CHAPTER 3 • SECTION 2 opinions. Eventually the Separatists approached the Vir- ginia Company and gained permission to settle in America. Because this group of Separatists traveled far to gain reli- gious freedom, they later became known as the Pilgrims. A More About . pilgrim is a person who goes on a religious journey. The Pilgrims Found Plymouth On a cold November The First Thanksgiving day in 1620, the Pilgrims, traveling on a ship called the The event that has come to be called the Mayflower, arrived off Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast. Blown north off its course, the Mayflower landed in an area “First Thanksgiving” was not celebrated that John Smith had mapped and called New England. The by the Pilgrims as a religious holiday, but Pilgrims settled on the site of an abandoned Native Ameri- rather as a harvest festival with good food can village. They called their settlement Plymouth. and games. It is not certain that the Pilgrims Because the Pilgrims landed beyond the limits of the ate turkey at this celebration—some Virginia Company, their charter did not apply. They were historians believe eel and lobster were more far from government authority and the laws of England. So likely foods. Also on the menu were foods most of the men aboard the Mayflower signed an agreement such as duck, roast goose, venison (deer), called the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact and clams. Side dishes included corn bread, helped establish the practice of self-government and major- leeks, and wild plums for dessert. A reenactment of ity rule. (See Reading Primary Sources, page 74.) preparation for a Like the settlers at Jamestown, the Pilgrims at Plymouth endured a “starv- Thanksgiving feast. ing time.” Half the group died during the first winter. However, they were Why would the Pilgrims need Native saved by Native Americans who had learned to speak English. Squanto, a Americans’ help in Native American, taught the Pilgrims how to plant native crops. Teach order to survive? Sometime in the fall of 1621 the Plymouth settlement celebrated a good Answer: They would harvest by holding a three-day feast. It was the first Thanksgiving in New The Puritans Come to not have had time to plant and harvest crops. England. This Thanksgiving came to represent the peace that existed at that Massachusetts Bay time between the Native Americans and Pilgrims. Answer: The Pilgrims CAUSES AND EFFECTS Explain why the Pilgrims settled in America. disagreed with the Talk About It Church of England; • What was the Great Migration? (the period King James persecuted them, so they fl ed The Puritans Come to Massachusetts Bay between 1630 and 1640, when about 20,000 England and eventually KEY QUESTION What kind of society did the Puritans hope to create? settled in America. settlers came from England to New England) By the late 1620s, England was troubled by religious and political conflict. • How were the Puritan congregations different Many groups of dissenters were speaking out against the king and the Church from the Church of England? (They were of England. The Puritans were one such group. Unlike the Separatists, who self-governing; each congregation chose its wanted to break away from the English church, the Puritans wanted to own minister; they were not governed by a reform, or “purify” its practices. The Puritans faced increasing persecution in king and bishops.) England. Many decided to leave and set up a Puritan society in America. • Causes and Effects How did John Winthrop The Great Migration In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Company, a joint- affect voting rights in Massachusetts Bay? stock company owned by Puritan merchants, received a royal charter to settle New England. The charter also gave the colony freedom to govern itself. (He allowed “freemen” to vote—freemen being In 1630, 11 ships carried about 1,000 passengers to the Massachusetts Bay all male church members, not just investors.) Colony. There the Puritans founded Boston, which became the most impor- tant town in New England. Between 1630 and 1640 about 20,000 more set- tlers crossed the Atlantic Ocean in what is known as the Great Migration. 68 Chapter 3 DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION Inclusion Pre-AP Sequence Diagram Pilgrim and Puritan Point out that the Puritans are the same Comparison group of people whose leader, John Have students use library and online Winthrop, is quoted at the beginning sources to prepare a Venn diagram of this section in One American’s Story. comparing and contrasting the Pilgrims Draw a simple sequence chart with two and the Puritans on these points: boxes—one for the Pilgrims and the • preparations for the journey and colony other for the Puritans—to help students • economic and social classes understand that the Pilgrims preceded Winthrop’s Puritans by 10 years. Have • arrival and settlement in America pairs of students reread the section and Then invite students to present their complete the boxes with information diagrams to the class, discussing each about the groups. point. 