Settling the Northern Colonies

 

I.                    The Protestant Reformation Produces Puritanism

a.       Martin Luther

                                                               i.      Nailed his protests against Catholic doctrines to the door of Wittenberg’s cathedral in 1517

                                                             ii.      In the protest, he denounced the authority of priests and popes, declaring that the Bible alone was the source of God’s word

                                                            iii.      He ignited a fire of religious reform called the Protestant Reformation

b.      John Calvin

                                                               i.      Elaborated on Martin Luther’s ideas

                                                             ii.      Calvinism became the dominant theology of the New England Puritans

                                                            iii.      He spelled out his basic doctrine in a Latin tome in 1536, called Institutes of the Christian Religion.  He believed that:

1.      God was all-powerful, all-good, and all-knowing

2.      Because God was all-knowing, He knew who was going to heaven and who was going to hell – called predestination.  There was nothing one could do to change their outcome and no one could be certain of their status

c.       Puritans

                                                               i.      All of the above was happening when King Henry VIII was breaking his ties with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, making himself the head of the Church of England

                                                             ii.      Religious reformers wanted to undertake a total purification of English Christianity.  These people were called Puritans:

1.      Came from the depressed woolen districts

2.      Calvinism assured even the poor that they could go to heaven

3.      Grew increasingly unhappy over the slow progress of the Protestant Reformation

d.      Separatists

                                                               i.      The most devout Puritans were called Separatists because they vowed to break away entirely from the Church of England

                                                             ii.      They believed that only “visible saints” (persons who felt the stirrings of grace in their souls and could demonstrate its presence to their fellow Puritans) should be admitted to church membership.  But, the Church of England enrolled all of the king’s subjects.  This meant that the “saints” had to share churches with the “damned.”  The Separatists were appalled at this

e.       King James I

                                                               i.      King James I was the head of England and its church from 1603-1625

                                                             ii.      He believed that if his subjects could defy him as their spiritual leader, they might one day defy him as their spiritual leader, they might one day defy him as their political leader (his son, Charles I would be beheaded)

                                                            iii.      As a result, James I harassed the Separatists

II.                 Pilgrims & Plymouth

a.       Separatists Flee to Holland

                                                               i.      1608 – The Separatists flee to Holland

                                                             ii.      They didn’t like the “Dutchification” of their children

                                                            iii.      They longed to find a have where they could live and die as purified Protestants

b.      Mayflower

                                                               i.      The Separatists intend to go to Jamestown

                                                             ii.      They negotiate with the VA Company to settle under their jurisdiction

                                                            iii.      The ship, called the Mayflower, misses its destination (102 people; less than ˝ were Separatists; 1 died en route)

                                                           iv.      Chose Plymouth Bay as where they would settle (they became squatters)

c.       Mayflower Compact

                                                               i.      This was a simple agreement to form a crude government and to submit to the will of the majority under the regulations agreed upon

                                                             ii.      This set an invaluable precedent for later written constitutions (although this wasn’t a constitution)

d.      First Winter

                                                               i.      1620-162 – 44 out of 102 survived

                                                             ii.      None went back to England when the Mayflower left in the spring

                                                            iii.      Their economy was based on fur, fish, and lumber

e.       William Bradford

                                                               i.      One of the best leaders

                                                             ii.      Was chosen 30 times as governor

                                                            iii.      Was concerned about the non-Puritan settlers corrupting the Puritan settlement

                                                           iv.      1691 – Population was 7,000

III.               The Massachusetts Bay Colony

a.       Before the Colony

                                                               i.      When Charles I dismissed Parliament in 1629 and sanctioned anti-Puritan persecutions of an extremist Archbishop, many Puritans saw disaster in the making

                                                             ii.      In that same year, non-Separatist Puritans secured a royal charter to form the Massachusetts Bay Company

                                                            iii.      They proposed to establish a sizable settlement in the Boston, Massachusetts area

b.      Starting the Colony

                                                               i.      1630 – 11 vessels carrying nearly 1,000 immigrants.  This was larger than the beginning of any other English settlement

                                                             ii.      England continued to persecute the Puritans, which caused about 70,000 to leave for New England or the West Indies in the 1630s

