Download The New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies

The New England,
Middle, and Southern
Colonies
Unit 1, Lesson 3
Essential Idea


The New England colonies were largely settled
for religious reasons.
Following the English Civil War, the Middle
and Southern colonies were settled.
Religious Problems in England



Puritans- wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church through reform
Separatists- decided the Anglican Church was too corrupt to be reformed
and left England
Pilgrims- this group of Separatists sailed to America in 1620
Pilgrims Arrive



On the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and others sailed for Virginia but landed at
what is now Massachusetts
The colonists signed the Mayflower Compact, agreeing to establish a
government ruled by majority
The colonists formed Plymouth (1620), led by William Bradford
Early Troubles




Plymouth suffered from a plague that left only 50 alive
The colonists also struggled to grow food in the cold and rocky environment
Squanto, from the Wampanoag tribe, taught colonists how to grow food
In 1621, the Wampanoag and colonists celebrated a successful harvest (basis
for Thanksgiving)
Massachusetts
Bay Colony



In 1630, Puritans (nonSeparatist) left England
to escape persecution
They formed
Massachusetts Bay
Company and left for
America, led by John
Winthrop
Winthrop wanted the
colony to be a Christian
model for the world,
calling it a “city upon a
hill”
Puritans Migrate



Great Puritan
Migration- over
20,000 Puritans left
England for America
Eventually (1691),
Plymouth was
absorbed into the
much larger
Massachusetts Bay
colony
Boston became a
major city and
eventually the
beginning point of the
American Revolution
Massachusetts Bay Government



The General Court and churches were governed separately but were closely related
The General Court passed laws regulating moral behavior and supporting churches
with taxes
Churches were governed by “church members” who had had “conversion
experiences”
The Puritans
and Heresy




Puritans had no tolerance
for heretics, (people who
disagreed with the church)
Roger Williams was
banished from
Massachusetts for heresy
Williams helped establish
Rhode Island, where he
allowed religious freedom
Anne Hutchinson was also
banished when she
challenged the authority of
Puritan leaders
New Hampshire (and Maine)



The land above
Massachusetts was split
into New Hampshire
and Maine
New Hampshire
became a royal colony
Maine was considered
part of Massachusetts
until 1820
Connecticut


Thomas Hooker
founded Connecticut
so non-church
members could
participate in
government too
Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut- first
written Constitution
in America
War with Indians (again)



Overall, these northern
colonies (future states)
became known as “New
England”
The Wampanoag and
New Englanders initially
got along through
trading for furs
Over time, New
Englanders wanted more
land and wanted the
Wampanoag to adopt
English laws, customs,
and Christianity
King Philip’s
War





Tension peaked with the
outbreak of King Philip’s War in
1675
The Wampanoag were led by
“King Philip” (Metacomet)
The colonists killed King Philip
and destroyed many Indian
villages
King Philip’s War represented
the last major stand of Indians
against New Englanders
How did Chesapeake and New
England colonists compare in
their relationships with American
Indians?
New England in 1650
The Dutch Settle in America




The Middle Colonies are Settled:
The Dutch (Netherlands) settled the area between
England’s New England and Chesapeake colonies
Henry Hudson explored the region that the Dutch
claimed as “New Netherland”
The main settlement, on Manhattan Island, was called
“New Amsterdam”
England Takes New Netherland





The English Civil War
had disrupted English
settlement in America
Following its Civil War,
England used its
superior military to
easily take New
Netherland from the
Dutch
New Netherland became
“New York” and New
Amsterdam became
“New York City”
New York City, like
Boston, became a major
trading area
New York
Quakers



A religious group arose
in England known as
the Quakers (Society of
Friends)
Quakers were pacifist
(anti-violence) and
believed in religious
toleration
Quakers thought
everyone had an “inner
light” and believed all
sexes and races were
equal
Pennsylvania





The English king granted William Penn, a Quaker,
land in America that became Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania had complete religious and political
freedom and Philadelphia was the capital
Pennsylvanians respected Indians and coexisted with
them peacefully (unlike most English colonies)
A wider variety of European immigrants came to
Pennsylvania than any other colony
Quakers in Pennsylvania
The Carolinas


Carolina:
Carolina was
established as a
single colony but
developed into two
separate regions
South Carolina


Had good harbors and wealthy port cities (like
Charles Town)
The slave trade flourished here
North Carolina


Bad harbors,
contained many
poor farmers
and few slaves
Independentminded people
moved in from
Virginia and
South Carolina
Georgia



Georgia was
settled as a refuge
for England’s poor
people
Slavery and
alcohol were
initially banned
Georgia was a
“buffer colony”
between English
colonies and
Spanish-owned
Florida