68 • Chapter 3 The New England Way The Puritans set New England Colonies 1630 CHAPTER 3 • SECTION 2 up their ideal society—a religious “common- M e r r 43°N wealth” of tightly-knit communities. Instead r i e m v i a of a church governed by bishops and king, N R c k r ve they created self-governing congregations. A Ri W E New England Colonies 1630 t MASSACHUSETTS Massachusetts congregation is a group of people who belong u c S i Boston (1630) t BAY COLONY to the same church. Because Puritan congre- c e Bay n Connect Geography History gations were self-governing, their churches n o 42°N came to be called “Congregationalist.” This C Plymouth (1620) PLYMOUTH Cape Cod CONNECT TO TODAY Have students refer Congregationalist way of organizing churches COLONY 02550 miles ATLANTIC to a map of New England today to locate became known as “the New England Way.” OCEAN 0 25 50 kilometers towns and areas pertinent to this section. Each congregation chose its minister and Nantucket set up its own town. The town’s most impor- Martha’s Vineyard ANSWERS tant building was the meetinghouse, where 41°N religious services were held. Everyone had to 72°W 71°W 70°W 69°W 1. Place about 40 miles attend these services. The meetinghouse was 2. Make Inferences It was the home of also used for town meetings, a form of self- the Puritans, the dominant population government. The first colonists built houses with roofs of in New England. These people were Puritan values helped the colonists orga- thatch, or straw, like determined to set up a successful, nize their society and overcome the hardships this one. of colonial life. Puritan colonists valued: prosperous society. •hard work as a way of honoring God. The Puritan work ethic contributed to the colony’s rapid growth and success. •education. Because the Puritans Teach wanted everyone to be able to read the Connect Geography History Bible, laws required that all children Massachusetts Bay “Seeds” learn to read. 1. Place How far is Plymouth from Boston? New England •representative government. Puritans brought 2. Make Inferences Why do you think that Boston became the most important port in New England? their traditions of town meetings and local Talk About It self-government with them to America. Democratic rights were quickly expanded. The colony’s charter allowed • Why do you think the Puritans felt so only “freemen” or investors to vote. But when the colonists arrived in threatened by those who challenged them? America, Winthrop, the colony’s first governor, changed the definition of (Possible Answers: They believed they were “freeman” to mean any male church member. Although this covered only a creating a godly society and that anyone who limited number of people, it was a major step in expanding voting rights. challenged them was challenging God; they SUMMARIZE Describe the kind of society the Puritans hoped to create. Answer: They hoped had a disciplined, authoritarian society that did to create a religious commonwealth of not allow for dissent.) tightly-knit, self- • What specific belief did Anne Hutchinson Massachusetts Bay “Seeds” New England governing communities. KEY QUESTION Why did some colonists leave Massachusetts? have that challenged Puritan authority? (She believed that many of the Puritan clergy were The Puritans worked hard to create an orderly society and felt threatened by those who questioned their ways. But dissenters within their ranks soon not among the “elect.”) began challenging Puritan leaders. Disagreements within Massachusetts • Causes and Effects How did Massachusetts forced many to leave and found other colonies. In this way, Massachusetts become a “seed colony” for New England? became a “seed colony” out of which other New England colonies grew. (Dissenters were forced to leave the Massachusetts colony and found other The English Establish 13 Colonies 69 colonies.) INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES CONNECT to Math CONNECT to Language Arts Mayflower Distance Calculations Puritan Rules and Values Essay Remind students that the voyage of the Have each student write a brief essay on Puritan Mayflower was not an easy one. Tell students rules and values discussed in this section. Essays that the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, should include a description of the rules and England, on September 16, 1620, and landed values and a discussion of why the Puritans at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on November 21, followed them. 1620 (about 2,738 nautical miles). Ask students Unit 2 Resource Book to calculate the number of days the voyage • American Literature, pp. 48–50 lasted (66 days) and how many miles per day the ship sailed (about 41). Have students compare responses.