                                                            iii.      More Puritans went to the West Indies than to Massachusetts

c.       John Winthrop

                                                               i.      Was the colony’s first governor

                                                             ii.      He believed that he had a “calling” from God to lead the new religious experiment.  He and other Puritan bay colonists believed that they had a covenant with God to build a holy society that would be a model for humankind

                                                            iii.      Served as governor for 19 years

                                                           iv.      Helped MA proper:

1.      Fur trading

2.      Fishing

3.      Shipbuilding

                                                             v.      MA Bay Colony was the biggest and most influential of the New England outposts

IV.              Building the Bay Colony

a.       Voting

                                                               i.      Voting was extended to all freemen - adult males who belonged to the Puritan congregations (Congregational Church)

                                                             ii.      2/5 of adult males enjoyed the franchise in provincial affairs (larger than England)

                                                            iii.      Town meetings – more inclusive.  Voted by a majority rule show of hands

b.      Government

                                                               i.      The provincial governor (Winthrop) feared and distrusted “common people.”  He also believed that democracy was the “meanest and worst” of all forms of government

                                                             ii.      Only Puritans could be freemen

                                                            iii.      According to their religion, the whole purpose of government was to enforce God’s laws – which applied to believers and nonbelievers

                                                           iv.      Believers and nonbelievers paid taxes for the government-supported church

c.       Religious Leaders’ Influence

                                                               i.      Massachusetts is sometimes referred to as the “Bible Commonwealth”

                                                             ii.      Religious leaders influenced admission to church membership by conducting public interrogations of persons claiming to have experienced conversion

                                                            iii.      A congregation had the right to hire and fire its minister and to set his salary

                                                           iv.      Clergymen were also barred from holding formal political office (resulted from the “political” Anglican clergy in England and their alliance with government – had limited separation of church and state)

d.      Puritan Beliefs

                                                               i.      Puritans believed in the doctrine of a “calling” to do God’s work on earth

                                                             ii.      They ate plentifully, drank heartily, sang songs, and had monogamous relationships

                                                            iii.      Passed laws to repress certain human instincts, such as kissing in public (20 shilling fine)

                                                           iv.      Believed that hell was where sinners go

V.                 Trouble in the Bible Commonwealth

a.       Quakers

                                                               i.      Flouted the authority of the Puritan clergy

                                                             ii.      Were persecuted with fines, floggings, and banishment

b.      Anne Hutchinson

                                                               i.      A sharp challenge to Puritan orthodoxy came from Anne Hutchinson

                                                             ii.      She was a Quaker who was swift and sharp in her theological arguments.  She carried to logical extremes the Puritan doctrine of predestination.  She claimed that a holy life was no sure sign of salvation and that the truly save need not bother to obey the law of either God or man.  This assertion, known as antinomianism (Greek for against the law), was high heresy

                                                            iii.      She was brought to trial in 1638

                                                           iv.      After boasting that she had come by her beliefs through a direct revelation from God, the Puritan magistrates banished her for fear she would pollute the entire Puritan experiment

                                                             v.      With her family, she set out on foot for Rhode Island while pregnant

                                                           vi.      She eventually went to New York, where she and all but one in her family were killed by Indians

                                                          vii.      John Winthrop saw “God’s hand” in her fate

c.       Roger Williams

                                                               i.      A personable and popular Salem minister

                                                             ii.      Was an extreme Separatist who believed in the following:

1.      Wanted his fellow clergymen to make a clean break with the corrupt Church of England

2.      Challenged the legality of the Bay Colony’s charter, which he condemned for taking land from the Indians without fair compensation

3.      Denied the authority of civil government to regulate religious behavior – a seditious blow at the Puritan idea of government’s very purpose

                                                            iii.      Magistrates found him guilty of disseminating “newe & dangerous opinions” and ordered him banished

VI.              Rhode Island

a.       Providence

                                                               i.      Williams fled to Providence, Rhode Island in 1636.  He did the following:

1.      Built the 1st Baptist church

2.      Established freedom of religion, even for Jews and Catholics

3.      Demanded no oaths regarding religious beliefs

4.      No compulsory attendance at worship

5.      No taxes to support a state church

6.      Universal manhood suffrage (later there were property qualifications)

                                                             ii.      Williams’ endorsement of religious tolerance made Rhode Island more liberal and advanced than the rest

b.      Unwelcomed People Come to Rhode Island

                                                               i.      People who weren’t content, exiles, or Puritans who couldn’t bear the stifling theological atmosphere of the Bay Colony went to Rhode Island (like Anne Hutchinson)

                                                             ii.      Was noted as the “sewer” by some

                                                            iii.      It was individualistic and independent

                                                           iv.      It was a squatter colony until it established rights to the soil when it secured a charter from Parliament in 1644

VII.            New England Spreads Out

a.       Connecticut

                                                               i.      1635 – Hartford was founded by Dutch and English settlers

                                                             ii.      1638 – A settlement in New Haven was created by Puritans who wanted to set up an even closer church-government alliance than in MA

                                                            iii.      1639 – Created a document known as the Fundamental Orders, which was a constitution

1.      It established a government controlled by its citizens

2.      Its essential features were put in its State constitution

b.      Maine

                                                               i.      Sir Ferdinando Gorges

1.      Gorges tried to colonize Maine, but none of the attempts were very successful

2.      Maine was purchased by the Massachusetts Bay in 1677 from Gorges’ heirs

3.      It remained a part of MA for nearly 150 years before becoming a separate State

4.      Maine was noted for its fish and fur

c.       New Hampshire

                                                               i.      NH was absorbed by MA Bay in 1641 using a strained interpretation of the MA charter

                                                             ii.      The king, annoyed by this display of greed, arbitrarily separated NH from MA in 1679 and made it a royal colony

                                                            iii.      NH was noted for its fish and fur

VIII.         Puritans Versus Indians

a.       Disease

                                                               i.      By 1620, an epidemic triggered by the English killed ľ of the native coastal tribes

b.      Wampanoag Indians

                                                               i.      Because they were in no condition to fight, the Wampanoag (in Plymouth) at first befriended the settlers

                                                             ii.      In 1621, they signed a treaty and helped them celebrate the first Thanksgiving that same year

c.       Expansion to the West

                                                               i.      As more English settlers arrived and pushed west, confrontations between the Indians and whites ruptured peaceful relations

                                                             ii.      In 1637, hostilities exploded between the English settlers and the Pequot tribe

                                                            iii.      English militiamen set fire to their wigwams and shot the fleeing survivors

                                                           iv.      This ended the Pequot War, eliminated the tribe, and started 4 decades of uneasy peace between the English and Indians

d.      King Philip’s War

                                                               i.      The Indians only hope for resisting English encroachment lay in intertribal unity

                                                             ii.      Metacom (called King Philip by the English) was a Wampanoag Indian who forged such an alliance

                                                            iii.      He mounted a series of coordinated assaults on English villages

                                                           iv.      By the end of the war in 1676:

1.      52 Puritan towns had been attacked

2.      12 were completely destroyed

3.      Hundreds of colonists and Indians were dead

4.      Metacom was killed

5.      The war inflicted a lasting defeat on New England’s Indians

a.       They were drastically reduced in numbers

b.      They posed only sporadic threats to New England colonists

IX.              Seeds of Colonial Unity and Independence

a.       New England Confederation

                                                               i.      In 1643, 4 colonies banded together to form the New England Confederation.  It was an exclusive Puritan club, it was the first notable milestone on the long road to colonial unity

                                                             ii.      The primary purpose was defense against foes or potential foes:

1.      Indians

2.      French

3.      Dutch

                                                            iii.      Other purposes included intercolonial problems, such as:

1.      Runaway servants

2.      Criminal who had fled from one colony to another

                                                           iv.      The New England Confederation consisted of:

1.      MA Bay

2.      Plymouth

3.      New Haven

4.      Scattered valley settlements (in CT)

Each member had two votes, regardless of size (which angered the most populous colony – MA Bay).  The people voted for their delegates, which was valuable experience in this method

                                                             v.      Maine and Rhode Island were kept out because these places harbored too many heretical or otherwise undesirable characters

b.      Charles I

                                                               i.      The king had paid little attention to the American colonies during the early years of their planting

