQUANTO, a local
Indian who had been kidnapped and taken to England, served as an interpreter with the
local tribes. MASSASOIT, the chief of the nearby Wampanoags, signed a treaty of alliance
with the Pilgrims. In exchange for assistance with defense against the feared Narragansett
tribe, Massasoit supplemented the food supply of the Pilgrims for the first few years.

Governor Bradford

The man to step forward in Plymouth colony was WILLIAM BRADFORD who was elected
governor for the next thirty years. In May of 1621, he performed the colony's first
marriage ceremony. Under Bradford's guidance, Plymouth suffered less hardship than
their English compatriots in Virginia.

By autumn of 1621, Massasoit and about ninety other Indians joined the Pilgrims for the
great English tradition of HARVEST FESTIVAL. This tradition was repeated at harvest time
in the following years. It was President Lincoln who declared Thanksgiving a national
celebration in 1863.

3. MASSACHUSETTS BAY — "THE CITY UPON A HILL"

The Arbella was one of eleven ships carrying over a thousand Puritans from England to
Massachusetts in 1630. Future governor JOHN WINTHROP stated their purpose quite
clearly: "We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." Puritans
believed in PREDESTINATION. This doctrine holds that God is all-powerful and all-
knowing; therefore, the fate of each individual soul is known to God at birth. Puritans
believed that those chosen by God to be saved — the elect — would experience
"CONVERSION." In this process, God would reveal to the individual His grace, and the
person would know he was saved. Only the elect could serve as Church members.

Many DISSENTERS — Christian men and women who were not converted — also lived
within the ranks of Massachusetts Bay. Towns such as MARBLEHEAD were founded by
non-Puritan settlers. The Puritans allowed this for the sake of commerce.

An elected legislature was established, echoing the desire for self-government. Although
ministers were prohibited from holding political office, many of the most important
decisions were made by the clergy. In 1636, HARVARD COLLEGE was instituted for the
purpose of training Puritan ministers.

By the end of the 1630s, as part of a "GREAT MIGRATION" of Puritans out of England,
Puritan settlers came to Massachusetts, and the colony began to spread. In 1691,
Plymouth colony, still without a charter, was absorbed by their burgeoning neighbor.

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 4. PURITAN LIFE

The life expectancy of its citizens became longer. Children were born at nearly twice the
rate in Maryland and Virginia. LITERACY RATES were high as well. Massachusetts law
required a tax-supported school for every community. Puritans wanted their children to
be able to read the Bible.

MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY was a man's world. Women did not participate in town
meetings and were excluded from decision making in the church. Puritan ministers
furthered MALE SUPREMACY in their writings and sermons.

Church attendance was mandatory (fine). The sermon became a means of addressing town
problems or concerns. The Puritans believed they were doing God's work. Harsh
punishment was inflicted on those who were seen as straying from God's work. There
were cases when individuals of differing faiths were hanged in BOSTON COMMON. Public
whippings were commonplace. The STOCKADE forced the humiliated guilty person to sit
in the public square. Puritans felt no remorse about administering punishment. They
believed in Old Testament methods. The fundamental rule was to follow God's law. Those
that did lived in peace in the BIBLE COMMONWEALTH.

5. WITCHCRAFT IN SALEM

Surely the Devil had come to SALEM in 1692. After a thorough examination, the town
doctor concluded the girls were bewitched. The ordeal originated in the home of Salem's
REVEREND SAMUEL PARRIS. Parris had a slave from the Caribbean named TITUBA.
Several of the town's teenage girls began to gather in the kitchen with Tituba. The
townspeople were aghast at the behaviors exhibited by Tituba's young followers. They
were believed to have danced a black magic dance in the nearby woods. Several of the
girls would fall to the floor and scream hysterically.

Puritans believed that to become bewitched a WITCH must draw an individual under a
spell. The girls were questioned and forced to name their tormentors. Three townspeople,
including Tituba, were named as witches. The famous Salem witchcraft trials began as
the girls began to name more and more community members. Evidence admitted in such
trials was of five types.

 First, the accused might be asked to pass a test, like reciting the Lord's Prayer. But
the young girls who attended the trial were known to scream and writhe on the
floor in the middle of the test.
 Second, physical evidence was considered. Any birthmarks, warts, moles, or other
blemishes were seen as possible portals through which SATAN could enter a body.
 Witness testimony was a third consideration. Anyone who could attribute their
misfortune to the SORCERY of an accused person might help get a conviction.
 Fourth was spectral evidence. Puritans believed that Satan could not take the form
of any unwilling person. Therefore, if anyone saw a ghost or spirit in the form of
the accused, the person in question must be a witch.
 Last was the CONFESSION. In many cases, it was the only way out. A confessor
would tearfully throw himself or herself on the mercy of the town and court and
promise repentance. None of the confessors were executed.

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As 1692 passed into 1693, the hysteria began to lose steam. The governor of the colony,
upon hearing that his own wife was accused of witchcraft ordered an end to the trials.
However, 20 people and 2 dogs were executed for the crime of witchcraft in Salem.

No one knows the truth behind what happened in Salem. Salem had suffered greatly in
recent years from Indian attacks. A SMALLPOX epidemic had broken out at the beginning
of the decade. The motives of the young girls themselves can be questioned.