Classroom notes from Tuesday
Vocabulary Test on Friday

Chapter 4 Lesson 1
The New England Colonies

Puritans in Massachusetts
John Winthrop was the leader of the religious group know as the Puritans
Puritans did not want to separate entirely from the Church of England
They wanted to reform the church by introducing simpler forms of worship

Leaving England

By 1629, Puritan leaders were convinced that England had fallen on evil times
They were granted a royal charter to form the Massachusetts Bay Company

Massachusetts Bay Colony

The plan was to build a new society in New England
Base their new society on biblical laws and teachings
Far from the king the colony could run their colony as they pleased

Joining the Massachusetts Colonists

Some joined for economic rather than religious reasons
Younger sons with little hope of owning land, sought opportunity elsewhere (in wealthy English families the oldest son usually inherited his father’s estate

Governing the colony

John Winthrop was chosen the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Only stockholders in the Company had the right to vote
Settlers resented taxes and laws passed by a government that they had no say
Granted all MALE church members the right to vote

Between 1629 and 1640, some 15,000 men, women, and children made the journey from England to Massachusetts
This movement of people is known as the Great Migration

Settling Connecticut

May 1636, Thomas Hooker led about 100 settlers out of Massachusetts Bay
Hooker wanted strict limits on government
In 1639, the settlers wrote a plan of government called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Gave the vote to all men who were property owners, including those who were not church members
Limited the governor’s power
Expanded the idea of representative government in the English colonies

In 1662, Connecticut became a separate colony, with a new charter granted by the king of England

Settling Rhode Island

Roger Williams settled in Rhode Island, he bought land from the Indians
Williams believed in religious toleration
Toleration means a willingness to let others practice their own beliefs


In 1763, Jewish settlers in Rhode Island built Touro Synagogue, the first Jewish house of worship in North America. It still stands today.