New England Colonies

Key Words:

• Orthodox:(of a person or their views, especially religious or political ones, or other beliefs or practices) conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved.
• Puritanism: the beliefs and practices of people who follow very strict moral and religious rules about the proper way to behave and live
• Covenant: an agreement.

The New England Colonies included the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

Many of the first settlers to these colonies sought religious freedom. The New World provided an opportunity to create a new government with new laws.

Farming was difficult because of the long, cold winters and the region's rocky, hilly wilderness. The forests and the sea provided useful resources and ways to make a living.

The New England Population grew sixfold during the 18th century but lagged behind the growth of other colonies. Most immigrants chose other destinations because of New England's relatively densely settled land and because strict Puritan rules made these colonies comparatively inhospitable to religious dissenters and those indifferent to religion.

In many ways, trade became a faith that competed strongly with the traditions of Puritanism.

During the 18th century, colonial governments in New England abandoned the 17th century policy of granting land to towns. Needing revenue, the governments of both Connecticut and Massachusetts sold land directly to individuals, including speculators. Now money, rather than membership in a community bound by a church covenant, determined whether a person could obtain land.

Economics of New England Colonies:

A New England farm was a place to get by, not get rich. New England famers grew food for their families, but their fields did not produce a huge marketable surplus. Instead of one big crop, farmers grew many small ones. Poor roads made travel difficult, time consuming, and expensive, especially with bulky and heavy agricultural goods. The one major agricultural product the New England colonies exported - livestock - walked to market on its own legs. By 1770, New Englanders had only 1/4 as much wealth as free colonists in the southern colonies.

Merchants large and small stocked imported goods - English textiles, ceramics, and metal goods; Chinese tea West Indian sugar, and Chesapeake tobacco.

Many New Englanders made their fortunes at sea, as they had since the 17th century. Fish accounted for more than 1/3 of New England's 18th century exports; live stock and timber made up another third. The West Indies absorbed 2/3 of all New England's exports.

Merchants dominated the commercial economy of New England and stood at the hub of trade between local folk and the international market.