Puritan New England

Chapter 2 Section 3

Puritans Create a “New

England” A different group of

English people settled north of Jamestown.

They were members of a religious group that wanted to purify the Church of England by removing some of its Catholic practices.

Because of this they were known as Puritans

Puritans believed in the idea of a “priesthood of all believers”.

This meant that every worshipper should experience God directly through faith, prayer, and study of the Bible – instead of through services conducted by the church priests.

Some Puritans believed in trying to change the Church of England. Other Puritans chose to leave the Church of England and form their own congregations. They were known as Separatists.

The English king punished anyone who broke away from the Church of England. One Separatist group, known as the Pilgrims, decided to leave England.

In 1620, they arrived in North America and founded Plymouth colony.

Mayflower Compact

The first “constitution” in North America

Signed by 41 Pilgrim men who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620.

Provided laws and established separation between their church and the state of England.

In 1630, another group of Puritans sailed to North America. Like the Pilgrims, they came to practice their religion without fear of punishment.

They started a settlement called the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

By 1640, more than 20,000 English settlers lived there.

The region would become known as New England.

Unlike the settlers in Jamestown, the Puritans were well prepared to live in this land. They were organized and had many supplies. John Winthrop was the settlements first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (New England).

The Puritans wanted to create a society that all people could look up to.

All adult male members of the Puritan church could vote.

The Puritans also placed a great deal of importance on families and church authority.

They also stressed hard work

No matter what ones duties were, Puritans believed that God required men and women to work long and hard at them.

This Puritan work ethic helped lead to the rapid growth and success of the New England colonies.

Dissent in the

Puritan Communit

y

The Puritans came to America to practice their religion in freedom. However, they did not like dissent, or the expression of other points of view.

A minister named Roger Williams preached that the settlers should buy – not take – land from the Native Americans.

He also said that government officials should not punish those with different religious views.

Williams’ views angered Puritan leaders. They soon ordered his arrest. In 1636, Williams fled Massachusetts Bay. He settled a new colony in what is now Rhode Island.

Anne Hutchinso

n

Another Puritan dissenter was Anne Hutchinson. She taught people that they did not need church leaders to interpret the bible. She told them they could gain enlightenment on their own through the holy spirit.

In 1638 she was banished from the colony. 1st she went to Rhode Island. She eventually settled in New Netherlands (New York). There was religious toleration there.

Native Americans

resist Colonial Expansion

At first, Puritans and the local Native Americans helped each other.

As England grew, however, settlers began to seize Native American lands.

In addition, the settlers tried to force the Native Americans to accept Puritan laws and religion.

Many Native Americans saw the Puritans as a threat to their way of life.

They did not like the fact that their lands were being claimed and cleared for farming.

The Native Americans exchanged land for blankets, guns, iron tools, and other things.

They believed they were agreeing to share the land for a period of time.

Europeans saw it as buying land.

The Pequot War

The 1st major conflict arose in Connecticut in 1637. The Pequot Nation decided to stand up to the

colonists. The colonists got the Narragansett, enemies of the

Pequot, to help them.

In May 1637, the colonists and their allies surrounded a Pequot fort by the Mystic River.

They lit it on fire. When the Pequot tried to escape or surrender they were shot. 500 to 600 were killed. The Narragansett pleaded for the colonist not to keep killing, but

they were ignored.

King Phillip’s War

Without their land, many Native Americans found themselves working for the colonists and having to follow their laws.

No hunting or fishing on Sundays.

King Philip’s War

The Wampanoag chief Metacom (know as King Philip by the English) got a few tribes together to kick them out.

King Philip’s War began in the spring of 1675.

1/10 of the colonists of military age would die.

King Philip’s War

They used hit and run tactics for over a year.

Heavy casualties eventually caused them to surrender.

Metacom was killed during the war.

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His head was put on display by the Puritans for 20 years afterwards at Plymouth.

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