The New England Colonies

• ​The Roanoke and Jamestown Settlers came to the Americas for wealth, the next group came for religious freedom

• ​People in England were frustrated with the church

  • ​some wanted to reform the church (Puritans)

  • ​others wanted to break away all together (Separatists)

• Separatists were persecuted in England

• ​some fled to the Netherlands

​freedom of religion in Netherlands, but no jobs

• ​In 1620, a group of Separatists moved to America, they became known as the pilgrims!

  • ​A pilgrim is someone who undertakes a religious journey

  • ​Got permission to settle in Virginia and practice their religion freely

  • ​Came over on the Mayflower

• ​Mayflower drifted off cause and landed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

• ​The trip took over 2 months

• It was almost winter and so they decided to quickly settle, calling their new home Plymouth

• ​Because Plymouth was outside of the Virginia Company's territory, the pilgrims created a "Mayflower Compact" or set of laws for their new colony

• ​Almost half the pilgrims died during the first winter (illness, hunger and cold)

• ​Two Native Americans, Squanto and Samoset befriended colonists

• ​taught pilgrims to grow corn, beans and pumpkins and showed them how to hunt

• ​in 1629, a group of Puritans formed the Massachusetts Bay Company

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• ​Squanto and Samoset helped the Pilgrims make peace with the Wampanoag people

• ​The two groups lived together in harmony for a time, even having a feast together in the fall of 1621 (Thanksgiving!)