Chapter 3Settling the Northern Colonies

Bell RingerWhat were some traits that the

middle colonies had in common?

The Protestant Reformation Produces Puritanism

1517; Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral ◦ Several explosive ideas The Bible alone is the source of God’s word (meaning

not the Bible AND the church AND the pope). People are saved by faith in Christ alone (not by faith AND good works) actions ignite the Protestant Reformation

John Calvin Calvinism predestination (those going to Heaven or hell has already been determined by God)◦ Basic documents were stated in the 1536 documents Institutes of the Christian

Religion

◦ All humans were weak and wicked

◦ Only predestined could go to heaven (no matter what)

◦ Calvinists expected to seek “conversions” (signs that they were of the predestined, and afterwards, lead “sanctified lives”)

◦ Worked hard from dusk to dawn prove worthiness

◦ Impact vividly stamped on the psyche of Americans Protestant Work Ethic

In England, King Henry VIII was breaking his ties with the Holy Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s

Puritans Influenced to totally “purify”/ reform the Church of England ◦ Believed that only visible saints should be allowed to join the church

◦ Separatists vow to break away from the Church of England (Anglican Church) because: the saints would have to sit with the “damned” become Pilgrims

Continued…

King James I (father of the beheaded Charles I) harassed the Separatists out of England avoid uprising against himself ◦ If people could defy him as their spiritual leader, they might defy him as

their political leader.

Pilgrims End Their Pilgrimage at Plymouth

Pilgrims/ Separatists flee to Holland, where they had fled to after they left England start their journey to the colonies◦ Concerned that their children were getting too “Dutchified”

◦ Wanted a place where they were free to worship their own religion and could live and die as good Pilgrims.

Negotiated with the Virginia Company left Holland sailed for 65 days on the Mayflower arrive at New England (1620) only one person died on the trip and one person was born. ◦ Less than half of the pilgrims on the Mayflower were actually Separatists

◦ Contrary to myth, Pilgrims undertook a few surveys before deciding to settle at Plymouth, and area far from Virginia

◦ Became squatters (no legal right to land and without specific authority to establish government

Captain Shrimp (Myles Standfish) great negotiator and Indian fighter Before leaving the ship, sign Mayflower Compact set of rules by

which to obey ◦ While the House of Burgesses can be called the first system of government, Mayflower

Compact can be called the first set of governmental rules/ laws

◦ Not quite a constitution sets the standard for later constitutions self rule/ self government

◦ Winter of 1620-21 = only 44 out of the 102 survived

◦ 1621 bountiful harvests First Thanksgiving celebrated that year

◦ William Bradford chosen governor of Plymouth 30 times in annual elections great leader helps Plymouth survive and trade fur, fish and lumber

◦ 1691 Plymouth merges with Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Bay ColonyBible Commonwealth

1629; non-Separatist Puritans got a royal charter from England to settle in the New World◦ Took charter with them and later use as a type of constitution.

◦ Well equipped group of which about 11, 000 people came to Massachusetts

◦ John Winthrop elected governor / deputy governor for 19 years helped Mass. prosper in fur trading, fishing and shipbuilding

Building the Bay Colony

After the establishment of the colony, the franchise (right to vote) was extended to all “freemen” adult males who belonged to the Puritan congregations (Congressional Church) about 2/5ths of the male population ◦ “Un-churched” men and women weren’t allowed into matters of government

◦ Provincial government was not a democracy

◦ Governor Winthrop feared and distrusted the common people democracy was the “meanest and worst” of all forms of government

◦ Religious leaders wielded powerful influence over the admission to church membership

◦ John Cotton prominent clergy member educated at Cambridge immigrated to Massachusetts to avoid persecution for his criticism of the Church of England

◦ Congregations could also hire/ fire ministers at will

◦ Laws to limit earthly pleasures fine of 20 shillings for couples caught kissing in public

◦ Puritan concept of hell was very serious, frightening and very real Michael Wigglesworth’s “Day of Doom” (1662) sold one copy for every twenty people

