DOCSLIB.ORG

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Massachusetts Bay Colony Massachusetts Bay Colony (Edited from Wikipedia) The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America (Massachusetts Bay) in the 17th century. The settlement was located in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions of the U.S. states of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Territory claimed but never administered by the colonial government extended as far west as the Pacific Ocean. The colony was founded by the owners of the Massachusetts Bay Company, which included investors in the failed Dorchester Company, which had in 1623 established a short-lived settlement on Cape Ann. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, begun in 1628, was the company's second attempt at colonization. The colony was successful, with about 20,000 people migrating to New England in the 1630s. The population was strongly Puritan, and its governance was dominated by a small group of leaders who were strongly influenced by Puritan religious leaders. Although its governors were elected, the electorate were limited to freemen, who had been examined for their religious views and formally admitted to the local church. As a consequence, the colonial leadership exhibited intolerance to other religious views, including Anglican, Quaker, and Baptist theologies. Although the colonists initially had decent relationships with the local native populations, frictions arose over cultural differences, which were further exacerbated by Dutch colonial expansion. These led first to the Pequot War (1636–1638), and then to King Philip's War (1675–1678), after which most of the natives in southern New England had been pacified, killed, or driven away. The colony was economically successful, engaging in trade with England and the West Indies. A shortage of hard currency in the colony prompted it to establish a mint in 1652. Political differences with England after the English Restoration led to the revocation of the colonial charter in 1684. King James II established the Dominion of New England in 1686 to bring all of the New England colonies under firmer crown control. The dominion collapsed after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 deposed James, and the colony reverted to rule under the revoked charter until 1692, when Sir William Phips arrived bearing the charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, which combined the Massachusetts Bay territories with those of the Plymouth Colony and proprietary holdings on Nantucket and 1 Martha's Vineyard. The political and economic dominance of New England by the modern state of Massachusetts was made possible in part by the early dominance in these spheres by the Massachusetts Bay colonists. Prior to the arrival of Europeans on the eastern shore of New England, the area around Massachusetts Bay was the territory of several Algonquian-speaking tribes, including the Massachusett, Nauset, and Wampanoag. The Pennacooks occupied the Merrimack River valley to the north, and the Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Mahican, occupied the western lands of present-day Massachusetts, although some of those tribes were under tribute to the Mohawk, who were expanding aggressively from present-day upstate New York. The total Indian population in 1620 has been estimated to be 7,000 with the population of New England at 15,000–18,000. This number was significantly larger as late as 1616; in later years contemporary chroniclers interviewed Indians who described a major pestilence that killed between one and two thirds of the population. The land use patterns of the natives included plots cleared for agricultural purposes, and woodland territories for the hunting of game. Land divisions between the tribes were well understood. During the early 17th century several European explorers, including Samuel de Champlain and John Smith, charted the area. Plans for the first permanent British settlements on the east coast of North America began in 1606. On April 10, 1606 King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) granted a charter forming two joint stock companies. Neither of these corporations was given a name by this charter, but the territories over which they were respectively authorized to settle, and if settled, to govern, were expressly named as the "first Colony" (fourth paragraph of charter) and "second Colony" (fifth paragraph of charter). The investors appointed to govern over any settlements in the "first Colony" were from London; the investors appointed to govern over any settlements in the "second Colony" were from the "Town of Plimouth in the County of Devon." The London Company proceeded to establish Jamestown. The Plymouth Company under the guidance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges covered the more northern area, including present-day New England, and established the Sagadahoc Colony in 1607 in present-day Maine. The experience proved exceptionally difficult for the 120 settlers, however, and the surviving colonists abandoned the colony after only one