                                                             ii.      This era of neglect continued during the civil war in the 1640s

c.       Charles II

                                                               i.      1660 – When Charles II was restored to the throne, he was determined to take an active, aggressive hand in the management of the colonies

                                                             ii.      Deepening colonial defiance was nowhere more glaringly revealed than in MA, who did not accept royal orders.  As a result, the king got back at them by:

1.      1662 – Giving rival CT a sea-to-sea charter grant, which legalized the squatter settlements

2.      1663 – Giving RI a charter

3.      1684 – Revoking MA Bay Colony charter

X.                 Andros Promotes the First American Revolution

a.       Dominion of New England

                                                               i.      Created by London

                                                             ii.      Its main purposes were:

1.      The same as the New England Confederation

2.      To keep America from trading with countries other than England.  The Americans ignored these restrictions and began smuggling goods

                                                            iii.      Membership later included New York and East/West New Jersey

b.      Sir Edmund Andros

                                                               i.      The head of the Dominion was a man from England named Sir Edmund Andros

                                                             ii.      He was unpopular because:

1.      He was a military man and lacked people skills

2.      He was associated with the Church of England and established headquarters in Puritan Boston

3.      The Puritans were outraged by his noisy and cursing soldiers

4.      He got rid of town meetings

5.      Taxed people without their consent

6.      Laid heavy restrictions on the courts, press, and schools

7.      Revoked all land titles

8.      Enforced the Navigation Laws and tried to prevent smuggling

                                                            iii.      The colonists, who were accustomed to unusual privileges during the long decades of neglect, were goaded to the verge of revolt

c.       Glorious Revolution

                                                               i.      A bloodless revolution back in England dethroned the harsh and unpopular James II.  Dutch born William III and his English wife Mary (daughter of James II) took the throne

                                                             ii.      When news of the Glorious Revolution reached America, the Dominion of New England collapsed.  A mob caught Andros and shipped him back to England.  As a result:

1.      Massachusetts was arbitrarily made a royal colony and given a new royal governor.  In addition, voting was once allowed only to church members.  Now it was open to all male property holders

2.      Inspired by the challenge to the crown in old England, many colonists seized the occasion to strike against royal authority in America.  Unrest rocked both New York and Maryland from 1689 to 1691, until newly appointed royal governors restored semblance of order

d.      Salutary Neglect

                                                               i.      The new monarchs relaxed the royal grip on colonial trade, inaugurating a period of “salutary neglect” when the much-resented Navigation Laws were only weakly enforced

                                                             ii.      However, more English officials – judges, clerks, customs officials – now staffed the courts and strolled the wharves of America.  Many were incompetent, corrupt, and cared less about Americans.  As a result, they

1.      Blocked the rise of local leaders to positions of political power

2.      Fanned resentment in Americans as the 18th century wore on

XI.              Old Netherlanders at New Netherland (New York)

a.       Netherlands Gains Power

                                                               i.      After gaining independence from Spain with the help of England, Netherlands entered a golden age in the 17th century.  It emerged as a major commercial and naval power

                                                             ii.      It eventually turned on England and launched three naval wars against them

                                                            iii.      The Dutch Republic also became a leading colonial power

b.      Dutch East India Company

                                                               i.      In the East Indies, it maintained an enormous and profitable empire for over 300 years.  The Dutch East Indies supported an army of 10,000 men and a fleet of 190 ships

                                                             ii.      Seeking more riches, the company employed the help of an Englishman named Henry Hudson.  He ventured into Delaware Bay and New York Bay in 1609 and then ascended the Hudson River, hoping that at last he had chanced upon the coveted shortcut through the continent

c.       Dutch West India Company

                                                               i.      This company was much less powerful

                                                             ii.      It maintained profitable enterprises in the Caribbean.  It also established outposts in Africa and a sugar industry in Brazil (which traded a lot to America)

                                                            iii.      It conducted many raids on ships

d.      Netherlands Founds New York

                                                               i.      Founded in 1623 by the Dutch West India Company for fur trading

                                                             ii.      They also bought Manhattan from the Indians for next to nothing

e.       New Amsterdam (New York City)

                                                               i.      It was a seaport town run by the Dutch Company for the interest of the stockholders

