What was the work like in the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The climate and natural resources available in each of the three regions determined the type of work available to those who lived there. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with its lack of fertile farming land, the fishing, timber, livestock, and shipping industries became the focus.
What kind of fishing did the Massachusetts Bay Colony do?
With its location along the shore of the Atlantic ocean, Massachusetts was (and is) in a prime location to take advantage of the sea life there, and fishermen often found mackerel, herring, halibut, bass, and cod for their troubles. Whaling was also a popular job in the Massachusetts Bay Colony since whale oil was used in lamps and soaps.
When did the Massachusetts Bay Company settle in Massachusetts?
In 1629 King Charles I of England granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to trade in and colonize the part of New England that lay approximately between the Charles and Merrimack Rivers, and settlement began in 1630. Boston was made the capital in 1632.
What Native American tribes lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Before the arrival of European colonists on the eastern shore of New England, the area around Massachusetts Bay was the territory of several Algonquian-speaking peoples, including the Massachusetts, Nausets, and Wampanoags.
How did Massachusetts Bay Colony make money?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony primarily made money through shipbuilding, fishing, fur, and lumber production.
Who worked in the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts, settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees from England under Gov. John Winthrop and Deputy Gov. Thomas Dudley.
What did the Massachusetts Bay Colony do?
What was the purpose of the Massachusetts Bay Colony? The Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony intended to set up a society that would accord with what they believed to be God's wishes. Those whose religious beliefs did not conform to the Puritans' teachings were expelled.
What was the economy of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The early colonial economy of Massachusetts was primarily based on agriculture. The constant flow of English immigrants enabled the first Massachusetts farmers to profit for approximately one decade by growing corn and raising cattle.
What made the Massachusetts Bay Colony successful?
Massachusetts Bay Colony Economy: By the mid-18th century, Massachusetts Bay Colony had grown into a successful colony with a large trade industry that exported fish, lumber and farm products to Europe.Jan 5, 2015
Why did the Massachusetts Bay Colony succeed?
Why did the Massachusetts Bay Colony succeed? It was due largely to the fact that her people were deeply rooted in the teachings of the Bible, and they all had a much broader purpose in mind. TEST-What was the Puritans' main reason for teaching kids how to read? TEST-Why was Harvard College founded?
What do Pilgrims and Puritans have in common?
Both settled in New England (Pilgrims in Plymouth and Puritans in Massachusetts), both came to America for religious freedom, both were devoutly religious, both wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church of all Catholic rituals, both believed in pre-destination and religious “elect” leaders.Dec 20, 2021
What are 3 facts about the Massachusetts Colony?
The Massachusetts Colony's landscape included treed mountains, lots of hills, rocky soil and lots of rivers. Massachusetts's coast is jagged. The climate in the Massachusetts Colony included long, cold winters and mild summers.
What were 3 industries that thrived in the New England Colonies?
Major industries in the New England Colonies included lumber, whaling, shipbuilding, fishing, livestock, textiles, and some agriculture.Dec 21, 2021
What was life like in Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Unlike its Chesapeake counterpart, the Massachusetts Bay Colony flourished with literacy, schools, town meetings, longer lives, clean drinking water, a cool climate, and a variety of crops. Though the Puritan faith eventually waned, the Massachusetts Bay Colony thrived and was a strong start for the New World.Sep 1, 2021
When was the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded, and how long did it last?
In 1629 King Charles I of England granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to trade in and colonize the part of New England that lay approxi...
What was the purpose of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony intended to set up a society that would accord with what they believed to be God’s wishes. On...
What is the importance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
By moving the Massachusetts Bay Company’s General Court from England to America, the Puritans converted it from an instrument of the company to a l...
What was the importance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
What is the importance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony? By moving the Massachusetts Bay Company’s General Court from England to America, the Puritans converted it from an instrument of the company to a legislative and administrative assembly free from royal oversight.
Which colony was a part of the Massachusetts Bay?
A new charter was issued in 1691 that joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, and the Maine Colony as the Province of Massachusetts Bay and placed it under a royal governor. Charles I. Learn more about Charles I.
What was the name of the river that the Massachusetts Bay Company landed on?
In 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Company had obtained from King Charles I a charter empowering the company to trade and colonize in New England between the Charles and Merrimack rivers.
How many people were in Massachusetts Bay in the 1640s?
By the mid-1640s Massachusetts Bay Colony had grown to more than 20,000 inhabitants. Increasing estrangement between the colony and England resulted in the annulment of the company’s charter in 1684 and the substitution of royal government under a new charter granted in 1691.
When was Massachusetts Bay colony established?
See Article History. Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts, settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees from England under Gov. John Winthrop and Deputy Gov. Thomas Dudley.
What colony was merged with Maine in 1691?
The charter of 1691 merged the Plymouth colony and Maine into the Massachusetts Bay Colony. See also Plymouth. This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt, Manager, Geography and History. History at your fingertips.
What countries did the Massachusetts Bay colony trade with?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was economically successful, trading with England, Mexico and the West Indies. In addition to barter, transactions were done in English pounds, Spanish "pieces of eight", and wampum in the 1640s.
Who founded the Massachusetts Bay Company?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by the owners of the Massachusetts Bay Company, including investors in the failed Dorchester Company which had established a short-lived settlement on Cape Ann in 1623. The colony began in 1628 and was the company's second attempt at colonization.
Why did the Pilgrims establish Plymouth?
In December 1620, a group of Pilgrims established Plymouth Colony just to the south of Massachusetts Bay, seeking to preserve their cultural identity and attain religious freedom. Plymouth's colonists faced great hardships and earned few profits for their investors, who sold their interests to them in 1627. Edward Winslow and William Bradford were two of the colony's leaders and were likely the 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 immigration. There were other short-lived colonial settlements in 1623 and 1624 at Weymouth, Massachusetts; Thomas Weston's Wessagusset Colony failed, as did an effort by Robert Gorges to establish an overarching colonial structure.