Trouble in the Bible Commonwealth

Tensions arose in Massachusetts Quakers were fined, flogged, and/ or banished (usually to Rhode

Island) Anne Hutchinson very intelligent, strong-willed, talkative women

claimed the holy spirit was no sure sign of salvation the truly saved don’t need to obey the law of God or man antinomianism ◦ Brought to trial (1638) boasted that her beliefs were directly from God

◦ She was banished from the colony and eventually made her way to Rhode Island

◦ Dies in New York (attacked by Indians)

Roger Williams radical idealist hounded his clergymen to make a complete break with the Church of England ◦ Believed the civil government shouldn’t govern religious behavior

◦ Banished (1635) Rhode Island

Rhode Island “Sewer”

People who went to Rhode Island weren’t necessarily similar just unwanted everywhere else

Against special privilege “Little Rhody” later known as “the traditional home of the

otherwise minded” 1644; secured a charter

New England Spreads Out

1635- Hartford Connecticut founded Reverend Thomas Hooker led an energetic group of Puritans

west into Connecticut 1639 Fundamental Orders drafted by settlers of the new

Connecticut River colony modern constitution 1638- New Haven founded merged into Connecticut 1623- Maine absorbed by Massachusetts and remained so for

nearly a century and a half 1641- New Hampshire absorbed into Massachusetts 1679-

King separated the two and made New Hampshire a royal colony

Puritans vs. Indians

Violence◦ Before the Puritans arrived in 1620, and epidemic swept through the Indians

killed over three quarters of them

◦ Originally, Natives tried to befriend the white Squanto (a Wampanoag) helped keep relative peace

◦ 1637- after tensions exploded, English settlers and the powerful Pequot tribe fought in the Pequot War English set fire to a Pequot village on Connecticut’s Mystic River annihilating the Indians brought about 40 years of tentative peace

◦ Attempt to save face Puritans tried to convert some of the Indians less enthusiasm than that of the Spanish and French

1675- Metacom (called King Phillip by the English) united Indians in a last-ditched attack failed ◦ King Phillips war slowed the colonial western march Metacom was

beheaded and quartered head stuck on a sharp pike for all to see wife and son sold to slavery

Seeds of Colonial Unity and Independence

1643- Four colonies banded together to form the New England Confederation ◦ Almost all Puritans

◦ Weak still notable milestone toward American unity

◦ Colonies allowed to be semiautonomous commonwealths

◦ After Charles II restoration to the throne, he hoped to control his colonies more firmly shocked to find out how much of his orders were ignored by Massachusetts

◦ As punishment a sea-to-sea charter was given to rival Connecticut (1662) Charter given to Rhode Island (1663)

◦ 1684- Massachusetts’ charter was revoked

Andros Promotes the First American Revolution

1686; the Dominion of New England was created to bolster the colonial defense against Indians also tied colonies closer to GB enforced the hated Navigation Acts◦ Forbade American trade with counties other than GB

◦ Smuggling becomes common

◦ Sir Edmund Andros heads the Dominion headquarter in Boston openly shows association with the locally hated Church of England his soldiers were vile-mouthed and despised by Americans

Andros responded to opposition by shortening town meetings, restricting the courts and the press, and revoking all land titles taxed people without their consent

Simultaneously, people of England staged the Glorious Revolution instates William and Mary to the crown ◦ Ensuing, the Dominion of New England collapsed

◦ Massachusetts received a new charter in 1691 allows all landowners to vote (not just church members)

Old Netherlanders and New Netherland

17th Century revolts against Spain with the help of GB gain their independence

Dutch East India Company established army of 10,000 men and fleet of 190 ships ◦ Often raided rather than traded

1609; Henry Hudson ventured into Delaware and New York Bay claimed the area for the Netherlands

Dutch West India Company bought Manhattan Island for some worthless trinkets (22,000 acres of the most valuable land in the world today) ◦ New Amsterdam was a company town run by the Dutch company and the

interests of stockholders

◦ Gave patroonships (large areas of land) to promoters who agreed to settle at least 50 people on them

