Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

Distinct Colonial Regions Develop

- the New England colonies consisted of Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts

- by A.D. 1750, there were over 1 million colonists in New England

- features of New England include long winters, rocky soil, and many English colonists

- the majority of people make their living through farming

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

The Farms & Towns of New England

subsistence farming: producing food for a family and maybe a little for trade

- farming was difficult because of the short growing season and the rocky soil

- towns were created because large plots of land were sold to groups of people

- towns had a meeting house in the middle, greens, and farmhouses

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

Harvesting the Sea

- farming was difficult, so many turned to fishing for food (cod, halibut, lobster, & mackerel)

- colonists used New England’s many trees for shipbuilding (2,500 trees could used for one ship!)

- New England’s economy relied on fishing, timber, shipbuilding, & whaling

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

Atlantic Trade

- colonists exchanged goods with other colonies, Europe, or through the Triangular Trade

- New England became quite wealthy from the triangular trade, which forced England to pass the Navigation Acts in A.D. 1651

- England tried to tax & control all ships in the Triangular Trade

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

- England struggled to control smuggling and pirates, like Blackbeard (Edward Teach)

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

African Americans in New England

- New England did not have very many slaves due to the short growing season and the poor soil for crops

- farmers could not afford to house & feed slaves during the long winter months

- most slaves were used as servants, cooks, gardeners, stable-hands, and dock workers

Ch.4, Sec.1 – New England: Commerce & Religion

Changes In Puritan Society

- Puritanism began to decline for three reasons:

1. greed drove economic success instead of Puritan beliefs

2. increased competition from other Protestant faiths

3. political changes (by A.D. 1691, voting was based on property ownership instead of church membership)