Religion

While Massachusetts was founded by strict Puritans seeking reform from the Church, the level of piety had notably decreased by the turn of the 18th century. By 1730 church membership had diminished and in most congregations only a minority of townspeople, mostly men, were members. "Sexual morality, one indicator of piety in practice, had become so relaxed that the parents of children born within seven months of marriage were frequently treated as if they had not engaged in fornication." By 1740, when English evangelist George Whitefield visited Massachusetts, a revival was at hand. " Whitefield preached for a month at Boston, converting hundreds of people, sailors, slaves, and apprentices as well as merchants and manufacturers." The work of Whitefield and other evangelists were a product of what would be known as the Great Awakening. All of a sudden: "loose women, impudent boys, and hardened sinners felt themselves filled by the workings of the Lord's spirit." This reawakening of faith was welcomed by some, but not all colonists in Massachusetts.

This 'awakening' brought with it a new style of evangelical preaching must less stringent and traditional than Puritan customs. "This assault on the time honored plain style of Puritan preaching aroused defensive reactions from clergymen who neither knew nor wanted any other way" The Great Awakening in the end "divided the people of Massachusetts into two camps, those who saw the new light, and those who, unmoved, continued to worship under the guidance of the old light." By the mid 1740's the Great Awakening left Massachusetts society more divided than ever before.

References:

Brown, Richard D. and Jack Tager. Massachusetts: A Concise History. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2000.

Frontiers

As the 18th century began Massachusetts began to a period period of economic growth. This growth led colonists in to the Connecticut valley and western Massachusetts. Land in New England was scarce and colonists looked westward to the virgin forests and pasture lands of western Massachusetts. Colonist set up large farms in the western regions of Massachusetts. Unlike the eastern Massachusetts, the frontier regions of western Massachusetts offered ample land to farm and raise livestock. many of these farms were large enough to require a source of labor that exhausted the available indentures and led the use of slave labor. Since the early colonial period, the Massachusetts Bay Colony had hoped to control and protect colonists that braved the wilderness and settled on Massachusetts' frontier. "In 1690, a committee of the General Court of Massachusetts recommended the Court to order what shall be the frontier and to maintain a committee to settle garrisons on the frontier with forty soldiers to each frontier town as a main guard." Frontier settlers on the outskirts of Puritan civilization took up the task of bearing the brunt of attack and pushing forward the line of advance which year after year carried American settlements into the wilderness. Settlers in Western Massachusetts came into conflict with Iroquois Indians and others as their western migration progressed in the 17th and 18th centuries.

References:

Brown, Richard D. and Jack Tager. Massachusetts: A Concise History. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2000.

18th Century Economic Expansion

Economic Expansion in

18th Century Massachusetts

While the Southern economies began to expand into an agrarian society of plantations, slavery and large scale commercial production, the northern colonies developed and expanded in a different way. The lack of ample land, unlike the South, drove the economies of Massachusetts in a unique direction. The farming that had been a foundation of 17th century economy of Massachusetts continued. Small farms produced wheat and corn and in the 18th century farm production of cider from apple orchard began to expand because of the ideal conditions and climate. In the 18th century, residents of Massachusetts began to expand and settle in the Connecticut valley and western Massachusetts because of more access to land and the ability for larger scale commercial agriculture. Though indentures still comprised the majority of the labor force in 18th century Massachusetts, slave labor was used in the Connecticut valley and in Western Massachusetts as the growth of larger scale agriculture increased.

As it had in earlier centuries, animal husbandry for the production of milk from cows and the slaughter of hogs and steer remained a staple of New England's economy. Fishing remained a core element of the economy and the expansion of whaling in Cape Cod and Nantucket saw an explosion of growth in coastal town and seaports. New Englanders also began to build mills along rivers and streams to process grains, lumber and wool produced in the region. International trade also flourished and expanded in the 18th century. Ships carried timber and salt fish to the Caribbean and returned with molasses and sugar. Rum, distilled in Medford and Newburyport, was carried to West Africa along with cloth and simple utensils to be traded for slaves who were, in turn, carried to the Caribbean Islands and South America. These routes came to be known as the "Triangular Trade."

References

Butler, John. Becoming America:The Revolution Before 1776. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000).

