Video: New England Colonies

AMONG ENGLAND'S 13 COLONIES IN AMERICA

THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES,

THOSE OF...

SHARED A COMMON PURITAN HERITAGE.

HOWEVER, ALL OF THEM REALLY OWED THEIR EXISTENCE

TO ANOTHER COLONY CALLED PLYMOUTH

THAT WAS FOUNDED IN 1620 BY A SMALL GROUP

OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS THAT WE KNOW AS THE PILGRIMS.

THE PLYMOUTH PILGRIMS SHARED MOST OF THE BELIEFS OF

ORDINARY PURITANS AND PAVED THE WAY FOR THEM

TO SETTLE IN LARGE NUMBERS IN NEW ENGLAND.

AND THAT IS WHY THE BELIEFS AND IDEALS OF PURITANISM

CAME TO PLAY SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE

IN SHAPING THE UNIQUE CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES.

PURITANISM WAS A PROTESTANT RELIGION

THAT WAS STARTED IN ENGLAND IN THE 1500S.

THE PURITANS GOT THEIR NAME BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO "PURIFY"

ENGLAND'S OFFICIAL RELIGION, THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND,

OR...

OF CERTAIN CATHOLIC PRACTICES THEY BELIEVED WERE VIOLATING

THE LAWS OF THE BIBLE.

THIS WAS BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

HAD BROKEN AWAY FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH,

THE KING, AS ITS NEW HEAD, HAD DECIDED TO KEEP

MOST OF THE OLD CATHOLIC WAYS OF DOING THINGS.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN CATHOLIC CHURCHES

IN ENGLAND BECAME ANGLICAN CHURCHES

ALL THE OLD DECORATIONS, CARVINGS,

AND BRILLIANTLY COLORED STAINED GLASS IN THE CHURCHES

STAYED THE SAME AND PRIESTS STILL PERFORMED

RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AT AN ALTAR.

PURITANS BELIEVED THESE THINGS WERE PAGAN AND SINFUL

AND WANTED THEIR ENGLISH CHURCHES TO GET RID OF THEM.

THEY WANTED TO SEE CHANGES MADE THAT WERE DEEP AND MEANINGFUL.

MOST PURITAN IDEAS ABOUT RELIGION

CAME FROM A FRENCH PROTESTANT THEOLOGIAN NAMED...

CALVIN TAUGHT THAT THE CATHOLIC DISPLAY OF RELIGIOUS IMAGES

WAS NOTHING MORE THAN IDOLATRY, OR IDOL WORSHIP.

CALVIN ALSO TAUGHT THAT ONLY A CHOSEN FEW,

THOSE WHO WERE PREDESTINED BY GOD TO DO SO,

WOULD REACH HEAVEN.

IN CALVINIST CHURCHES THERE WERE NO PRIESTS,

NO DECORATIONS, NO MUSIC, AND NO RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.

BECAUSE OF THEIR CALVINIST BELIEFS

PURITANS WERE OFTEN IN CONFLICT WITH THE KING

AND OTHER AUTHORITIES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

EVEN SO, MOST PURITANS HAD NO DESIRE

TO LEAVE THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND;

THEY JUST WANTED TO "PURIFY" IT FROM WITHIN.

UNLIKE ORDINARY PURITANS,

A SMALL OFFSHOOT GROUP KNOWN AS THE SEPARATISTS,

THE PEOPLE WE CALL THE PILGRIMS,

BELIEVED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE A PURE RELIGION

WAS TO FOLLOW THEIR OWN PATH AND SEPARATE THEMSELVES

FROM THE ANGLICAN CHURCH.

THEIR BELIEFS GOT THEM INTO CONSTANT TROUBLE.

A LOT OF SEPARATIST PILGRIMS ONCE LIVED IN AND AROUND

THE TINY VILLAGE OF SCROOBY IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

THEY WERE FREQUENTLY JAILED AROUND HERE

FOR CONDUCTING PRIVATE RELIGIOUS SERVICES,

WHICH WAS STRICTLY AGAINST THE KING'S LAWS.

WHEN THE SEPARATISTS PLEADED WITH THE KING FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

HE REFUSED TO GRANT IT AND ORDERED THEM TO FOLLOW HIS RULES.

