The political, religious, and socio-economic history of
the New England colonies are reasonably similar to their southern and middle
colonial counterparts, yet vastly different at the same time. These small
settled areas would often share some traits with their neighbors, due to their
geographical proximity, but what would cause some of these people to hold
opinions such apparent stark contrasts to their countrymen? And did the
Glorious Revolution in the mother country of England have an effect as well?
One of the least talked about aspects of the New England colonies is the socio-economic side. While
the religious and political realms captured center stage with the Puritans
arrival to the New World, a small yet thriving
economy was in its infancy. It began primarily as an agrarian economy, since
many of the settlers of the Colonies were farmers by trade, or were forced to
learn quickly, as providing one's own sustenance was vital to survive in the New World. Farming consumed almost the entirety of
everyday life in New England, with the end
goal of many farmers merely being that their sons were able to establish
successful farms of their own. (Elson, 1904) Buildings in New
England were almost always made completely out of wood, due to the
abundance of timber in the region. The "saltbox" style house became
popular around the middle of the seventeenth century, giving most residents a
sturdy, albeit odd looking, abode that handled the often harsh weather quite
well.
Roughly 100 years after the saltbox houses, however, the New England colonies and their lifestyle were endangered
by overpopulation, due to overwhelming birth rates and astonishing leaps of
life expectancy. In fact, people in the Colonies were starting to live well
into their sixties, something unheard of at the time. (Bidwell, 1916) In a bid
to stave off the inevitable demise of the independent "yeoman farmer"
in New England, some farmers decided to branch out, pick up their family and
move outright, or even try their hand at side jobs. Some experimented with
planting different, high yield crops such as potatoes for humans, and timothy
grass or red clover for cattle and other livestock. A number of famers from Connecticut and Massachusetts
decided to buy land in the colony of New Hampshire,
establishing what would eventfully become Vermont. (Bidwell, 1916)
This "farming to survive" mindset fell right
along in step with the Puritanical beliefs held by many of the settlers and
their descendents. Yes, economic success was welcomed, but the true aim was
spiritual success, and breaking away from the ceremony and rigidity of the Anglican
Church. The Puritans, or Separatists as they were called in England, left
in an effort to found a place where religious freedom was more than a catch
phrase. However, the Puritans stayed true to their Separatist mindset even in
the New World, staying secluded to their settlements in Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire – whereas the Middle Colonies were more
diverse in their religious inhabitants. (USHistory.org, 2013) The Puritans held
that effort and strict morals on the part of the individual was the only way of
attaining personal salvation, in addition to some economic success along the
way. Saving money was vital to many of them, calling it "wise
stewardship" and the like, and it was this belief that gave them the
opportunity to attempt to create a haven, in their minds, from the Old World and its corrupt ways. These principles
permeated everything they did, including the political formation of their
chartered lands.
The Puritans had a strange mixture of government: it was a
combination of representative democracy, and at the same time, an totalitarian
theocracy. It was held that a community of like-minded Puritans in Massachusetts – while a committee of responsible,
concurring individuals – was under the direction of the same God supposedly
guiding another group that had formed a settlement in Connecticut,
almost akin to ancient Israel.
(SkyMinds, 2011) The first governor of the Massachusetts colony, the Puritan John
Winthrop, agreed wholeheartedly with this midset, saying "we shall be as a
city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us because we profess
ourselves to be a people in relation with God." (SkyMinds, 2011) Under Winthrop, only church members could become full fledged
citizens of Massachusetts,
and he declared that freedom was confined by religious ideals. Under the
Puritan governments, political dissent was unheard of, as it meant – quite
literally – dissent from the church. However, this authoritarian, oppressive
religious regime was not mirrored by the central and southern colonies, and
even had a few souls brave enough to stand up to it. One of those daring
individuals was Roger Williams, a minister from the town of Salem – the same one that would later host
the infamous witch trials. Williams asserted that every man had the right to
follow is own conscience, being led by God. This nefarious deviance caused
quite an uproar, and Williams was banished from the colony by the General
Court. After taking refuge amongst the neighboring American Indian tribes, from
whom he purchased a small plot of land, he began the process of obtaining his
own charter colony. Eventually he was successful, and founded the Rhode Island colony,
where every man had the freedom to pursue what he felt was right. (SkyMinds,
2011) Those aforementioned witch trials, in which 400 people were arrested, 20
were executed, and 5 people died in prison, merely reinforced Williams' claims
that men should not be told by the government what was right and wrong, and
simply polarized the two sides of debate. It split the protestant churches of New England, with some claiming that the church and
government needed to go hand-in-hand to flush out more of those influence by
the devil, resulting in more severe dictatorial intolerance. Others took the
other route, however, claiming that the trials were immoral, and men needed
independence, relying on personal responsibility and contractual freedom.
(SkyMinds, 2011) (Vallance, 2011)
Around this time, but back in England, the Glorious Revolution
was ongoing. It was truly an earth-shaking event for the colonists, as it not
only meant that Catholics had lost the English throne for good, but it also
guided in an age of enlightenment. King James II was deposed by William of
Orange, and as the news trickled back to the New World,
small rebellions broke out, casting out the Catholic-friendly governments James
had installed and returning power to the colonists. (Vallance, 2011) Some
contend this was the herald of things to come, showing that the American
colonists could, and should, govern their own affairs, separate from the Crown
of England and laying the groundwork for the American Revolution 100 years
hence.
The New England colonies
were founded upon what sounded like sound principles and noble aspirations, but
in retrospect, were hardly that. In an effort to escape the oppression felt in England, Separatists ran away to the New World and founded their own, different totalitarian
establishments. Glimmers of hope stood out, however, such as Williams' Rhode Island colony, but the religious fervor and subtle
frenzy that dominated the New England colonies
were not easily overcome.
References
Bidwell, P. W. (1916). Rural Economy in New England at the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=6P8YAAAAYAAJ
Elson, H. W., & Leigh, K. (1904). History
of the United States of America
- New England Confederation. Retrieved from http://www.usahistory.info/NewEngland/
SkyMinds Research (2011). The American colonies :
Religion and Politics. Retrieved from www.skyminds.net/anglo-american-civilisation/from-the-reformation-to-the-birth-of-the-american-nation-1534-1776/the-american-colonies-religion-and-politics/
USHistory.org (2013). The New
England Colonies. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/us/3.asp
Vallance, E.
(2011). BBC - History - British History in depth: The Glorious Revolution.
Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/glorious_revolution_01.shtml
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