year. Gorges noted that "there was no more speech of settling plantations in those parts" for a number of years. English ships continued to come to the New England area for fishing and trade with the Indians. Plymouth Colony In December 1620, a group of Pilgrims, seeking to preserve their cultural identity, 2 established Plymouth Colony just to the south of Massachusetts Bay. Plymouth's colonists faced great hardships and earned few profits for their investors, who sold their interests to the settlers in 1627. Edward Winslow and William Bradford, two of its leaders, were likely authors of a work published in England in 1622 called Mourt's Relation. This book in some ways resembles a promotional tract intended to encourage further migration. There were other short-lived colonial settlements in 1623 and 1624 at present-day Weymouth, Massachusetts: the Wessagusset Colony of Thomas Weston and an effort by Robert Gorges to establish an overarching colonial structure both failed. Cape Ann settlement In 1623, the Plymouth Council for New England (successor to the Plymouth Company) established a small fishing village at Cape Ann under the supervision of the Dorchester Company, with Thomas Gardner as its overseer. This company was originally organized through the efforts of the Puritan minister John White (1575–1648) of Dorchester, in the English county of Dorset. White has been called "the father of the Massachusetts Colony" because of his influence in establishing this settlement and despite the fact that he never emigrated. The Cape Ann settlement was not profitable, and the financial backers of the Dorchester Company terminated their support by the end of 1625. Their settlement at present-day Gloucester was abandoned, but a few settlers, including Roger Conant, remained in the area, establishing a settlement a little further south, near the village of the Naumkeag tribe. Legal formation of the colony Archbishop William Laud, a favorite advisor of King Charles I and a dedicated Anglican, sought to suppress the religious practices of Puritans and other nonconforming beliefs in England. The persecution of many Puritans in the 1620s led them to believe religious reform would not be possible while Charles was king, and many decided to seek a new life in the New World. John White continued to seek funding for a colony. On 19 March 1627/8, the Council for New England issued a land grant to a new group of investors that included a few holdovers from the Dorchester Company. The land grant was for territory between the Charles and Merrimack Rivers, including a three-mile (4.8 km) buffer to the north of the Merrimack and to the south of the Charles, that extended from "the Atlantick and westerne sea and ocean on the east parte, to the South sea on the west parte." The 3 company that the grant was sold to was styled "The New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay." The company elected Matthew Cradock as its first governor, and immediately began organizing provisions and recruiting settlers. The company sent about 100 new settlers and provisions in 1628 to join Conant, led by Governor's Assistant John Endecott, one of the grantees. The next year, Naumkeag was renamed Salem and fortified by another 300 settlers, led by Rev. Francis Higginson, one of the first ministers of the settlement. The first winters were difficult, with colonists struggling against disease and starvation, resulting in a significant number of deaths. Concerned about the legality of conflicting land claims given to several companies including the New England Company to the still little-known territories of the New World, and because of the increasing number of Puritans that wanted to join the company, the company leaders sought a Royal Charter for the colony. Charles granted the new charter on 4 March 1628/9, superseding the land grant and establishing a legal basis for the new English colony at Massachusetts. It was not apparent that Charles knew the Company was meant to support the Puritan emigration, and he was likely left to assume it was purely for business purposes, as was the custom. The charter omitted a significant clause – the location for the annual stockholders' meeting. After Charles dissolved Parliament in 1629, the company's directors met to consider the possibility of moving the company's seat of governance to the colony. This was followed by the Cambridge Agreement later that year, in which a group of investors agreed to emigrate and work to buy out others who would not. The Massachusetts Bay Colony became the first English chartered colony whose board of governors did not reside in England. This independence helped the settlers to maintain their Puritan religious practices with very little oversight by the king, Archbishop Laud, and the Anglican Church. The charter remained in force for 55 years, when, as a result of colonial insubordination with trade, tariff and navigation laws, Charles II revoked it in 1684.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sir Ferdinando Gorges
