Section 3 - Massachusetts Bay: New England Colony

You read in Chapter 6 about the Pilgrims who came to Massachusetts in 1620. They were Puritans who wanted to leave the Church of England. Another group of Puritans also sought religious freedom.

Led by John Winthrop, the group formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They settled in New England in 1630. These Puritans wanted to freely practice their religious beliefs in their new home. The rugged geography of New England did not make the Puritans give up their plan. The soil was rocky, and winters could be harsh. But there were also vast forests and clean water. The winter cold killed insects and germs that caused disease. Colonists in New England often lived longer than people in other regions.

The region supported many industries. Colonists grew crops and raised animals on small farms. Men cut lumber from trees to build houses and trading ships. Fishing also provided food. Some colonists became skilled whalers. They made oil and candles from whale fat.

Massachusetts had a more democratic government than most countries in Europe. At first, only Puritan men could vote. As time passed, all men who owned land could vote. The colonists met at town meetings to solve local problems. They made decisions by majority rule. This was the first truly democratic form of local government in the colonies. Settlers elected representatives to the colony’s lawmaking body. John Winthrop was elected governor 12 times between 1630 and 1649.

From its start, Rhode Island offered people religious freedom. In 1631, a young minister named Roger Williams began to criticize the Puritan leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He thought that government and religion should be separate. These leaders forced him to leave the colony in 1635.

The colony that the British named New York was first settled by people from the Netherlands. The Netherlands (often called Holland) is a country in northern Europe. Its people are the Dutch. The Dutch came to the area to set up fur-trading posts. 

Quakers were another religious group whose beliefs differed from those of other churches. Quakers had no priests or ministers. They would not fight in wars. English Quaker William Penn was jailed several times for his beliefs. He wanted to start a colony where Quakers could live safely. In 1681, England’s King Charles II granted land in North America to Penn. Penn founded Pennsylvania there.

Cecilius Calvert, an English nobleman also known as Lord Baltimore, started the colony of Maryland in 1634. He hoped to make money from the colony. Lord Baltimore also wanted to provide a safe place for Catholics like himself. In England and in some of the colonies, Catholics were treated harshly.

The Southern Colony of Georgia was started in 1732 for two main reasons. First, the British government wanted to keep Spanish troops from moving north from Florida.

Second, some wealthy British men wanted to help poor people avoid going to debtors’ prison. A debtor is someone who owes something to another person.At that time, people went to jail if they could not pay their bills. Sending debtors to Georgia rather than to jail gave them a new start. They had a chance to earn a living in the new colony.

The British colonies attracted hundreds of thousands of immigrants. In Europe, most people worked at the same jobs their families had always done. But in the colonies, a young man had some choices. These choices varied among regions. What kinds of jobs did each of the three colonial regions offer?

For Sam, it was an exciting time. He would soon be an adult. In the British colonies, he could decide his own future. What kind of work should he choose? Sam lived in New England. He was part of a large family. He had seven brothers and sisters. They all worked on the family farm. It provided most of the basics the family needed. Sam liked life on the farm. Perhaps he’d become a farmer. After all, that is what most people in New England did. He might leave his family’s home to work for a time at a neighbor’s farm so that he could make some money. When he was a little older, he could marry. As a wedding present, his parents might give him a small piece of land. He and his wife could build a home and run a farm, as his parents had done. He could picture himself and his wife attending church and taking an active part in village life. And they could raise a big family. They would be comfortable, if not rich.

Although Sam liked farm life, he had another dream. He longed to earn a living from the sea. New England had many fine harbors. And not far off shore were some of the world’s finest fishing grounds. The fishing industry provided jobs for thousands of people. Whaling was another seafaring industry. It was hard dangerous work. But Sam was drawn by the promise of adventure. New England whaling ships sailed the world. He could travel to new and amazing places. Young Sam had exciting options. He would choose his future soon.
The Middle Colonies

Farming was also the most common job for colonists in the Middle Colonies. There was plenty of fertile land. The climate allowed farmers to raise important crops, such as wheat. But the Middle Colonies were known for something else, too. The region had two large cities: New York and Philadelphia. Life for residents of these places was very different from life for people in the countryside.

For one thing, the cities offered a great variety of jobs. Some people worked in the shipyards. Row upon row of workshops and stores employed many other colonists. It was in one of these enterprises that young Caleb would be seeking his future as a skilled worker.

Caleb’s father had arranged for his son to become a printer. Soon, Caleb would begin training for this job. He would have to learn to perform many tasks. To learn these skills, Caleb would need to become an apprentice. While still a young teenager, he would have to leave home to live with a master printer. The printer would teach Caleb all about printing. The printer would also provide food and housing for Caleb. In return, Caleb would work for the master printer as he learned the skills of printing.

Caleb’s training would last several years. When it was finished, he could expect to get a paying job. If Caleb were ambitious, he might someday try to set up a shop of his own. 

It would be risky! He would need money for supplies. The business might fail. But a person who took risks could prosper. If his business thrived, he could become wealthy. And there was plenty of opportunity in the bustling big cities of the Middle Colonies. In the future, their economies would grow into the economic system that the United States uses today. Caleb was nervous about moving away from his family. But he knew that he must get good training. He was ready to learn how to be a skilled printer and to make his place in the growing economy of colonial America.

Thomas lived in South Carolina, one of the Southern Colonies. His family owned a large rice plantation. Carolina rice was the best. Family members were able to sell this product for a high price and earn a good income. With this money, they were able to purchase the items they needed and could not produce themselves. They could afford many luxuries, as well.

Thomas was getting older, and he had begun thinking about his future. The chances were very good that he would inherit his family’s plantation. After all, he was the oldest of the surviving children of his family. He had had an older brother and sister. They had both died at an early age. Sadly, this was not uncommon in the colonial South. Disease was a serious problem in the wet, warm climate. In fact, Thomas was lucky that both of his parents were still alive. One of Thomas’s friends had lost both of his parents and had had no other choice but to become a servant to another family.

But for Thomas, the future seemed bright. He would one day take control of the family plantation. He would manage the workers, most of them slaves, who produced the large rice crop. Since there were few villages or town centers, such as those found in New England, people tended to gather at each other’s houses. He and his wife would entertain friends and visitors at home. And he would play games such as cards and pool with his friends. These were favorite pastimes in the colonial South.

Unlike many men in Europe, young men in the British colonies could often choose what work they did. Many colonists worked on farms, especially in the Southern Colonies. In the Middle and New England colonies, varied industries offered more choices.