AFTER THAT A LOT OF PILGRIMS FLED TO HOLLAND;

A COUNTRY WHERE CALVINIST CHURCHES THRIVED.

BUT THE SEPARATISTS WERE NEVER VERY HAPPY LIVING IN HOLLAND,

AND AFTER JAMESTOWN IN THE COLONY OF VIRGINIA GOT GOING IN 1607

MANY OF THEM DECIDED THAT THEY SHOULD GO TO AMERICA TOO

AND TRY TO ESTABLISH A COLONY OF THEIR OWN,

WHERE THEY COULD FREELY FOLLOW THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

BY 1620 THE PILGRIMS HAD CONVINCED A COMPANY OF MERCHANTS IN LONDON

TO PROVIDE THEM WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED TO START A NEW COLONY.

IN RETURN THEY AGREED TO GIVE THE COMPANY HALF OF EVERYTHING

THE COLONY PRODUCED FOR SEVEN YEARS.

IN SEPTEMBER OF THAT YEAR,

THE PILGRIMS ALONG WITH A GROUP OF ANGLICAN COLONISTS

SAILED FOR VIRGINIA ON A SHIP CALLED THE MAYFLOWER.

HOWEVER, THE SHIP WAS BLOWN OFF COURSE

AND ENDED UP OFF OF CAPE COD IN NEW ENGLAND INSTEAD.

THE PILGRIMS REALIZED THEY HAD COME TO A PLACE WHERE

NO ENGLISH PEOPLE HAD EVER SUCCESSFULLY SETTLED

AND WHERE ENGLISH LAWS DID NOT APPLY.

SO THEY MADE AN AGREEMENT

ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD GOVERN THEMSELVES.

THIS AGREEMENT CALLED THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT

OUTLINED A PLAN FOR A VERY SIMPLE FORM OF DEMOCRATIC SELF-GOVERNMENT

AND WAS THE FIRST SUCH DOCUMENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA.

AFTER THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT WAS SIGNED

THE COLONISTS BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR A SUITABLE SITE FOR THEIR COLONY.

THE SPOT THEY CHOSE WAS ON A PARTIALLY WOODED HILLSIDE

WHERE AN AMERICAN INDIAN VILLAGE HAD ONCE STOOD.

THEY LIKED THIS SPOT FOR SEVERAL REASONS.

FIRST, BECAUSE SOME OF THE LAND HAD ALREADY BEEN CLEARED OF TREES

SO IT WOULD BE EASIER TO START FARMING,

AND ALSO BECAUSE IT WAS RIGHT ON CAPE COD BAY.

BEING ON THE BAY WAS VERY IMPORTANT

NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF FISH,

BUT ALSO BECAUSE SHIPS COULD SAFELY ANCHOR THERE

AND THIS WOULD ALLOW GOODS TO BE EASILY TRANSPORTED

TO AND FROM THE COLONY.

PLYMOUTH'S EARLY DAYS WERE VERY DIFFICULT AND MANY PEOPLE DIED.

NEVERTHELESS WITH A LOT OF HARD WORK

ONLY SEVEN YEARS AFTER COMING TO AMERICA

THE COLONISTS HAD MANAGED TO CREATE AN OUTPOST

OF ENGLISH CIVILIZATION IN THE WILDERNESS.

IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE VILLAGES

FROM WHICH THE SETTLERS HAD ORIGINALLY COME.

HOWEVER, UNLIKE MOST ENGLISH VILLAGES,

NEW PLYMOUTH HAD NO STORES WHERE GROCERIES, MEDICINES,

OR TOOLS COULD BE PURCHASED.

IT ALSO HAD NO HOSPITAL OR SCHOOL

AND NONE OF THE FRIENDLY INNS FOUND IN MOST ENGLISH TOWNS.

BUT, BACK IN 1627 IT STILL HAD MANY USEFUL

BUILDINGS AND THEY ALL POSSESSED THE SPECIAL BEAUTY

THAT COMES FROM BEING COMPLETELY MADE BY HAND.

FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAD CONSTRUCTED LARGE BARNS

FOR BOTH CATTLE AND HAY,

AS WELL AS A COMBINATION FORT AND MEETING HOUSE

WHICH WAS THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT BUILDING IN TOWN.