What tribes lived in Massachusetts?
The Pennacooks occupied the Merrimack River valley to the north, and the Nipmucs, Pocumtucs, and Mahicans occupied the western lands of Massachusetts, although some of those tribes were under tribute to the Mohawks, who were expanding aggressively from upstate New York. The total Indigenous population in 1620 has been estimated to be 7,000. This number was significantly larger as late as 1616; in later years, contemporaneous chroniclers interviewed Indigenous people who described a major pestilence which killed as many as two-thirds of the population. The land-use patterns of the Indigenous people included plots cleared for agricultural purposes and woodland territories for hunting game. Land divisions among the tribes were well understood.
Why did the delegates of Massachusetts Bay meet with the Lords of Trade?
Two delegates from Massachusetts Bay were sent to London to meet with the Lords of Trade when the crown threatened the colony with a quo warranto. The Lords demanded a supplementary charter to alleviate problems, but the delegates were under orders that they could not negotiate any change with the Charter and this enraged the Lords. The quo warranto was issued immediately. The King feared that this would stir problems within the colony and attempted to reassure the colonists that their private interests would not be infringed upon. The declaration did create problems, however, and the confrontations increased between the moderates and conservatives. The moderates controlled the office of Governor and the Council of Assistants, and the conservatives controlled the Assembly of Deputies. This political turmoil ended in compromise with the deputies voting to allow the delegates in London to negotiate and defend the colonial charter.
Why did the Crown want to include non-Puritans in the leadership of the colony?
The Crown learned of these divisions and sought to include non-Puritans in the leadership in the hope of managing the colony.
What is the name of the colony in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts. Maine. New Hampshire. The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally The Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The lands of the settlement were in ...
What was the Massachusetts Bay colony?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony Government (more formally The Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1628–1692) was an English settlement on the east coast of America in the 17th century around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay. This government laid many of the cornerstones of ...
Who was the greatest Puritan missionary?
Today the Puritans’ desire to win the natives to Christianity is often met with impatience and smirks. But consider the greatest of the Puritan missionaries, John Eliot, who lived from 1604 to 1690. What Eliot did in order to spread the Christian faith among the Indians almost defies belief.
Did the colonists have contempt for the Indians?
But those injustices have led many Americans to believe that the colonists had nothing but contempt for the American Indian, and sought merely to expel him or “steal” his land.
Why was the fishing industry important to the colony?
The colony's economy depended on the success of its trade, in part because its land was not as suitable for agriculture as that of other colonies like Virginia, where large plantations could be established. The fishery was important enough that those involved in it were exempted from taxation and military service.
What was the economy of the colony?
In the early years of the colony, it was highly dependent on the import of staples from England, and was supported by the investments of a number of wealthy immigrants. Certain businesses, notably shipbuilding, fisheries, and the fur and lumber trades, quickly got started.
Why were bridges required in the colony?
Bridges were fairly uncommon, since they were expensive to maintain , and fines were imposed on their owners for the loss of life or goods if they failed.
Why was fishing important?
The fishery was important enough that those involved in it were exempted from taxation and military service. Larger communities supported craftsmen skilled in providing many of the necessities of 18th century life.
Overview
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally The Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The lands of the settlement were in southern New England, with initial settlements on two natural harbors …
History
Before the arrival of European colonists on the eastern shore of New England, the area around Massachusetts Bay was the territory of several Algonquian-speaking peoples, including the Massachusetts, Nausets, and Wampanoags. The Pennacooks occupied the Merrimack River valley to the north, and the Nipmucs, Pocumtucs, and Mahicans occupied the western lands of Massachusetts, altho…
Life
Life could be quite difficult in the early years of the colony. Many colonists lived in fairly crude structures, including dugouts, wigwams, and dirt-floor huts made using wattle and daub construction. Construction improved in later years, and houses began to be sheathed in clapboard, with thatch or plank roofs and wooden chimneys. Wealthier individuals would extend their house by adding a …
Government
The structure of the colonial government changed over the lifetime of the charter. The Puritans established a theocratic government limited to church members. Winthrop, Dudley, the Rev. John Cotton, and other leaders sought to prevent dissenting religious views, and many were banished because of differing religious beliefs, including Roger Williams of Salem and Anne Hutchin…
Economy and trade
In the early years, the colony was highly dependent on the import of staples from England and was supported by the investments of a number of wealthy immigrants. Certain businesses were quick to thrive, notably shipbuilding, fisheries, and the fur and lumber trades. As early as 1632, ships built in the colony began trading with other colonies, England, and foreign ports in Europe. By 1660, the colony's merchant fleet was estimated at 200 ships and, by the end of the century, its …
Demographics
Most of the people who arrived during the first 12 years emigrated from two regions of England. Many of the colonists came from the county of Lincolnshire and East Anglia, northeast of London, and a large group also came from Devon, Somerset, and Dorset in the southwest of England. These areas provided the bulk of the migration, although colonists also came from other regions of England. The pattern of migration often centered around specific Nonconformist clergy who sou…
Geography
The Massachusetts colony was dominated by its rivers and coastline. Major rivers included the Charles and Merrimack, as well as a portion of the Connecticut River, which has been used to transport furs and timbers to Long Island Sound. Cape Ann juts into the Gulf of Maine, providing harbors for fishermen plying the fishing banks to the east, and Boston's harbor provided secure anchorage for seagoing commercial vessels. Development in Maine was restricted to coastal ar…
See also
• History of Massachusetts
• History of the Puritans in North America
• List of colonial governors of Massachusetts
• List of members of the colonial Massachusetts House of Representatives