                                                             ii.      The investors had no enthusiasm for religious tolerance, free speech, or democratic practices

                                                            iii.      Religious dissenters who opposed the official Dutch Reformed Church were regarded with suspicion

                                                           iv.      In response to repeated protests by the aggravated colonists, a local body with limited lawmaking power was finally established

                                                             v.      The settlement attracted a cosmopolitan population

XII.            Friction With English and Swedish Neighbors

a.       Problems for the Dutch in New Netherlands

                                                               i.      The directors-general were largely incompetent

                                                             ii.      Company shareholders demanded their dividends, even at he expense of the colony’s welfare

                                                            iii.      The Indians frequently attacked

1.      For defense, the settlers on Manhattan Island erected a wall, from which Wall Street derives its name

                                                           iv.      New England was hostile to the growth of its Dutch neighbor.  Massachusetts was the only colony in the New England Confederation that was not eager to wipe out New Netherlands militarily

b.      Delaware

                                                               i.      During Sweden’s golden age, the trespassed on Dutch property and built the colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in 1638

                                                             ii.      Resenting the Swedish intrusion on Delaware, the Dutch dispatched a small military expedition in 1655.  The main fort fell after a bloodless siege, whereupon Swedish rule came to an abrupt end

                                                            iii.      The colonists were absorbed by New Netherland

XIII.         Dutch Residues in New York

a.       More Problems for the Dutch in New Netherlands

                                                               i.      New Netherlands was only ever a secondary commercial interest of the Dutch

                                                             ii.      It competed with the New England colonies

                                                            iii.      Half of its population was New England immigrants, so they might in time have seized control from within

b.      England Takes Control of New Netherlands

                                                               i.      The English regarded the Dutch as intruders

                                                             ii.      In 1664, Charles II granted the area to his brother, the Duke of York

                                                            iii.      A strong English squadron appeared off the decrepit defenses of New Amsterdam

                                                           iv.      The director-general was forced to surrender without firing a shot

                                                             v.      England now had all the territory on the east coast from Maine to the Carolinas

c.       Problems for the English in New York

                                                               i.      The English maintained the non-liberal features of earlier days

                                                             ii.      An aristocrat element gained strength when corrupt English governors granted immense acreage to their favorites

                                                            iii.      This discouraged many European immigrants from coming and the population growth declined

d.      Dutch Legacy in New York

                                                               i.      Place names – Harlem and Brooklyn

                                                             ii.      Architecture

                                                            iii.      Social customs – Easter eggs, Santa Claus, waffles, sauerkraut, bowling, sleighing, skating and golf

XIV.         Penn’s Holy Experiment in Pennsylvania

a.       Quakers (“quaked” under deep religious emotion)

                                                               i.      Officially known as the Religious Society of Friends

                                                             ii.      Were especially offensive to the authorities, both religious and civil

1.      Refused to pay taxes

2.      Built meetinghouses and congregated without a license

3.      Would take no oaths because Jesus had commanded, “Swear not at all.”  This often embroiled them with government officials, for “test oaths” were still required to establish the fact that a person was not a Roman Catholic

4.      They abhorred warfare and refused military service

b.      William Penn

                                                               i.      Was attracted to the faith in 1660 when he was 16 years old.  His father flogged him for it

                                                             ii.      Many other Quakers in England died of cruel treatment, fined, flogged, or cast into dank prisons

                                                            iii.      To escape persecution, Penn’s thoughts turned to the New World, where a sprinkling of Quakers had already fled, notably to Rhode Island, North Carolina, and New Jersey

                                                           iv.      He wanted to do the following:

1.      Establish an asylum for his people

2.      Experiment with liberal ideas in government

3.      Make a profit

                                                             v.      In 1681, since he was from an aristocratic family, he managed to secure from the king an immense grant of fertile land.  The king traded this in place of a monetary debt he owed to his deceased father.  The crown called the area Pennsylvania (“Penn’s Woodland”) in honor of Penn’s father

c.       Getting People To Go To Pennsylvania

                                                               i.      Was by far the best advertised of all the colonies.  Penn sent out paid agents and distributed countless pamphlets printed in English, Dutch, French, and German