IT SERVED A DUAL PURPOSE BECAUSE UPSTAIRS

CANNONS STOOD READY TO GUARD THE TOWN FROM ATTACK,

WHILE DOWNSTAIRS THERE WAS A ROOM WHERE RELIGIOUS SERVICES

AND TOWN MEETINGS WERE HELD.

NEW PLYMOUTH WAS TOTALLY SURROUNDED BY A HIGH A WALL OF HEAVY LOGS.

THE VILLAGE HAD A LOT OF FOOTPATHS BUT ONLY TWO STREETS

AND PEOPLE WALKED WHEREVER THEY NEEDED TO GO.

IN 1627 NEW PLYMOUTH HAD OVER A DOZEN HOUSES.

EACH ONE STOOD ON ITS OWN LITTLE PATCH OF GROUND

AND EACH HAD A GARDEN WHERE VEGETABLES, HERBS, AND TOBACCO WERE GROWN.

BY MODERN STANDARDS,

THE HOUSES OF NEW PLYMOUTH WERE PRETTY SIMPLE AFFAIRS

WITH THEIR THATCHED ROOFS AND WALLS OF HAND-SPLIT BOARDS.

EVERY HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE HOME OF THE COLONY'S LONG TIME GOVERNOR

WILLIAM BRADFORD AND HIS WIFE ALICE

LOOKED LIKE THIS,

WHILE DOWN THE STREET ANTHONY AND JANE ANNABLE

AND THEIR TWO DAUGHTERS LIVED HERE IN A TYPE OF HOUSE CALLED A HOVEL,

MEANING IT WAS PARTIALLY BELOW GROUND.

AT NEW PLYMOUTH THE CHIMNEYS WERE ALMOST ALWAYS SMOKING

BECAUSE WOOD WAS BURNED FOR COOKING AND HEATING.

THAT WAS WHY LARGE PILES OF WOOD WERE AS A COMMON A SIGHT

AS THE PILES OF RUBBISH THAT STOOD OUTSIDE EACH DOOR.

ON THE INSIDE, THE BETTER HOUSES HAD WOODEN FLOORS;

WHILE THE POORER ONES HAD FLOORS THAT WERE

NOTHING MORE THAN HARD-PACKED DIRT.

MOST HOUSES WERE JUST ONE ROOM FURNISHED WITH A BIG BED

WHERE THE ADULTS SLEPT, AND IF THEY HAD A BABY,

A NEARBY CRADLE AS WELL.

WEALTHIER COLONISTS OFTEN HAD A FEW TREASURED PIECES

OF BEAUTIFULLY CARVED FURNITURE LIKE THESE

THAT THEY HAD BROUGHT WITH THEM FROM EUROPE.

EVERY HOUSE HAD A TABLE AND CHAIRS,

WHICH GAVE PEOPLE A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD SIT DOWN

TO EAT THEIR MEALS OR ENJOY AN EVENING OF CONVERSATION.

AND IN MOST HOUSES NEARBY SHELVES

HELD PRECIOUS ITEMS SUCH AS BOOKS, PLATES AND GLASSWARE,

WHILE ON THE WALLS CORN AND ONIONS COULD USUALLY BE FOUND DRYING.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE COLONISTS REALLY DIDN'T HAVE MANY POSSESSIONS;

MOSTLY JUST WHAT THEY NEEDED TO SURVIVE

AND TO LIVE THE VERY SIMPLEST KIND OF CIVILIZED LIFE.

BESIDES HAVING THE COMFORT AND SHELTER OF A GOOD HOUSE,

GETTING ENOUGH FOOD TO EAT WAS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.

NEW PLYMOUTH WAS BASICALLY AN AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY;

THAT WAS WHY MUCH OF WHAT ITS 150 PEOPLE DID EACH DAY

HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH FARMING.

THE COLONY'S FARMLANDS STOOD OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF THE TOWN.

HERE GRAINS LIKE RYE AND BARLEY WERE RAISED.

BUT BY FAR THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL CROP WAS CORN,

A NEW WORLD PLANT THAT HAD BEEN UNKNOWN TO THEM BACK IN ENGLAND.

AMERICAN INDIANS HAD SHOWN THE COLONISTS

THAT THE BEST WAY TO GROW CORN WAS TO USE DEAD FISH.

