The New England colonies are sometimes referred to as the Northern colonies. They were on the northern coast of the Atlantic Coast. They consisted of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire & Rhode Island and they were the northernmost colonies.
Reason for Colonizing
The first colony in New England was Plymouth, Massachusetts. Plymouth was created by a religious group called the Puritans. The Puritans motivation for risking their lives in this new world was to find a place where they could worship their religion freely. They left England years before because they were being treated unfairly and the Church of England was becoming to wealthy & corrupt. The Puritans believed that your life’s focus should be on God and they led extremely strict lifestyles. More details below in the Religion section.
Climate
The New England region was the Coldest of the three regions. Winters were long & harsh and left little time for growing crops. The summers were mild and pleasant, but were very short. One advantage of the colder weather was that there was much less disease than in the warmer areas. Average temperatures in Jan. = 18 / Average temperature in July = 72 / average snowfall per year = 55 inches
The first colony in New England was Plymouth, Massachusetts. Plymouth was created by a religious group called the Puritans. The Puritans motivation for risking their lives in this new world was to find a place where they could worship their religion freely. They left England years before because they were being treated unfairly and the Church of England was becoming to wealthy & corrupt. The Puritans believed that your life’s focus should be on God and they led extremely strict lifestyles. More details below in the Religion section.
Climate
The New England region was the Coldest of the three regions. Winters were long & harsh and left little time for growing crops. The summers were mild and pleasant, but were very short. One advantage of the colder weather was that there was much less disease than in the warmer areas. Average temperatures in Jan. = 18 / Average temperature in July = 72 / average snowfall per year = 55 inches
Geography & Soil
Land was flat close to the coastline but became hilly and mountainous farther inland. Soil was generally rocky, thin, and very infertile making it unsuitable for crops. This will limit the colony to small gardens for families to raise food for their families to survive on. Because it was impossible to make money from the soil, the New Englanders looked to the Atlantic Ocean. New England imported most of their agricultural products from other colonies.
Natural Resources
Much of the natural resources in New England came from the Sea and the Forests. The settlers harvested many varieties of fish & whales from the Atlantic. The thick forests provided animal skins and furs as well as maple syrup which is a natural sweetener. One of the things this area became most well-known for was shipbuilding which ties the ocean and the forest together.
Use of Slaves
Although it is impossible to say that no slaves lived in the New England colonies, there were very few in the area, so slavery never became a major part of their economy or lifestyle.
Land was flat close to the coastline but became hilly and mountainous farther inland. Soil was generally rocky, thin, and very infertile making it unsuitable for crops. This will limit the colony to small gardens for families to raise food for their families to survive on. Because it was impossible to make money from the soil, the New Englanders looked to the Atlantic Ocean. New England imported most of their agricultural products from other colonies.
Natural Resources
Much of the natural resources in New England came from the Sea and the Forests. The settlers harvested many varieties of fish & whales from the Atlantic. The thick forests provided animal skins and furs as well as maple syrup which is a natural sweetener. One of the things this area became most well-known for was shipbuilding which ties the ocean and the forest together.
Use of Slaves
Although it is impossible to say that no slaves lived in the New England colonies, there were very few in the area, so slavery never became a major part of their economy or lifestyle.
Religion
The most striking feature about New England is its religion. The New England colonies were dominated by the Puritans, reformers seeking to “purify” the Church of England. They came over from England to practice religion without persecution. Ironically, many people are taught they believed in “Freedom of Religion”, but that is very far from the truth. They came here for their own freedom, but had no desire to give any other religious group freedom. The Puritans followed strict rules and were intolerant of all other religions.
Life was dominated by church, and the entire political, social, and industrial fabric was built on religion. The Puritan religion was very strict, serious, and there were severe consequences for those who failed to attend the weekly services or those who spoke out against the Puritan ways. A Puritan believed that the focus of their life should be on God 100% and considered many things sinful. For example, owning unnecessary material objects, wearing colorful clothing, cooking a meal on Sunday, speaking in church if you were a woman, singing & celebrating on holidays were all considered sins in the Puritan Community. They believed it was their duty to God to watch over one another and ensure that they held their fellow church members accountable to the Bible. As you can see, Freedom of Religion is NOT a good description for a community who controlled almost every aspect of its peoples’ lives.
Economy
Economic activities and trade were dependent of the geography & environment in which the Colonists lived. New England’s economy was largely dependent on the ocean ~ fishing & shipbuilding.
Fishing was very important to New England. Fishing fleets sailed regularly from New England coastal cities for the major fishing grounds off the coast. The fishermen were able to catch enough fish to sell to other colonies & even sold salted fish to Europe. The fish included cod, mackerel, herring, halibut, and others. Some New Englanders also became whalers, as they needed their valuable oil which would be used in lamps to light homes.