    PEOPLE MENTIONED IN CAPE COD PEOPLE MENTIONED IN CAPE COD: SIR FERDINANDO GORGES “NARRATIVE HISTORY” AMOUNTS TO FABULATION, THE REAL STUFF BEING MERE CHRONOLOGY “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project The People of Cape Cod: Sir Fernando Gorges HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CAPE COD: SIR FERDINANDO GORGES PEOPLE MENTIONED IN CAPE COD CAPE COD: Even as late as 1633 we find Winthrop, the first Governor PEOPLE OF of the Massachusetts Colony, who was not the most likely to be CAPE COD misinformed, who, moreover, has the fame, at least, of having discovered Wachusett Mountain (discerned it forty miles inland), talking about the “Great Lake” and the “hideous swamps about it,” near which the Connecticut and the “Potomack” took their rise; and among the memorable events of the year 1642 he chronicles Darby Field, an Irishman’s expedition to the “White hill,” from whose top he saw eastward what he “judged to be the Gulf of Canada,” and westward what he “judged to be the great lake which Canada River comes out of,” and where he found much “Muscovy glass,” and “could rive out pieces of forty feet long and seven or eight broad.” While the very inhabitants of New England were thus fabling about the country a hundred miles inland, which was a terra incognita to them, —or rather many years before the earliest date referred to,— Champlain, the first Governor of CHAMPLAIN Canada, not to mention the inland discoveries of Cartier, CARTIER Roberval, and others, of the preceding century, and his own ROBERVAL earlier voyage, had already gone to war against the Iroquois in ALPHONSE their forest forts, and penetrated to the Great Lakes and wintered there, before a Pilgrim had heard of New England.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid: English Origins Project
    Finding Aid: English Origins Project Descriptive Summary Repository: Plimoth Plantation Archive Location: Plimoth Plantation Research Library Collection Title: English Origins Project Dates: 1983-1985 (roughly) Extent: 2 drawers in wide filing cabinet Preferred Citation: English Origins Project, 1983-1985, Plimoth Plantation Archive, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA Abstract: The English Origins Project consists of 126 folders of material. Material is broken into general project information, family research, and town/village research. Administrative Information Access Restrictions: Access to materials may be restricted based on their condition; consult the Archive for more information. Use Restrictions: Use of materials may be restricted based on their condition or copyright status; consult the Archives for more information. Acquisition Information: Plimoth Plantation Related Collections and Resources: TBD Historical Note The English Origins Project was a project undertaken by researchers from Plimoth Plantation in 1984. The project was funded by an NEH Grant. The goal of the project was to gather information from towns and communities in England where the early settlers of Plymouth Colony lived before they migrated to America. The hope was to gather information to help create training manuals for the interpreters at Plimoth Plantation so that they could more accurately portray the early settlers. Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum where the interpreters provide the bulk of the information and knowledge about the 17th century settlement to the guests therefore accurate portrayal is very important. This project greatly improved interpretation and continues to benefit both interpreters and guests of the museum to this day. The research focused on dialect, folklore, material culture, agriculture, architecture, and social history.
    [Show full text]
  • Digitalcommons@URI
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 2014 “BY GOODLY RIVER'S UNINHABITED” WATERWAYS AND PLYMOUTH COLONY Jordan Coulobme University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Coulobme, Jordan, "“BY GOODLY RIVER'S UNINHABITED” WATERWAYS AND PLYMOUTH COLONY" (2014). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 439. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/439 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “BY GOODLY RIVER'S UNINHABITED” WATERWAYS AND PLYMOUTH COLONY BY JORDAN COULOMBE A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2014 MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY THESIS OF JORDAN COULOMBE APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor Erik Loomis Timothy George Kristine Bovy Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2014 Abstract The colonists of Plymouth were dependent on aquatic environments for the dispersal and acquisition of ideas, goods, and people. This thesis builds on of the work of Donald Worster and Michael Rawson amongst others to examine the importance of water in Plymouth Colony. Ultimately this study utilizes primary documents to argue that the abundance of aquatic environments in the colonies played a crucial role in allowing for the establishment of a permanent colony in New England. The rise of environmental history over the past several decades presents a natural tool for analyzing the experiences of Plymouth's earliest settlers.