King Philip's War

King Philip's War 1675–76

The colonists in Plymouth arrived in Massachusetts and quickly encountered Wampanoag Indians. The Wampanoag's grand sachem, Massasoit, signed a peace agreement with the colonists that lasted until his death in 1661. The agreement between Massasoit and the colonists gave Massasoit political strength among the other Indian tribes in the area. After Massasoit's death in 1661, his son Wamsutta ruled over the Wampanoags until his death in 1662. Massasoit's next eldest son, Metacom became sachem after the death of his brother. Metacom, being a Indian of political stature in his tribe went before the English colonists and requested he be appointed a title acknowledging his political status as leader of the Wampanoag. Metacom was given the English name Philip and appointed the title King of the Wampanoag. King Philip was able to maintain a tenuous peace with the colonists until 1671. The trade relationship between the Wampanoag and the colonists created a situation in which the Wampanoag became increasingly dependant on the colonists and their European goods. The Wampanoag's dependence on European goods created a system of debt that eventually led to the concession of an ever increasing amount of Indian lands to repay debt. The loss of Indian land and the anger created by the system of dependence that developed eventually led to conflict between the Wampanoag and the colonists. The colonists became suspicious of Metacom and fined him and forced the Wampanoag to surrender their weapons. In the years prior to the outbreak of war between the Wampanoag and the colonists, an Indian named John Sassamon, acted as translator, interpreter and political consultant to Metacom. John Sassamon had been educated by the English and was a Christian convert. It is rumored that Sassamon was an English informer who was passing information about Metacom and the Wampanoags political and military intentions to the colonists. In 1675 John Sassamon was found murdered and three Wampanoag were accused, tried and convicted o his murder. Metacom was outraged by the colonists reprisal and ordered a surprise attack on the border settlement of Swansea. The Wampanoag and the colonists of Massachusetts were no in an state of war. The Wampanoag were soon joined by the Nipmuck and the Narragansett Indians. The colonists emerged victorious in 1676, but not before the native populations of local Indians were virtually decimated. This conflict was known as King Philip's War.

References:

Steele, Ian K. Warpaths: Invasions of North America. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Survival

Plymouth Colony had a trying first year. After, several failed attempts to leave Europe, the group of religious separatists finally departed for the New World in 1620. Granted a charter to settle within the Virginia Colony, the group sailed west. After a relatively successful voyage with only one death, the colonists came ashore accidentally off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Believing they couldn't safely make it to Virginia the group decided to search the coast for a suitable site for their new colony. The situation began to worsen as flu and pneumonia began to affect the colonists forced to remain on the Mayflower as a scouting party searched for land and potential Indian hostiles. As the situation became desperate for all the colonists because of disease and lack of adequate food stuffs, the search party came upon a fortuitous discovery, a Indian stash of corn buried in the sand. This blessing of a find allowed the colonists, many of whom remained on the small ship for the winter, to sustain themselves throughout the winter.

During the first winter in the newly established Plymouth Colony half the colonists died. The colonists who survived were resolute and determined to make a new life for themselves in the colony. Though determined, the colonists would not have survived if it were not for the assistance of the local Wapanoag Indians, and the famous Squanto. Squanto helped the colonists with their corn harvests and advised on fertilizing and planting techniques. After the colonists became somewhat settled in their new environment, they were in danger of being unable to maintain a permanent settlement. If it was not for John Winthrop and the "Great Migration" of Puritans to the area to form the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 the tiny Plymouth Colony and its colonists may not have survived.

References

Deetz, James, and Patricia E. S. Deetz. 2000. The times of their lives : Life, love, and death in plymouth colony. New York: W.H. Freeman.

Santella, Andrew, and Inc NetLibrary. 2001. The plymouth colony [electronic resource]. Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point Books.

The Wampanoag Indians

The area of eastern Massachusetts near Plymouth was the traditional land of the Wampanoag Indians. The Wampanoag are a sub group of what is referred to as the Algonquin Indians. Algonquin is a language of which each tribe speaks a slightly different dialect. The New England Algonquins were the Abenaki, Massachuset, Mohegan, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Passamaquoddy, Pennacook, Penobscot, Pequot And the Wampanoag Indians, the Wampanoag being the focus of this post.