◦ Attracted people of all types and races one French Jesuit missionary counted 18 different languages being spoken on the street

Friction with English and Swedish Neighbors

Natives attacked the Dutch for their cruelties New England was hostile against Dutch growth The Swedes trespassed Dutch reserves from 1638-1655 by

planting the anemic colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River Things got so bad that the Dutch erected a wall in New

Amsterdam wall street 1655; Dutch sent Peter Stuyvesant to siege the main Swedish fort

he won ended Swedish colonial rule left only Swedish log cabins and place names as evidence that the Swedes were ever in Delaware

Dutch Residues in New York

1664; Charles II grants New York to his brother the Duke of York GB troops land defeat the Dutch kicked them our without much violence ◦ Renamed to New York

Dutch Legacy◦ People of NY retained their autocratic spirit

◦ Dutch names of cities remained Harlem, Brooklyn, and Hell Gate

◦ Architecture

◦ Easter eggs, Santa Claus, Waffles, Sauerkraut, Bowling, Sleighing, Skating & Golf

Penn’s Holy Experiment in Pennsylvania

The Quakers◦ They “quaked” under deep religious emotion

◦ Offensive to religious and civil rule

◦ Addressed everyone with simple “thee” and “thou” didn’t swear oaths because Jesus said not to swear at all creates problem had to swear a test oath to prove you weren’t catholic

◦ Stubborn and unreasonable BUT simple, devoted, democratic people against war and violence

William Penn, a well-born Englishman, embraced the Quaker faith ◦ 1681 managed to secure an immense grant of fertile land from the king

◦ Pennsylvania in honor of Penn being a modest person, insists that it be called Sylvania best advertised of all colonies

Quaker Pennsylvania and Its Neighbors

Thousands of squatters already lived in Pennsylvania Philadelphia more carefully planned than other cities with

beautiful, wide streets Penn bought land from the Indians Chief Tammany patron saint of

New York’s political Tammany Hall Treatment of Indians so gentle that Quakers could walk through Indian

territory unarmed without fear of being hurt HOWEVER more and more non-Quakers made it Pennsylvania

mistreated Indians Religious tolerance available to everyone except Jews and Catholics

due to pressures from London death penalty was only for murder or treason

No restrictions placed on immigration naturalization made easy Quakers dislike towards slavery Pennsylvania attracted great variety of people races, class, and

religion 1700; only Virginia was more populous and richer Penn not well liked due to his friendliness towards James II (deposed

Catholic King) jailed at times suffered a paralytic stroke died full of sorrows

New Jersey and Delaware prospered as well

Middle Way in the Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania◦ All had fertile soil and broad expanse of land

◦ All except Delaware exported lots of grain

◦ Susquehanna River tapped the fur trade of the interior gentle with little cascading water falls

◦ Middle colonies were the middle way between New England and the southern plantation states

◦ Landholdings were generally intermediate in size

◦ More ethically mixed than other colonies

◦ Considerable amount of economic and social democracy prevailed

◦ Benjamin Franklin born in Boston entered Philadelphia as a 17 yr old in 1720 loaf of bread under each arm immediately found a congenial home in the urbane open atmosphere of the city

◦ Not only surviving –but- thriving

Makers of America: The English

1600s; England was undergoing massive population boom 75% of English immigrants were indentured servants Most of them were young men from the “middling classes” Some had fled during the cloth trade slump in the early 1600s

while others had been forced of their land due to enclosures 40% of indentured servants died before their 7 years were

over Late in the 17th century, as the supply of indentured servants

slowly ran out southerners resolved to employ black slaves 1629-1642 11,000 Puritans swarmed to the Massachusetts

Bay Colony In contrast to the indentured servants, Puritan migrated in

families Puritans brought the way of life from England with them to

America◦ Marblehead, Mass, Fishermen (most immigrants were fishermen in England)

◦ Rowley, Mass. Brought from Yorkshire, England their distinctive way of life

◦ Ipswich, Mass. Settled by East Anglican Puritans rulers had long terms and ruled with an iron hand

◦ However, in Newbury , people rarely won reelection