New England Colonies (MR CoN)
Spencer Beavers- P.2
Colonies
There are 4 colonies within the New England colonies.
1) Massachusetts
2) New Hampshire
3) Rhode Island
4) Connecticut
New England Colonies Economy
The New England colonies had a very different economy compared to the southern colonies. The soil was rocky and they had harsh climates so farming was out of the picture. Slavery was not important to this region because most people didn't farm to make money. If people did farm it was for their own use. Other ways of making money included trading, fishing, shipbuilding, and crafting things.
Founded For?
1) Massachusetts- Religious Reasons: Puritans founded in 1630 for religious freedom
2) New Hampshire- Profit: Founded by John Mason to farm cash crops
3) Rhode Island- Religious Reasons: Founded to separate the Churches in Massachusetts.
4) Connecticut- Religious Reasons: Founded by Tomas Hooker after a disagreement with Massachusetts
Government
All of the colonies in the New England colonies region were democratic. The government systems established in the New England colonies were called Royal (Supreme Ruler) and Charter (Self-Governed).
1) Massachusetts- Charter Government
2) New Hampshire- Royal Government
3) Rhode Island- Charter Government
4) Connecticut- Charter Government
Life in the New England Colonies
Life in the New England colonies was hard. Even though the soil wasn't ideal for farming, people used farms to make money. They grew plants such as corn, pumpkin, rye, etc. they also raised animals on the farms. Example of livestock would be the generic farms animals, pigs, cows, chicken, and sheep. Every day people would work on farms from sunup to sundown. But if your farm wasn't doing good one year your neighbor would help you and let you have some of their crops. People were good to each other in the New England colonies. Since they were self governed adult males in the colonies would make laws and served as the court system. Overall life was hard in the New England colonies.
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document at Plymouth. It was signed abored the Mayflower as they were docking at Provincetown harbor on 9/11/1620 by the pilgrims. This was the first governing document in the New England Colonies. That is what made this document memorable.