HOLES WERE DUG, THE FISH WERE THROWN IN,

COVERED WITH DIRT, AND THEN THE SEEDS WERE PLANTED ON TOP;

THAT WAY WHEN THE FISH ROTTED THEY FERTILIZED THE CORN PLANTS AND HELPED THEM GROW.

IN THE FALL WHEN THE PLANTS WERE FULLY-GROWN THE CORN WAS HARVESTED.

BACK IN THE VILLAGE THE WOMEN PREPARED THE EARS

FOR DRYING BY BRAIDING THEM TOGETHER.

AFTER THE EARS HAD COMPLETELY DRIED,

THE KERNELS OF GRAIN WERE REMOVED.

THEN THEY WERE STORED AND COULD BE GROUND INTO CORNMEAL

WHENEVER NEEDED TO MAKE THINGS LIKE BREAD OR PORRIDGE.

THE CORN CROPS AT NEW PLYMOUTH WERE SO GOOD SOMETIMES

THAT EXTRA CORN WAS TRADED TO THE NATIVE PEOPLE

FOR VALUABLE FURS.

THESE FURS WERE SHIPPED BACK TO ENGLAND

AND USED TO PAY OFF THE COLONY'S DEBTS.

BY 1627 THE RAISING OF CATTLE HAD ALSO BECOME

A VERY IMPORTANT WAY OF MAKING A LIVING

BECAUSE CATTLE COULD BE EASILY SOLD

TO NEW COLONISTS FROM ENGLAND FOR HIGH PRICES.

GETTING ENOUGH FOOD FOR THE ANIMALS WAS A LOT OF WORK

SINCE TO MAKE HAY, ACRES OF GRASS

HAD TO BE SLOWLY CUT BY HAND,

RAKED UP, COLLECTED,

AND THEN PREPARED FOR DRYING.

THE DRIED HAY WAS STORED FOR THE WINTER IN THE DUTCH BARN

WHOSE ROOF COULD BE RAISED HIGHER AND HIGHER

AS MORE HAY WAS ADDED.

IT TOOK A GOOD SUPPLY OF HAY NOT JUST FOR THE CATTLE

BUT ALSO FOR THE COLONY'S GOATS, WHICH WERE VALUABLE AS MILK-PRODUCERS.

HAY WAS ALSO FED TO THE COLONY'S SHEEP

THAT WERE IMPORTANT FOR THEIR WOOL FROM WHICH CLOTH WAS MADE.

THE COLONY'S PIGS ATE MOSTLY SCRAPS AND ACORNS

AND DIDN'T NEED HAY.

EVEN SO, EACH AUTUMN MANY OF THEM WERE BUTCHERED

AND THEIR MEAT SALTED FOR WINTER USE.

AS WE HAVE JUST SEEN THE PLYMOUTH COLONISTS

WERE ABLE TO RAISE MOST OF WHAT THEY NEEDED;

BUT IT WAS STILL NOT ENOUGH.

THAT WAS WHY THEY ALSO HUNTED WILD GAME

AND COLLECTED SHELLFISH AND OTHER CREATURES

THAT LIVED IN THE BAY SO THEY ALWAYS WOULD HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

BESIDES PROVIDING FOOD

THERE WERE LOTS OF OTHER TASKS THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE EACH DAY

TO KEEP THE COLONY RUNNING SMOOTHLY.

ORDINARY THINGS SUCH AS PREPARING

A SUPPLY OF FUEL FOR THE BLACKSMITH SHOP,

MAKING LUMBER FOR NEW HOUSES,

DIGGING POST HOLES FOR FENCES,

OR DRYING REEDS FOR THATCHING.

HAVING TO DO THESE JOBS KEPT THE PEOPLE OF NEW PLYMOUTH

VERY BUSY SIX DAYS A WEEK.

BUT SUNDAY WAS THE EXCEPTION;

FOR ON THAT DAY IT WAS FORBIDDEN TO WORK

AND EVERYONE HEADED OFF TO THE MEETINGHOUSE

TO ATTEND RELIGIOUS SERVICES.

AND SO ON THAT ONE SPECIAL DAY THAT WAS GIVEN OVER TO WORSHIP

THE ENTIRE VILLAGE SHUT DOWN

AND BECAME AN UNUSUALLY PEACEFUL PLACE.

PEOPLE FROM NEW PLYMOUTH STARTED TO SETTLE ON THE NORTHERN LANDS

THAT BECAME THE COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AS EARLY AS 1623.

