New England Colonies Characteristics

From their point of arrival in 1630, to their diminishment in 1700 the Puritans that settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony had a unique impact on the surrounding colonies. The Puritan came to the New World searching for religious freedom and their belief system ultimately influenced the characteristics associated with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. These characteristics from their government, economy, and social structure ultimately spread and were assimilated into the surrounding New England Colonies. The Puritans that came to the New World in 1630, had a large impact on the New England Colonies through the influence of their ideas and values on the political, economic, and social development found therein.

The Puritans that came from Europe

in the early 1600s largely impacted the political structure of the New England Colonies. The Puritan belief system was intertwined with the government and laws of the time. Signs of a forming democracy could be seen from the governmental bodies found in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The General Court was the main legislative body in the colony, and was a successful assembly that managed the laws and regulations of the colony. These governing ordinances were strongly bonded with the ordinances of the church, and everyone, even if not a member, paid taxes to the church. Even without the separation of church and state, this new legislative body created a shade of democracy in the New World. Certain guidelines were put in place to determine who would be able to vote. Only the white, male, land-owning, church members could vote on laws and town decisions, but even this was a step forward for democracy. Town meetings were put in place around the time of this new governmental foundation. Meetings were open to both men and women and were meant to discuss the management of the colony. These town meetings also encouraged the idea of majority rule from the Pilgrim’s Mayflower Compact. Though the Puritan government of the time was strongly influenced by the church it still opened up the New England Colonies to the modern idea of democracy.
The arrival of the Puritans not only influenced the political structure but also to the economic foundation of the New England Colonies.

Because of the rough climate of the Massachusetts Bay and the surrounding New England Colonies, there were extremely long, cold winters and an overall wet environment. Due to the rocky nature of the soil in the New England colonies it was very difficult to farm. To establish agriculture the soil must be cleared of the large rocks, and even after being cleared, the land was not guaranteed to be fruitful. The Puritans shamed slothfulness, and even though their strong work ethic was present, agriculture never truly thrived around the Massachusetts Bay Colony. To provide for its people and support the economy, the Puritans learned to make good use of their environment. Due to the close proximity to large bodies of water, new career specialization occurred and introduced boat manufacturing, trading, and an abundance of fishing. The Massachusetts Bay Colony became known as a merchant’s community and flourished through trade with the natives and other colonies. The ideas of fishery expanded to other New England colonies and created the foundation of the successful industry still in place

today.
Another aspect of the New England Colonies that the Puritans influenced was that of social structure.

The Puritan belief system has several guidelines that have been ingrained into the culture of the Massachusetts Bay area and its surrounding area. One of the first leaders of the Puritans was John Winthrop, and on the subject of his mission he stated that he wanted to create a “city upon the hill.” This “city” would be the beacon of example to others. The Puritans believed in model church communities and so religion was meshed with their everyday life. The Puritan religion was so significant, it needed to be taught to others, and so it was preached to other communities including the Native American population. The Puritans also believed in predestination and the power of good behavior, this helped in the overall countenance of the community. Although some of the surrounding colonies adopted various principles from the Puritans, others believed that the lifestyle was too harsh and thus rejected it. When the Puritan lifestyle did not prove successful, Roger Williams, a former Preacher of the Puritans, moved on to start the colony of Rhode Island. This new colony still held some principles of the Puritans but had much more freedom and leeway. Other colonies were influenced by the Puritans’ social structure either through adopting the Puritan principles or changing them to better fit the ideal

colony.
The Puritan community that settled the Massachusetts Bay colony in the early 1600s were a resilient and disciplined people. These Puritans that came searching for religious freedom established, maintained and even spread the success of their colony to others. The New England colonies benefitted from the Puritans whether through learning from their government, using their economic strategies, or even interpreting the Puritan religion into a useful tool. The characteristics associated with the Puritan community have assimilated into the surrounding culture of the New England colonies. Through their ideas and beliefs the Puritan community certainly became a “city upon the hill” by being an example to other colonies and influencing their political, economic, and social development.