Lecture Notes # 4

The Puritan Colonies

I. Plymouth

November, 1620, the Puritans landed in New England in the Cape Cod area, then moved to Plymouth (after city they had sailed from)
Pilgrims--radical group of Puritans

Followers of Calvin--called themselves Congregationalists
This group belonged to Separtists, who believed that only by separating from Church of England could they find a pure religion
Many had lived in Holland before coming to America

feared that Catholic Spain may try to take Holland
did not want their children to grow up Dutch

Decided to form a settlement with English people in New World

Settlement

100 people on Mayflower, only 30 Separtists
To ease worries of non-Separtists, Mayflower Compact signed while on board ship--established a "Civil Body Politic" and a simple system of legal authority
Settlers landed and had to face harsh conditions immediately

Set about building shelter and storage for provisions
Only about half of the settlers survived the first winter

Help from the Pokanokets

Tribe had already suffered an epedemic from contact with Europeans
Sought to protect themselves from powerful Narragansett Indians by allying with settlers
Supplied settlers with foodstuffs to help them get through the first lean years--also showed them what and how to plant
Squanto--had been captured and taken to England--became a "good" Indian by helping English translate and showing them how to survive

Discuss William Bradford

II. New England Towns

Puritan mission to New World

Who were the Puritans?

dissenters within the Church of England--wanted to purify the church
King James I bitterly opposed Puritan efforts
combination of royal opposition and poor economic situation in England led Puritans to look toward New England as place to build a godly community

1628, group of Puritan merchants buy Virginia Company's claims to part of New England, form Massachusetts Bay Company
first settlers come in 1629
John Winthrop and "City upon a Hill"

1630, John Winthrop came as head of 700 settlers to New England--most settlers came from middling merchant or farm families
While on board ship, he preached a sermon titled "A Model of Christian Charity"--which sets out his vision for the new colony

Winthrop wanted to build a godly community which would stand as a city on a hill, thus shaming England's church people to reform
the model called for an end to destructive economic competition--everyone was to be virtuous and had an obligation to others
in economic matters, charity was to moderate the drive for profit--concept of just price (compare with growing ideas about capitalism in England and Europe)

Control of New England communities

Under Puritan vision, the center of their communities would be the Congregational church

membership in church required being recognized as a "Revealed Saint"--explain the process of the conversion relation
everyone required to attend services and pay tithes even if not a member (banishment from church services basically put a person outside of acceptable society)
control of the church in hands of all male "saints"

unlike Virginia churches where power usually rested in hands of wealthy
Puritan churches more democratic--all "saints" allowed to participate in control

Puritan control extends beyond the church

public meetings (including the county court) normally held at the church
public officials were members of the church
little separation between civil law and canon (church) law
technically, church and state were separate, but Puritans strongly believed in cooperation between church and state

"The Little Commonwealth"

Physical layout

Villages in New England originally established around meeting house (church)--most dwellings within one mile
residents of a town were allotted certain plots of land further out for farming--each family given enough land to provide for their needs
purpose of this layout was to force people to intermingle with each other, thus increasing sense of community and interdependence

Puritan families

the husband was to be the head of the nuclear family in New England--wife, children, and servants subject to his authority
marriage was not a private affair--it was a contract governed by the state, and could thus be regulated (both church and state could examine details of family life and interfere if deemed necessary)
women given no property rights in New England society unless husband specifically granted them in writing (pre-nuptial agreement or will)
education of children seen as important aspect of child-rearing among Puritans--needed to raise children who could take part in church

Growth of New England population

the settlers who came to New England usually did so as part of a family group--unlike Virginia
as a result, the relatively even numbers of males to females meant a more rapid natural population growth
New England's population grew rapidly, even though only about 20,000 Puritans came over during the period from 1630-1649 (explain why 1649 cutoff date)
Part of New England's growth attributable to fact region relatively free of disease--compared to England or Virginia--thus people lived longer and had more children

Relations with native peoples

Pequot Wars--1633--came from expansion into Connecticutt River valley

Pequots resisted the expansion
English reacted with a campaign of extermination, with the few survivors taken as captives or slaves

After Pequot War, Indians try to accomodate white settlers
New England settlers attempted to keep Native peoples under control by creating "praying towns"
King Philip's War--1675

Wampanoags led by Metacom--King Philip--fought to avenge insults, murders, and the theft of land
had almost 3,000 killed during the fighting, over 600 colonists died

Religious dissenters

Roger Williams and Rhode Island

Williams dissented from the tying of civil government to the church--the two should remain absolutely separate
he also opposed mandatory church attendance and tithes, especially when it interfered with a person's individual religious beliefs
Puritan authorities saw Williams as a subversive and banished him from the colony
Williams and a number of followers purchased land from the Narragansett Indians, and founded a new settlement to the south called Providence
Providence became center of the new Rhode Island colony

Anne Hutchinson

Follower of John Cotton--stressed salvation of grace
Thought women should play major role in public
Banished from Massachusetts Bay
On her death, Puritan authorities claimed she was pregnant by the Devil

Quakers, Baptists, and other radicals

banishment
execution

Connecticut and Rhode Island offshoots of the Bay Colony

Connecticut an attempt to reproduce Massachusetts' vision of an ideal world
Rhode Island grew as more people in New England rejected the Puritan's ideal society

III. Salem Witchcraft Trials -- case study in colonial life

Salem in place and time

Location

Mass. Bay colony--15 miles north of Boston
caught between "civilized" world of Boston and frontier with hostile native peoples

When

Late 17th century
time of upheaval in Britain and Colonies
1688, Glorious Revolution in Britain
1689-97, King William's War (War of the League of Augsburg)--heavy fighting along the frontier, many families destroyed

Chronology of events

Dec. 1691--Tituba tells girls in Parris household's fortunes, girls begin to behave strangely
Early 1692, girls begin to denounce some women in Salem Village as witches
Trials begin in April, number of people denounced as witches grow--some of the accused begin to point finger at others
By end of the summer, 20 people had been executed
October, 1692 -- Governor William Phips (newly arrived from Britain) puts an end to trials, pardoning 100 in jail and 200 accused

Reasons behind Witchcraft crisis--one or many?

Economic reasons (Proctors vs. Putnams)
Religion

"half-way covenant"
Puritanism's dominance under attack

Indian wars -- discuss history of girls
Political instability
Gender
life on frontier -- general uncertainty
Personal gain -- "Devil's Disciples"

Interpreting history and its causes and consequences.
Could this happen again?