    [Show full text]
  • POLICY of MAINE, 1620-1820 by MARGARET FOWLES WILDE a THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
    HISTORY OF THE PUBLIC LAND POLICY OF MAINE, 1620-1820 By MARGARET FOWLES WILDE % A., University of Maine, 1932 A THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (in History and Government) Division of Graduate Study University of Maine Orono May, 1940 ABSTRACT HISTORY OF THE PUBLIC LAND POLICY OF MAINE, 1620-1820 There have been many accounts of individual settlements in Maine and a few histories of the State, but no one has ever attempted a history of its land policy or analyzed the effect that such a policy or lack of policy might have had on the development of the State of Maine. Maine was one of the earliest sections of the Atlantic Coast 'to be explored but one of the slowest in development. The latter may have been due to a number of factors but undoubtedly the lack of a definite, well developed land policy had much to do with the slow progress of settlement and development of this area. The years 1602 to 1620 marked the beginnings of explorations along the Maine Coast principally by the English and French. In 1603, Henry IV of France granted all the American territory between the fortieth and forty-six degrees north latitude to Pierre de Gast Sieure de Monts. This territory was called Acadia. Soon after, in 1606 King James I of England granted all the lands between the thirty-fourth and forty-fifth degrees north latitude to an association of noblemen of London and Plymouth. Later, King James I of England granted all the lands from the fortieth to the forty-eighth degrees of north latitude to a company called ’’Council established at Plymouth in the County of Devon; for planting, ruling, and governing New England in America.” This company functioned from 1620-1635.
    [Show full text]
  • America the Beautiful Part 1
    America the Beautiful Part 1 Charlene Notgrass 1 America the Beautiful Part 1 by Charlene Notgrass ISBN 978-1-60999-141-8 Copyright © 2021 Notgrass History. All rights reserved. All product names, brands, and other trademarks mentioned or pictured in this book are used for educational purposes only. No association with or endorsement by the owners of the trademarks is intended. Each trademark remains the property of its respective owner. Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Cover Images: Jordan Pond, Maine, background by Dave Ashworth / Shutterstock.com; Deer’s Hair by George Catlin / Smithsonian American Art Museum; Young Girl and Dog by Percy Moran / Smithsonian American Art Museum; William Lee from George Washington and William Lee by John Trumbull / Metropolitan Museum of Art. Back Cover Author Photo: Professional Portraits by Kevin Wimpy The image on the preceding page is of Denali in Denali National Park. No part of this material may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. You may not photocopy this book. If you need additional copies for children in your family or for students in your group or classroom, contact Notgrass History to order them. Printed in the United States of America. Notgrass History Gainesboro, TN 1-800-211-8793 notgrass.com Tennessee America the Beautiful Part 1 Introduction Dear Student .....................................................................................................................................vii
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 4: the Colonies Grow, 1607-1770
    The Colonies Grow 1607–1770 Why It Matters Independence was a spirit that became evident early in the history of the American people. The spirit of independence contributed to the birth of a new nation, one with a new government and a culture that was distinct from those of other countries. The Impact Today Americans continue to value independence. For example: • The right to practice one’s own religion freely is safeguarded. • Americans value the right to express themselves freely and to make their own laws. The American Republic to 1877 Video The chapter 4 video, “Middle Passage: Voyages of the Slave Trade,” examines the beginnings of the slave trade, focusing on the Middle Passage. 1676 • Bacon’s Rebellion c. 1570 • Iroquois Confederacy 1651 formed • First Navigation Act regulates colonial trade 1550 1600 1650 1603 1610 1644 • Tokugawa Shogunate • Galileo observes • Qing Dynasty emerges in Japan planets and stars established in with telescope China 98 CHAPTER 4 The Colonies Grow Compare-Contrast Study Foldable Make the following (Venn diagram) foldable to compare and contrast the peoples involved in the French and Indian War. Step 1 Fold a sheet of paper from side to side, leaving a 2-inch tab uncovered along the side. Fold it so the left edge lies 2 inches from the right edge. Step 2 Turn the paper and fold into thirds. Step 3 Unfold and cut along the two inside fold lines. Cut along the two folds on the front flap to make 3 tabs. Step 4 Label the foldable as shown. The French and Indian War French British and Native Both and Americans Colonists The South Side of St.