The Wampanoag were a society reliant on agriculture and use of the lands resources. Though they formed settlements, the Wampanoag would travel with the seasons to winter and summer hunting grounds. This practice allowed the Wampanoag to take advantage of the land while avoiding some of the harsh conditions. Wampanoag women had the responsibility of providing 80% of the tribes food through farming and gathering fruits, berries and shellfish. Wampanoag agriculture was based on the "three sisters", squash, corn and beans. These three foods were revered as godly and played an important role in Wampanoag diets and culture. The Wampanoag lived in Wetu's which were domed huts much like Wigwams.

The Wampanoag, like all Algonquin Indians, believed in a Great Spirit called Manitou. This Great Spirit, and lesser gods throughout nature, would not have been completely foreign to Puritans and other Europeans who had experience and knowledge of Pagan cultures of Northern Europe and the British isles, but they might have looked down on this practice.

Another cultural practice that Europeans might have looked down upon was the Wampanoag practice of polygamy especially by Wampanoag leaders such as Massasoit, who had many wives, as did most Indian chiefs.

While communication and acculturation was slow in the early periods of contact between the Wampanoag and the colonist at Plymouth, this was not the first contact that Indians in this area had with Europeans. Coastal Indians had been trading and coming into contact with European fisherman and explores for several decades. It wasn't until the arrival of Squanto, the famous Indian statesman, interpreter and former English and Spanish slave, that the process of acculturation was accelerated and the barriers of communication began to come down.

Steele, Ian K. 1994. Warpaths : Invasions of north america. New York: Oxford University Press.
Waldman, Carl, and Molly Braun. 1999. Encyclopedia of native american tribes. New York: Facts on File

The Founding of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies

Plymouth Colony

Though Nordic explorers and fisherman had been sailing the waters off Massachusetts for half a century, it was not until 1620 that Europeans successfully founded the first colony. Puritans unhappy with the state of the Church of England, approached the King for a charter to start a colony in the New World. The King granted the Plymouth Company a charter in 1606, but due to unforeseen circumstances in travel and transportation the company dissolved and was reformed in 1620 and granted a new charter under the Council for New England. The charter granted the Pilgrims the right to form a colony in Virginia. In 1620 the Mayflower, unable to make it to Virginia came ashore at present day Cape Cod and declared the area Plymouth, in reference to the city in England from which they left.





Before embarking for shore the adult men of the Mayflower drew up and signed the Mayflower Compact, which created the first American settlement and established a set of basic laws and principles for their new settlement. These basic principles would serve as a foundation for government in the colony for a decade and would be the used as a template for the laws of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.



During the first winter over half of the colonists died of scurvy and exposure to the harsh New England winter. This did not discourage the colonists who survived the harsh conditions, not one of the survivors returned to England. These hardy colonists had come to the New World under providence from the King and God.


The living conditions did not improve after the first winter. The Pilgrims had to form alliances with the Massasoit Indians, and it was with the Wampanoags that the Pilgrims had "Thanksgiving", which gave rise to the current holiday.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Granted a charter in 1628 under the New England Company. In 1629 the New England Company obtained a royal charter as the “Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England.” Almost immediately the emphasis changed from trade to religion, as the Puritan stockholders conceived of the colony as a religious and political refuge for their sect. Under the leadership of John Winthrop.

In 1630 John Winthrop led the first large Puritan migration from England. "Governor Winthrop was accompanied to Massachusetts by nearly three hundred families, or fifteen hundred souls many of whom were distinguished for their quality, as well as their intelligence and piety." The colonists sailed for New England in 1630 and established a colony deciding to make their chief settlement at the mouth of the Charles River, "a commanding position on Massachusetts Bay." In 1691 a new charter made Massachusetts a royal colony and extended its jurisdiction over Plymouth and Maine.

Hutchinson, T., Hutchinson, J., Mayo, L. S., & Mayo, L. S. (1936). The history of the colony and province of massachusetts-bay. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

Langdon, G. D. (1966). Pilgrim colony; a history of new plymouth, 1620-1691. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Morison, S. E., Alfred A. Knopf, I., & Overly, C. H. (1956). The story of the "old colony" of new plymouth, 1620-1692. illustrated ([1 .] ed.). New York: Knopf.

Santella, A., & NetLibrary, I. (2001). The plymouth colony [electronic resource]. Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point Books.