Massachusetts Bay Colony:

A City Upon A Hill

The Pilgrims Arrive
Puritans and the Development of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Pilgrims Arrive

The Pilgrims (separatists) are escaping religious
persecution under King James I. Pilgrims want to
separate from the Church of England.
Arrive in 1620 they land outside of the charters
grant and must form their own governing body
The Mayflower Compact, 1620, was the 1st
example of self-rule in colonies. It was written for
the good of all community members and
supported idea of majority rule.

Mayflower

Early Troubles
Pilgrims go through their own
Starving Time minus
cannibalism
Indians will help them learn
about planting crops under the
condition that Pilgrims protect
them from their enemies
This is why there is a famous
first Thanksgiving in the fall of
1621

Thanksgiving, 1621

Pilgrim Leadership
William Bradford, 1st governor of Plymouth
proclaims Indians are savage and brutish
men
Miles Standish, a soldier will attack enemies of
Wampanoag and placed Indian heads on pikes
Pilgrims begin to live on Indian lands and live
in Indian homes left empty because of diseases
and warfare

Miles Standish marching to war,

1622

Puritans
Puritans are harassed by King Charles and the
Church and flee England in 1630
They wanted to purify the Church of its
Catholic practices
Receive a royal charter to settle in New
England and are a joint-stock company
Are well prepared for any problem and do not
suffer any hardships like the Starving Time

City Upon a Hill

Sermon by John
Winthrop that inspired
Puritan colonists with
a sense of holy duty
Puritans would be a
model of a perfect
Protestant community
for all the world to see

Puritans

Political Development of
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Puritans hold town
meetings were men meet to
make laws and discussed
community issues
Only male church members
could vote on issues and
elect their representatives
Those that can vote in local
government are called
freemen

 With Indians they at first learn how to

agricultural techniques and learn how to
farm corn, beans, pumpkins, and potatoes
Puritans are involved in trade with Indians
for items like: blankets, iron pots, metal
tipped arrows and guns
Puritans will concentrate on raising
livestock which need open fields to graze
and desire Indian land

Social Development of
Massachusetts Bay Colony
You were required to attend church services
New England Way was a belief that you
should work hard, be honest and be a good
person
Education is mandatory, every Puritan is
expected to be able to read the bible
John Winthrop, a lawyer and religious leader
wants New England to be A City Upon a Hill

Economical Development of
Massachusetts Bay Colony

The regions is not flat like in the Chesapeake

Bay region (no land to plant crops)
Puritans adapt to region and are involved in
fishing, fur trading, lumbering and farming
They will also become the largest ship
building region of the colonies due the forest
areas surrounding them
Puritans will also be heavily involved in trade
with the Caribbean and Europe

Conflict with Native Americans

The Pequot War will be a war against Dutch
settlers and Indians over trade in the region
It is a brutal war. Puritans will burn hundreds
of Indians alive in a stockade
The Pequot tribe will be almost wiped out and
sold into slavery
King Philips War will be mainly because of
Puritan land grabs of Indian land

Indians raiding Puritan settlement