The History of New England in the Colonial Era

This web site is for students in the course History of New England in the Colonial Era, led by Tom Lathrop, in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at RIT.

The New England colonies played an important role in the history of our country, and they made significant contributions to the unique American culture. This course covers the history of New England from the first European explorers until about 1770. It does not cover events such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, since those are part of the history of the American Revolution.

There is quite a bit of material about religion in this class. This is a history class, not a religion class, but it’s important to know something about Puritanism and other Protestant religions to understand the history of this time period. I request that class members avoid discussing the merits of the religious beliefs that are presented. It’s fine to ask questions to clarify your understanding of what these people believed, but this is not the place to present your own religious beliefs.