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the 13 british colonies
the 13 british colonies
Between 1607 and 1733, Great Britain established 13 colonies on the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. Each colony can be grouped into one of three regions based on its geography and economics. Those three regions are New England Colonies, Middle (Mid-Atlantic) Colonies, and Southern Colonies.
New England Colonies
New England Colonies
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire
Massachusetts was first settled by Pilgrims in 1620 at Plymouth. Please see the page for more information.
Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
In 1630, John Winthrop led about 900 Puritans to settle in Massachusetts Bay, Massachusetts. The Puritan religion was one that wanted to "purify" the Church of England and get rid of all things Catholic. They were a strict religious group with harsh punishments for disobeying God's laws. Their goal was to start a perfect Christian society. The Puritans in England had suffered from religious persecution and they wanted a place where they could find religious freedom.
Their society was very much a theocracy -- a government run by religious leaders. They had a general court, made up of only male church members. Only male church members could vote as well.
Church attendance was mandatory. Those that missed church regularly were subject to a fine. The sermon became a means of addressing town problems or concerns. The church was sometimes patrolled by a man who held a long pole. On one end was a collection of feathers to tickle the chins of old men who fell asleep. On the other was a hard wooden knob to alert children who giggled or slept. Church was serious business indeed.
The Puritans believed they were doing God's work. Hence, there was little room for compromise. Harsh punishment was inflicted on those who were seen as straying from God's work. There were cases when individuals of differing faiths were hanged in BOSTON COMMON.
Thomas Hooker, a Puritan Minister, disagreed with how John Winthrop. He led his congregation out of Massachusetts Bay. He established the town of Hartford, Connecticut in 1636.
Hooker later drafted The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the first written constitution in the colonies. Under the orders, all male citizens could vote, even those not part of the church. The orders called for an elected governor and a two-house legislature. It served as a model for other colonial charters and even future state constitutions after independence was achieved.
Thomas Hooker
Connecticut
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Roger Williams, another Massachusetts minister, also had problems with the people of Massachusetts Bay. He believed that people shouldn't be forced to go to church, that settlers should pay Native Americans for their land, and that church and the government should be separated. He did not believe in a theocracy. The leaders of Massachusetts Bay were so angered by what he believed and preached that they banished him from Massachusetts in 1636.
He left Massachusetts and established the town of Providence.
Two years later, Anne Hutchinson was also banished from Massachusetts. Being a woman, she dared to speak out against the church leaders and believed that each person could have their own relationship with God. She and her followers left Massachusetts and started the town of Portsmouth, which was near Providence. In 1644, the two towns combined to establish the colony of Rhode Island.
In 1638, John Wheelwright fled Massachusetts Bay for similar reasons. He was Anne Hutchingson's brother in law. He led his followers north and founded the town of Exeter. This became an independent colony in 1679.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
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