                                                             ii.      He welcomed manual workers, such as carpenters, masons, and shoemakers

                                                            iii.      His liberal land policy, which encouraged substantial holdings, was instrumental in attracting a heavy inflow of immigrants

XV.           Quaker Pennsylvania and Its Neighbors

a.       Philadelphia (Greek for “brotherly love”)

                                                               i.      Development of the city was helped by Dutch, Swedish, English, and Welsh squatters

                                                             ii.      Was more carefully planned out than most colonial cities and consequently enjoyed wide and attractive streets

b.      Indians

                                                               i.      Penn farsightedly bought land from the Indians

                                                             ii.      He treated the Indians so fairly that they were even employed as babysitters

                                                            iii.      As more non-Quaker European immigrants migrated to Pennsylvania, they proved the undoing of Quaker Indian policy

c.       Freedom

                                                               i.      Was unusually liberal

                                                             ii.      Included the following:

1.      A representative assembly elected by the landowners

2.      No tax-supported state church

3.      Freedom of worship was guaranteed to all residents

4.      Death penalty was imposed only for treason and murder (200 crimes had this punishment in England)

5.      No military defense

6.      No restrictions were placed on immigration

7.      Disliked slavery

d.      Growth of the Colony

                                                               i.      Within 2 years, Philadelphia claimed 300 houses and 2,500 people

                                                             ii.      Within 19 years (1700), the colony was surpassed in population and wealth only by long-established VA and MA

e.       End of William Penn

                                                               i.      Was never fully appreciated by his colonists

                                                             ii.      His governors, some of them incompetent and tactless, quarreled bitterly with the people, who were constantly demanding greater political control

                                                            iii.      Penn became too friendly with James II, the deposed Catholic king.  Penn was:

1.      Arrested 3 times

2.      Put into a debtors’ prison

3.      Had a paralytic stroke

4.      Died soon afterwards

                                                           iv.      Legacy was the tolerant colony

f.        New Jersey

                                                               i.      Started in 1664 when two noble proprietors received the area from the Duke of York

                                                             ii.      A substantial number of New Englanders, including many whose weary soil had petered out, flocked to the new colony

                                                            iii.      One of the proprietors sold West New Jersey in 1674 to a group of Quakers, who here set up a sanctuary even before PA was launched

                                                           iv.      East New Jersey was also acquired in later years by the Quakers

                                                             v.      The Quakers lost New Jersey to the crown in 1702, when the king established it as a royal colony

g.       Delaware

                                                               i.      Was named after Lord De La Warr

                                                             ii.      It remained under the governor of PA until the Revolutionary War

                                                            iii.      They harbored some Quakers and were closely associated with PA

XVI.         The Middle Colonies

a.       Common Features

                                                               i.      New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania all enjoyed features in common:

1.      Soil – Was fertile and the expanse of land was broad, unlike rock-bestrewn New England.  The middle colonies became known as the “bread colonies” for their heavy exports of grain

2.      Rivers – Tapped the fur trade of the interior and attracted explorers into the backcountry.  The rivers had few cascading waterfalls, unlike New England’s, and hence presented little inducement to milling or manufacturing with water power

3.      Industry – Huge forests abounded for lumber and shipbuilding.  The deep river estuaries and harbors stimulated commerce and the growth of seaports.  There were fewer industries in the middle colonies than in New England, but more than in the South

4.      Location – Midway between the northern and southern colonies.  The population was more ethnically mixed

5.      Landholdings – Landholdings were intermediate in size – smaller than in the big-acreage South, but larger than in small-farm New England

6.      Government – Local government lay somewhere between the personalized town meeting of New England and the diffused county government of the South

7.      Freedom & Toleration – People were blessed with an unusual degree of religious toleration and democratic control.  Desirable land was more easily acquired in the middle colonies than in New England or in the tidewater South, allowing a considerable amount of democracy to prevail

b.      Development of the Colonies

                                                               i.      Population was growing rapidly

                                                             ii.      Transportation and communication were gradually improving

                                                            iii.      The British continued their policy of salutary neglect.  The colonists ran their own:

1.      Local government

2.      Churches

3.      Networks of intercolonial trade