New Englanders also benefited from a rich forest that covered much of New England. The forest had a variety of hardwood trees that were harvested for many reasons. The New England colonies were most well known for their shipbuilding. However, the wood was used to build homes, barrels, furniture & other goods that were needed in the colonies & England. The forests also were teaming with wild animals & the animal skin & furs were shipped to England to be manufactured into goods.
The most striking feature about New England is its religion. The New England colonies were dominated by the Puritans, reformers seeking to “purify” the Church of England. They came over from England to practice religion without persecution. Ironically, many people are taught they believed in “Freedom of Religion”, but that is very far from the truth. They came here for their own freedom, but had no desire to give any other religious group freedom. The Puritans followed strict rules and were intolerant of all other religions.
Life was dominated by church, and the entire political, social, and industrial fabric was built on religion. The Puritan religion was very strict, serious, and there were severe consequences for those who failed to attend the weekly services or those who spoke out against the Puritan ways. A Puritan believed that the focus of their life should be on God 100% and considered many things sinful. For example, owning unnecessary material objects, wearing colorful clothing, cooking a meal on Sunday, speaking in church if you were a woman, singing & celebrating on holidays were all considered sins in the Puritan Community. They believed it was their duty to God to watch over one another and ensure that they held their fellow church members accountable to the Bible. As you can see, Freedom of Religion is NOT a good description for a community who controlled almost every aspect of its peoples’ lives.
Economy
Economic activities and trade were dependent of the geography & environment in which the Colonists lived. New England’s economy was largely dependent on the ocean ~ fishing & shipbuilding.
Fishing was very important to New England. Fishing fleets sailed regularly from New England coastal cities for the major fishing grounds off the coast. The fishermen were able to catch enough fish to sell to other colonies & even sold salted fish to Europe. The fish included cod, mackerel, herring, halibut, and others. Some New Englanders also became whalers, as they needed their valuable oil which would be used in lamps to light homes.
New Englanders also benefited from a rich forest that covered much of New England. The forest had a variety of hardwood trees that were harvested for many reasons. The New England colonies were most well known for their shipbuilding. However, the wood was used to build homes, barrels, furniture & other goods that were needed in the colonies & England. The forests also were teaming with wild animals & the animal skin & furs were shipped to England to be manufactured into goods.
Daily Life
Town life in New England was everything, and the Church was the center of the town. New Englanders were very religious people so they felt an obligation to God to watch over one another. The houses radiated out from the church and each house had a small yard with a garden. Each family typically grew enough food to feed their family & they may have traded with neighbors. As stated previously, the soil was not a high quality, so they were unable to have large farms which grew cash crops ~this also made it possible for them to live close to one another because they didn’t need a lot of land.
The church in early Puritan days was very simple. Again, the Puritans left the Church of England because they felt like it had become all about showing off wealth. They wanted their church to be simple so that the congregation could focus on God. It was built of logs, fitted with benches, and never heated. The congregation was called to worship by the sound of a horn or a drum in the morning, and the people sat in assigned seating based on social rank. The service often lasted for many hours with a break for a lunch of leftovers since it was a sin to cook on Sundays, & then back to the church for more sermons. If a man or a boy fell asleep or misbehaved during the service, he was knocked on the head with a rod from the tithingman.
Outside of the church in their personal lives, the church still held a major role. The church dictated every part of their lives from the way they dressed to their actions. Since they lived close together & felt like it was their obligation to watch over one another, they took note of people who were different or who didn’t follow the rules of the church. Examples of laws included the fact that it was forbidden for a woman to wear lace; a man was forbidden from wearing his hair long; it was not permissible for a person to live alone at any time; & a man could not kiss his wife in public without punishment.
Town life in New England was everything, and the Church was the center of the town. New Englanders were very religious people so they felt an obligation to God to watch over one another. The houses radiated out from the church and each house had a small yard with a garden. Each family typically grew enough food to feed their family & they may have traded with neighbors. As stated previously, the soil was not a high quality, so they were unable to have large farms which grew cash crops ~this also made it possible for them to live close to one another because they didn’t need a lot of land.
The church in early Puritan days was very simple. Again, the Puritans left the Church of England because they felt like it had become all about showing off wealth. They wanted their church to be simple so that the congregation could focus on God. It was built of logs, fitted with benches, and never heated. The congregation was called to worship by the sound of a horn or a drum in the morning, and the people sat in assigned seating based on social rank. The service often lasted for many hours with a break for a lunch of leftovers since it was a sin to cook on Sundays, & then back to the church for more sermons. If a man or a boy fell asleep or misbehaved during the service, he was knocked on the head with a rod from the tithingman.
Outside of the church in their personal lives, the church still held a major role. The church dictated every part of their lives from the way they dressed to their actions. Since they lived close together & felt like it was their obligation to watch over one another, they took note of people who were different or who didn’t follow the rules of the church. Examples of laws included the fact that it was forbidden for a woman to wear lace; a man was forbidden from wearing his hair long; it was not permissible for a person to live alone at any time; & a man could not kiss his wife in public without punishment.