ALTHOUGH EIGHTEEN YEARS BEFORE, A GROUP OF ENGLISH COLONISTS

HAD TRIED TO ESTABLISH A COLONY CALLED POPHAM PLANTATION

A BIT FURTHER NORTH IN PRESENT DAY MAINE;

BUT THEIR ATTEMPT FAILED WITHIN A YEAR.

THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN THIS REGION

OCCURRED WHEN PLYMOUTH COLONIST DAVID THOMSON

BEGAN TRADING FURS AND FISHING

NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE PISCATAQUA RIVER SEEN HERE.

A FEW YEARS LATER

THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT HANDED OVER A HUGE TRACT OF LAND

THAT INCLUDED THIS AREA TO TWO MEN:

FERDINANDO GORGES AND JOHN MASON.

SOON THE PAIR DIVIDED THE LAND IN HALF.

THE LAND TO THE NORTH OF THE PISCATAQUA RIVER

THAT IS TODAY MAINE WENT TO GORGES.

MASON GOT ALL THE LAND TO THE SOUTH

AND NAMED IT NEW HAMPSHIRE.

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FIRST TOWN CALLED STRAWBERRY BANKE

GREW UP ALONG THE RIVER A FEW MILES

INLAND FROM THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENT.

IT BECAME TODAY'S CITY OF PORTSMOUTH.

AS NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FIRST TOWN WAS BEING SETTLED

A "GREAT MIGRATION" OF PURITANS HAD BEGUN JUST TO THE SOUTH.

THIS COLONY WAS CALLED THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY.

IT RAPIDLY DEVELOPED TWO MAIN TOWNS.

SALEM AND BOSTON UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ITS GOVERNOR...

DURING THE 1630S THOUSANDS OF PURITAN COLONISTS

CAME TO MASSACHUSETTS HOPING TO FIND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM,

TO ESCAPE ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS IN ENGLAND,

AND TO BUILD A MODEL COMMUNITY FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE.

BY 1640

WHILE THE PLYMOUTH COLONY HAD GROWN TO A POPULATION OF 2500 PEOPLE,

20,000 LIVED IN THE PURITAN MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY.

PLYMOUTH EVENTUALLY WAS SO OVERSHADOWED

BY ITS MUCH LARGER NEIGHBOR THAT IT JOINED UP WITH IT.

BY THEN THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY

EVEN CONTROLLED THE LANDS OF MAINE.

IN MASSACHUSETTS THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES

OF THE PURITANS WERE SUPPORTED BY PUBLIC TAXES.

IN OTHER WORDS THERE WAS NO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

STRICT PURITAN MINISTERS WATCHED OVER PEOPLE'S LIVES VERY CLOSELY.

AND, IF ANYONE DID ANYTHING CONSIDERED SINFUL,

THE MINISTERS SERVED AS JUDGES AS WELL.

IN FACT IN 1692 IN SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS

PURITAN JUDGES CONVICTED 19 PEOPLE OF BEING WITCHES

AND HAD THEM PUT TO DEATH BY HANGING.

HOWEVER, WELL BEFORE THIS TIME

PURITAN MINISTERS UNHAPPY WITH THINGS IN MASSACHUSETTS

HAD STARTED TO LOOK FOR OTHER PLACES TO SETTLE.

THE COLONY OF RHODE ISLAND WAS FOUNDED IN 1636

BY A PURITAN MINISTER NAMED...

WHO HAD FLED FROM SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS

TO AVOID BEING SENT BACK TO ENGLAND.

WILLIAMS' VIEWS HAD GOTTEN HIM INTO TROUBLE WITH CHURCH AUTHORITIES.

LIKE THE PILGRIMS AT PLYMOUTH HE BECAME A SEPARATIST

BUT HE ALSO BELIEVED THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM

TO CHOOSE WHAT RELIGION THEY WANTED TO FOLLOW

AND THAT CHURCHES SHOULD BE KEPT SEPARATE FROM GOVERNMENT.

ROGER WILLIAMS DIDN'T THINK THAT THE KING OF ENGLAND

HAD ANY RIGHT TO GRANT COLONIAL CHARTERS

TO LANDS THAT BELONGED TO AMERICAN INDIANS.