    [Show full text]
  • Town Records of Salem, Massachusetts
    )2t 1405 GENEALOGY COLLECTION 3 1833 01095 5661 TOWN RECORDS OF M^, SALE MASSACHUSE TJTJS . VOLUME I 1634-1659 SALEM, MASS. THE ESSEX INSTITUTE 1868 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/townrecordsofsalv1sale \ IN >j ESSEX INSTITUTE HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. Tol. IX. 1868,-Second Series, Vol. I. INTRODUCTION. 1271405 One of the principal objects of the Essex Institute, as defined in its Charter, and in its Constitution, is the col- lection AND PRESERVATION OF MATERIALS FOR THE HIS- TORY of the county of Essex. The publication of the Historical Collections of the Essex Institute was commenced in April, 1859, with a view to accomplish this more fully, and thus to preserve in the most durable form, and, at the same time, to render accessible to all students of our local history the valuable materials that are found in the ancient manuscript Records of Courts, Parishes, Churches, and Towns in this county; ab- stracts of Wills, Deeds, and Journals ; records or minutes of Births, Marriages, Deaths, Baptisms ; In- scriptions on tomb-stones, etc. ; Genealogical tables, and Biographical notices. Selections are made by the Publication Committee from these sources, and from re- ports and papers of historical interest read at meetings of the Institute. Eight volumes have now been issued, and it is believed ESSEX INST. HIST. COLLECTIONS, SER. 2, VOL. I. 1 Jan., 1868. that a very comprehensive and important collection has already been made. Much, however, remains to be done ; for hardly another locality in the country possesses so many ancient and valuable manuscript records. With the present volume, the ninth, which will com- mence a New Series, it has been deemed advisable to adopt the more convenient octavo form.
    [Show full text]
  • An Investigation Into Weston's Colony at Wessagussett Weymouth, MA Craig S
    Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project (PARP) An Investigation into Weston's Colony at Wessagussett Weymouth, MA Craig S. Chartier MA www.plymoutharch.com March 2011 The story of the 1622 plantation at Wessagusset begins with Master Thomas Weston. Weston was a wealthy London merchant and ironmonger and one of the original backers of the Plymouth colonists’ plantation in the New World. Weston personally traveled to Leiden, Holland to convince the Plymouth colonists not to negotiate with the Dutch or the Virginia Company for the right to settle in their New World lands (Davis 1908:63). Weston informed them that he and a number of other merchants would be the Adventurers who would personally finance their colony. He also informed them that Sir Ferdinando Gorges had obtained a patent for land in the northern part of Virginia that they had named “New England,” and that they could be establishing a colony at any time (Davis 1908:66). Unfortunately, after the conditions were drawn up, agreed upon in Holland and sent back to England, the Adventurers, with Weston being specifically named, changed some of the particulars, and the colonists, having already sold everything to finance the venture, had to agree to the altered terms (Davis 1908: 66). Weston became the chief agent and organizer of the venture which led some of the settlers, such as John Robinson, Samuel Fuller, William Bradford, Isaac Allerton, and Edward Winslow to fear laying their fate in the hands of one man alone (Davis 1908:66, 71). The London merchant Adventurers agreed to finance the voyage in order to see personal gain through the shipping of lumber, sassafras, and fur back to them from the Plymouth Colony.
    [Show full text]
  • 13 Colonies Reading Comprehension Series Available On
    13 Colonies Reading Comprehension Series Available on: MrN365.com Teachers Pay Teachers Terms of Use: • Purchaser cannot share product with other teachers, parents, tutors, or other products, who have not themselves purchased products or subscription to MrN365.com. • Purchaser cannot re-sell product or extract passage, questions, or other information from the product for use in other materials including websites, standardized tests, workbooks, publications, mailings, or apps. • Purchaser cannot post product online without the expressed written consent from Nussbaum Education Network, LLC • Passages and question sets (product) can be used by a single purchaser and associated students. Product can be distributed to students. • Any other uses not described here require written permission from Nussbaum Education Network, LLC The Connecticut Colony Connecticut was originally settled by Dutch fur traders in 1614. They sailed up the Connecticut River and built a fort near present-day Hartford. The first English settlers were Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony who arrived in Connecticut in 1633 under the leadership of Reverend Thomas Hooker. After their arrival, several colonies were established including the Colony of Connecticut, Old Saybrooke, Windsor, Hartford, and New Haven. Hartford quickly became an important center of government and trade. Much of the land settled by the colonists was purchased from the Mohegan Indians. The Pequot tribe, however, wanted the land. Soon, violence erupted between settlers and the Pequots in 1637. In what came to be known as the Pequot War, the Pequots were systematically massacred by not only the settlers, but by Mohegan and Naragansett Indians that had previously warred against them.
