New England Colonies
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut
Massachusetts
Massachusetts was founded by John Winthrop and other Puritans at Massachusetts Bay. Plymouth Rock was founded in 1620 and the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630. It was named after the Algonquian tribe meaning "At the Great Hill". The colonists made their money by fishing and shipbuilding. Massachusetts was at first a Royal colony and then changed into Province under Charter. The Wampanoag, Nauset, and Massachuset tribes were the major tribes in the Massachusetts colonies. The established religion in the Massachusetts colony was Puritan.
New Hampshire
The colony that became the state of New Hampshire was founded on the division in 1629 of a land grant given seven years previously by the Council for New England to Captain John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges. The colony was named New Hampshire after the English county of Hampshire, one of the first Saxon shires. Hampshire was itself named after the port of Southampton, which was known previously as simply "Hampton". The colonists made their money by mixed farming, they produced and sold a lot of wheat. New Hampshire was a corporate colony, and then became a Royal colony. The Pennacook and the Abenaki tribes were the major tribes in the New Hampshire colony. The established religion in the New Hampshire colony was Puritan.
Rhode Island
In 1636 Roger Williams, after being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious views, settled at the tip of Narragansett Bay, on land granted to him by the Narragansett tribe. The colonists made their money by mixed farming. Rhode Island was a corporate colony. The relationship between New Englanders and Indians was at first strained, but did not result in much bloodshed. The largest tribes that lived near Rhode Island were the Wampanoag, Pequots, Narragansett, and Nipmuck. One native named Squanto from the Wampanoag tribe helped the colonists survive and eventually helped bring peace between the colonists and Indians. There was no established religion in the Rhode Island colony.
Connecticut
The Connecticut colony was founded by 1635 by Dutch colonists. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English had permanently gained control of the colony later in the year of 1636. Connecticut got its name from its principal river, called by the Indians Quonehtacut and which, in their language, signified 'the long river.' The colonists made their money by mixed farming. The Connecticut colony was a corporate colony. The major tribes in the Connecticut colony were the Pequot and the Mohegan tribes. Most of the colonists in the Connecticut colony were Puritan. That was the established religion.