IN THE BEGINNING HE ALLIED HIMSELF WITH THE NATIVE PEOPLE

AND BEFRIENDED THEIR LEADERS.

HE EVEN WENT ON TO LEARN THEIR LANGUAGE

AND WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT.

ABOUT A QUARTER MILE FROM THE QUIET STREET SEEN HERE

WILLIAMS FOUNDED RHODE ISLAND'S ORIGINAL COLONIAL SETTLEMENT.

A TOWN HE NAMED PROVIDENCE FOR, AS HE SAID,

"GOD'S MERCIFUL PROVIDENCE UNTO ME IN MY DISTRESS".

REFERRING TO THE TROUBLE FROM WHICH HE HAD ESCAPED BACK IN MASSACHUSETTS.

IT WAS FROM HERE IN PROVIDENCE

THAT THE SMALLEST ENGLISH COLONY,

OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS THE COLONY OF RHODE ISLAND

AND THE PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, BEGAN.

FOR MANY YEARS THE COLONIAL CAPITOL WAS

THE CITY OF NEWPORT LOCATED ON AN ISLAND CALLED RHODE ISLAND.

IN THE YEARS BEFORE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR,

NEWPORT RIVALED NEW YORK AND BOSTON

AS THE GREATEST PORT CITY IN THE COLONIES.

NEWPORT WAS ALSO AN IMPORTANT CENTER

OF THE SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY AND FOR A WHILE

WAS THE LARGEST SLAVE TRADING PORT IN THE WORLD.

IN THE 1600S RHODE ISLAND HAD BECOME A PLACE

THAT WELCOMED ALL FAITHS NOT JUST PURITANS.

REMINDERS OF THIS FACT CAN STILL BE FOUND IN NEWPORT TODAY.

FOR IT IS HOME TO THE OLDEST JEWISH SYNAGOGUE IN THE UNITED STATES.

ITS FIRST CONGREGATION ASSEMBLED IN 1658.

NEARBY IS A MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDED BY A GROUP OF QUAKERS A FEW YEARS LATER.

IT STANDS JUST ACROSS THE STREET

FROM AMERICA'S OLDEST SURVIVING TAVERN.

250 YEARS AGO THE WHITE HORSE WAS A FAVORITE GATHERING PLACE

FOR RHODE ISLAND'S COLONIAL LEGISLATORS.

THE COLONY OF CONNECTICUT LAY TO THE WEST OF RHODE ISLAND

AND WAS FOUNDED IN 1636

AT THE SAME TIME RHODE ISLAND WAS BEING FOUNDED.

BUT BEFORE THE ENGLISH EVER ARRIVED IN THE REGION

A NON-ENGLISH COLONY, NEW NETHERLAND HAD,

ON AND OFF, CLAIMED THE LAND WEST OF THE CONNECTICUT RIVER.

IN FACT IN 1633

DUTCH FUR-TRADERS ESTABLISHED AN OUTPOST HERE.

THAT SAME YEAR A PURITAN FROM MASSACHUSETTS

SET UP HIS OWN TRADING POST NEARBY

AND THE TOWN OF WINDSOR DEVELOPED FROM IT.

SOON OTHER SETTLERS CAME FROM MASSACHUSETTS

AND STARTED THE TOWN OF WETHERSFIELD TO THE SOUTH.

AS MORE ENGLISH PEOPLE ARRIVED FROM MASSACHUSETTS

THE DUTCH GAVE UP THEIR TRADING POST ON THE RIVER

AND ENGLISH SETTLERS BUILT THE TOWN OF HARTFORD THERE.

IT IS NOW THE CAPITAL OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT.

IN 1636 THESE THREE TOWNS UNITED

TO FORM THE ORIGINAL CONNECTICUT COLONY.

THERE WAS TROUBLE IN CONNECTICUT SOON AFTER IT WAS FOUNDED

WHEN A BRIEF WAR BROKE OUT NOT FAR FROM HERE.

SETTLERS ATTACKED A GROUP OF PEQUOT INDIANS,

BELIEVING THEIR WARRIORS HAD KILLED A COLONIAL LEADER.

AS A RESULT OF THE PEQUOT WAR, 600 NATIVE PEOPLE

INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE MASSACRED.

