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Between 1629 and 1642, 31,000 Puritans flooded into New England. In just over a decade, they’d set up their long-term government, formed a cohesive set of values and ideas, and established institutions to ensure they continued for generations.
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more The Saybrook Patent The Earl of Warwick had, in 1631, granted a piece of land in modern Connecticut to a group of his friends and family. He’d lost leadership of the Council for New England as a result of the dubiously legal act, but in 1635, colonists Read more about Episode 7: Connecticut and Rhode Island[…]
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more Laud’s investigation When Archbishop Laud investigated the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s activities, he quickly discovered its charter had been moved to America. Alarmed by the quantity and type of people moving to New England, he moved quickly to take over. A permanent commission was created, with final say Read more about Massachusetts Bay 6: The King’s Threat[…]
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more Internal dissent and external threats Massachusetts Bay was big enough and wealthy enough to avoid the bulk of the serious physical hardship which had characterized earlier settlements, but its size and political nature led to other concerns. Gorges and the colony’s exiles worked against the Colony’s charter in Read more about Massachusetts Bay 5: Raising the stakes[…]
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more Years of building With things going well for Puritans in England, migration slowed significantly from 1631-32, and colonists were able to spend their time building the colony. They constructed permanent residences, and a couple new towns, but also the much more complex process of building a commonwealth. They Read more about Massachusetts Bay 4: Commonwealth[…]
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more The first self-governing colony In 1630, 1500 Puritans sailed for New England. Their charter had had a loophole allowing them to move the company to New England, making Massachusetts Bay the first colony completely governed from America (unbeknownst to the king). With 4 months to prepare for winter, Read more about Massachusetts Bay 3: The Winthrop Fleet[…]
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more Paving the way Two years before the plans for the Massachusetts Bay Company were finalized, John Endicott went to Naumkeag – which he renamed Salem – to help relieve the area’s first Puritan settlement, created by John Lyford and some of his associates. He would also help pave Read more about Massachusetts Bay 2: The founding of Salem[…]
Listen on: iTunes Subscribe on Android Stitcher and more The origins of the Great Migration King Charles was an Arminian – a Protestant who believed in high church ritual, Episcopal succession, social hierarchy, and royal prerogative. The Puritans believed in the opposite – simple services, no bishops, and a society built around the family unit and local Read more about Massachusetts Bay 1: King Charles and the Puritans[…]