    [Show full text]
  • Descendants of Richard Conant & Agnes Clarke
    Descendants of Richard Conant & Agnes Clarke First Generation 1. Richard Conant1 was born about 1548,2 died about 22 Sep 1631 in East Budleigh, Devon, England3,4 about age 83, and was buried 22 Sep 1631 in East Budleigh, Devon, England.3,4 General Notes: Richard Conant and Agnes Clarke were married in Colyton, Devon, England, near Seaton, Devon, England, which is where the Waltons were from. Lot Conant, Richard's grandson, married Elizabeth Walton who was born in Seaton. Richard and Agnes' children were born in East Budleigh, a ways further from Colyton.Richard and Agnes were both buried on the same day, 22 September 1631, in East Budleigh. Why they both died at the same time is unknown. Noted events in his life were: • Will: East Budleigh, Devon, England, 20 Nov 1629.5 Richard married Agnes Clarke6 4 Feb 1578 in Colyton, Devon, England.7,8 Agnes was born 16 May 1548 in Colyton, Devon, England,9 died about 22 Sep 1631 in East Budleigh, Devon, England3,4 about age 83, and was buried 22 Sep 1631 in East Budleigh, Devon, England.3,4 Children from this marriage were: 2 F i. Joan Conant10 was born about 20 Jan 1580 in East Budleigh, Devon, England.10,11 Noted events in her life were: • Baptism: East Budleigh, Devon, England, 20 Jan 1579.11 3 M ii. Richard Conant10 was born about 21 Feb 1582 in East Budleigh, Devon, England.10,12 Noted events in his life were: • Baptism: East Budleigh, Devon, England, 21 Feb 1581.12 4 M iii.
    [Show full text]
  • Puritan Farmers Or Farming Puritans
    PURITAN FARMERS OR FARMING PURITANS: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES IN NEW ENGLAND COMMUNITY FORMATION by Donald E. Maroc B.A., Indiana University, 1968 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of History We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard: THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1970 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shal1 make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree tha permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of H > 5TQ/-<-| The University of British Columbia Vancouver 8, Canada Date C ABSTRACT A large number of Englishmen, predominantly from the West Country and East Anglia, began the settlement of New England in 1630. In the sparsely populated North American wilderness they established a new society. The foundation for their New England community lay in the English experience which they brought to the New World. When a group of men consciously agree to form a new community it is essential that they share certain aspirations, needs and experiences. The form of this new society results from an effort to fulfill and satisfy their common characteristics. An agricultural occu• pation was the experience shared by the Englishmen who settled the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630.
    [Show full text]
  • Transatlantic Print Culture and the Rise of New England Literature, 1620-1630
    TRANSATLANTIC PRINT CULTURE AND THE RISE OF NEW ENGLAND LITERATURE 1620-1630 by Sean Delaney to The Department of History In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of History Northeastern University Boston, MA April 2013 1 TRANSATLANTIC PRINT CULTURE AND THE RISE OF NEW ENGLAND LITERATURE 1620-1630 by Sean Delaney ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate School of Northeastern University, April 2013 2 Transatlantic Print Culture And The Rise Of New England Literature 1620-1630 Despite the considerable attention devoted to the founding of puritan colonies in New England, scholars have routinely discounted several printed tracts that describe this episode of history as works of New England literature. This study examines the reasons for this historiographical oversight and, through a close reading of the texts, identifies six works written and printed between 1620 and 1630 as the beginnings of a new type of literature. The production of these tracts supported efforts to establish puritan settlements in New England. Their respective authors wrote, not to record a historical moment for posterity, but to cultivate a particular colonial reality among their contemporaries in England. By infusing puritan discourse into the language of colonization, these writers advanced a colonial agenda independent of commercial, political and religious imperatives in England. As a distinctive response to a complex set of historical circumstances on both sides of the Atlantic, these works collectively represent the rise of New England literature. 3 This dissertation is dedicated with love to my wife Tara and to my soon-to-be-born daughter Amelia Marie.
    [Show full text]