FROM ITS EARLY DAYS AS A COLONY THE PEOPLE OF CONNECTICUT WERE

GOVERNED BY A CODE OF LAWS CALLED THE FUNDAMENTAL ORDERS,

CONSIDERED TO BE THE FIRST CONSTITUTION FOR A GOVERNMENT EVER WRITTEN IN AMERICA.

UNDER THE FUNDAMENTAL ORDERS CERTAIN PEOPLE

OTHER THAN PURITAN MINISTERS WERE ALLOWED TO HAVE A VOICE IN GOVERNMENT;

EVEN AT THAT ONLY WHITE MALE LANDOWNERS

THAT BELONGED TO THE PURITAN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH WERE ALLOWED TO VOTE;

FOR IN CONNECTICUT THERE WAS NO FREEDOM OF RELIGION.

IN THE MIDST OF THE TERRITORY OF PURITAN CONNECTICUT

PEOPLE FROM SEPARATIST PLYMOUTH FOUNDED ANOTHER COLONY

CALLED NEW HAVEN STARTING IN 1638.

THIS COLONY CAME TO BE MADE UP OF A GROUP OF CHURCH-RULED TOWNS

CLUSTERED ON LONG ISLAND SOUND AND ON LONG ISLAND ITSELF.

IN 1662 KING CHARLES THE SECOND GRANTED THE CONNECTICUT COLONY

AN UNUSUAL CHARTER THAT MADE IT ALMOST INDEPENDENT FROM ENGLAND.

IN FACT HE EVEN GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO ELECT THEIR OWN GOVERNOR.

UNDER THIS CHARTER THE KING COMMANDED THAT

ALL THE LANDS HELD BY THE COLONY OF NEW HAVEN

BE PUT UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE COLONY OF CONNECTICUT.

AND SO IT WAS THAT NEW HAVEN TURNED OUT TO BE

A VERY SHORT-LIVED ENGLISH COLONY

THAT ENDED JUST 24 YEARS AFTER IT BEGAN.

THE PEOPLE OF THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES

CREATED THE PRODUCTS UPON WHICH THEIR ECONOMY WAS BASED.

THE REGION'S ECONOMY WAS GREATLY HELPED BY THE PURITAN'S BELIEF

IN WHAT IS CALLED THE PROTESTANT WORK ETHIC.

THIS WAS THE BELIEF THAT GOD HAD COMMANDED

SIX DAYS OF WORK A WEEK,

WHICH IF PURSUED WITH ENOUGH ENTHUSIASM,

WAS REWARDED WITH WEALTH.

EVEN THOUGH MOST HARD-WORKING PURITANS IN NEW ENGLAND FARMED,

AGRICULTURE PLAYED ONLY A MINOR ROLE

IN THE REGION'S ECONOMY IN COLONIAL TIMES.

THIS WAS BECAUSE THE SOIL WAS TOO ROCKY AND THIN

TO SUPPORT MANY LARGE FARMS.

IN NEW ENGLAND THOUSANDS OF HEAVY ROCKS HAD TO BE CLEARED

FROM THE FIELDS AND PILED-UP INTO STONE WALLS

BEFORE ANY FARMING COULD BE DONE.

TODAY THESE ANCIENT STONE WALLS ARE A VERY FAMILIAR SIGHT

ALL ACROSS THE NEW ENGLAND COUNTRYSIDE.

CLEARING FIELDS FOR FARMING ALSO INVOLVED REMOVING TREES.

THIS PRODUCED LOGS,

THAT IN TURN WERE CONVERTED INTO LUMBER;

LUMBER THAT WAS OFTEN EXPORTED TO ENGLAND

WHERE IT WAS IN SHORT SUPPLY BECAUSE THE FORESTS

HAD BEEN SERIOUSLY DEPLETED.

SOME WOOD WAS ALSO USED TO PRODUCE THE MILLIONS OF BARRELS

THAT WERE USED IN COLONIAL TIMES

FOR SHIPPING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

IN NEW ENGLAND FISHING AND WHALING

WERE MAINSTAYS OF THE REGION'S ECONOMY

AND COUNTLESS BARRELS BOTH OF WHALE OIL

AND PRESERVED FISH WERE SHIPPED FROM ITS PORTS.

THERE WERE EVEN A FEW FACTORIES IN THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES

WHERE MANUFACTURED GOODS WERE PRODUCED.

HERE AT THE SAUGUS IRON WORKS, JUST OUTSIDE OF BOSTON,

PURITANS STARTED THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL IRON MAKING FACTORY WAY BACK IN 1646.

IT USED WATERPOWER AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY TO RUN THE EQUIPMENT

SUCH AS LIFTING THE HUGE HAMMER USED TO POUND THE IRON INTO SPECIAL SHAPES,

AND THE BELLOWS THAT KEPT THE FIRES BURNING HOT.

SOME OF THE IRON MADE HERE WAS SENT BACK TO ENGLAND

BUT MOST WAS USED IN COLONIAL BLACKSMITH SHOPS

WHERE IT WAS TURNED INTO NAILS AND TOOLS.

IRON PRODUCTS WERE SOMETIMES USED IN SHIPBUILDING,

THAT WAS ANOTHER BIG INDUSTRY IN NEW ENGLAND.

IN COLONIAL TIMES LARGE NUMBERS

OF SHIPS MANUFACTURED IN NEW ENGLAND

PLIED THE TRANSATLANTIC TRADE ROUTES

AND CREATED A PROSPEROUS REGIONAL SHIPPING TRADE.

THE COLONIAL SHIPPING TRADE FOLLOWED CERTAIN THREE WAY,

OR "TRIANGULAR" TRADE ROUTES.

IN THE CASE OF THE FIRST ROUTE, SHIPS LEFT THE AMERICAN COLONIES

CARRYING MANUFACTURED GOODS SUCH AS, TOOLS OR RUM

AND SAILED TO THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

IN AFRICA THEY WERE PROFITABLY TRADED FOR SLAVES,

GOLD, AND PEPPER.

THE SLAVES AND OTHER AFRICAN TRADE GOODS

WERE THEN SHIPPED TO THE WEST INDIES

WHERE THEY WERE TRADED FOR MOLASSES AND SUGAR.

THE TRADE SHIPS THEN CARRIED THESE GOODS

AND THE REMAINING SLAVES TO THE AMERICAN COLONIES

WHERE THEY WERE SOLD FOR A PROFIT.

THE SECOND TRIANGULAR TRADE ROUTE BEGAN

WHEN SHIPS FROM THE AMERICAN COLONIES

SAILED TO THE WEST INDIES CARRYING FOOD PRODUCTS AND LUMBER.

IN THE WEST INDIES

THESE GOODS WERE TRADED FOR FRUIT, SUGAR, AND MOLASSES.

THE WEST INDIES GOODS WERE THEN SHIPPED TO ENGLAND

WHERE THEY WERE TRADED FOR MANUFACTURED GOODS.

THEN THE ENGLISH MANUFACTURED GOODS

WERE CARRIED TO THE AMERICAN COLONIES AND SOLD FOR A PROFIT.

THE THIRD TRIANGULAR TRADE ROUTE

BEGAN WHEN SHIPS FROM THE AMERICAN COLONIES

CARRYING LUMBER, PRESERVED FISH, MEAT, AND GRAIN

SAILED TO SOUTHERN EUROPE.

IN SOUTHERN EUROPE THESE AMERICAN PRODUCTS

WERE TRADED FOR FRUIT AND WINE.

THESE SOUTHERN EUROPEAN PRODUCTS WERE TRANSPORTED TO ENGLAND.

IN ENGLAND THEY WERE TRADED FOR MANUFACTURED GOODS.

ONCE AGAIN ENGLISH MANUFACTURED GOODS

WERE BROUGHT TO THE AMERICAN COLONIES AND SOLD FOR A PROFIT.

USING THESE TRADE ROUTES

AMERICAN TRADERS DID QUITE WELL FOR THEMSELVES,

HOWEVER BRITISH ECONOMIC POLICIES CALLED MERCANTILISM

DESIGNED TO PROTECT ENGLISH INDUSTRIES FROM COMPETITION

RESULTED IN INTERFERENCE WITH THE COLONIAL SHIPPING TRADE.

PROBLEMS AROSE WHEN THE NAVIGATION ACTS WERE PUT INTO EFFECT.

THE NAVIGATION ACTS CAUSED GREAT ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

ESPECIALLY IN THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES.

AS A RESULT, COLONISTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

AND RHODE ISLAND BURNED BRITISH SHIPS;

SERIOUS ACTS OF REBELLION

THAT HELPED SET OFF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

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