Society and religion in the New England colonies | AP US History | Khan Academy
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the founding myths of the United States, contrasting the Pilgrims' search for religious freedom at Plymouth Rock with the profit-driven adventurers at Jamestown. It delves into the Puritans' quest to purify the Church of England, leading to the establishment of Massachusetts Bay. The video highlights the differences and similarities between the settlers of New England and Virginia, the impact of the environment on their societies, and the strict religious and social norms that shaped early American culture.
Takeaways
- 📜 The founding stories of the United States vary by region, with Pennsylvanians often hearing about the Pilgrims' religious quest at Plymouth Rock, while Virginians learn about the profit-driven adventurers at Jamestown.
- 🏰 Jamestown was established in 1607, predating the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth Rock in 1620, and the larger Puritan migration to Massachusetts Bay in 1630.
- 🧙♂️ Puritans, distinct from Pilgrims, sought to 'purify' the Church of England from Catholic influences, aiming for a simpler, Bible-focused worship.
- 🚢 The Pilgrims, a smaller group of separatists, intended to start anew in Virginia but landed in New England, hoping to create a righteous society.
- 👨👩👧👦 The Puritans who followed in the 1630s, totaling around 14,000, were part of the 'Great Migration' and settled in Massachusetts Bay with families, differing from the single men in Virginia.
- 🌳 New England's environment, with colder and rockier land, was healthier but unsuitable for large-scale plantation agriculture like in Virginia.
- 🐟 New England's economy was based on family farming, fishing, and trading due to the coastal location and the inability to grow cash crops like tobacco.
- 👨👩👧👦 The society in New England was more egalitarian with fewer extremes of wealth and poverty, and a more balanced gender ratio due to family-based migration.
- 📚 New England had one of the highest literacy rates globally, driven by the Puritans' emphasis on reading the Bible.
- ❄️ Life in New England was strict under the Congregational Church, with little tolerance for dissent, leading to expulsions and executions of those who disagreed.
- 🏛️ John Winthrop envisioned Massachusetts Bay as a 'city upon a hill,' a model for a righteous society that would inspire England, though this did not come to pass.
Q & A
What were the two different founding stories of the United States mentioned in the script?
-The two different founding stories mentioned are the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in search of religious freedom and the establishment of Jamestown by adventurers seeking gold and glory.
Why did the Puritans believe the Church of England was too similar to the Catholic Church?
-The Puritans thought the Church of England was too similar to the Catholic Church because it retained many Catholic rituals and pomp, and they felt there was not enough focus on the Bible itself.
What was the main difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans who migrated to the New World?
-The main difference was that the Pilgrims were separatists who wanted to completely separate from the Church of England, while the Puritans wanted to purify the Church from within and hoped to set an example that would influence England.
Why did the English government persecute the Puritans?
-The English government persecuted the Puritans because there was no separation of church and state, and as the king was the head of the church, criticism of the church was seen as criticism of the king.
What was the significance of the year 1630 in the context of the script?
-In 1630, a larger group of Puritans landed at Boston and founded the Massachusetts Bay colony, which was part of the Great Migration of about 14,000 Puritans to New England.
How did the environment of New England affect the type of industry and society that developed there?
-The colder and rockier environment of New England made it unsuitable for large-scale plantation agriculture like in Virginia, leading to a focus on family farming, fishing, and trading. This, along with the Puritan values, resulted in a more egalitarian society.
What was John Winthrop's vision for Massachusetts Bay?
-John Winthrop envisioned Massachusetts Bay as a 'city upon a hill,' a beacon of light that would show the world what a good society could be like, based on Puritan values.
Why did the New England colonies not have a large number of indentured servants or enslaved Africans?
-New England colonies did not have a large number of indentured servants or enslaved Africans because the economy was based on small-scale family farming, which relied on family labor rather than large workforces.
What was the impact of the Puritan emphasis on reading the Bible on literacy rates in New England?
-The Puritan emphasis on reading the Bible led to one of the highest rates of literacy in the world at that time in New England.
How did the strictness of the Congregational Church affect life in New England?
-The strictness of the Congregational Church led to the cancellation of holidays like Christmas and intolerance towards dissenters, resulting in expulsions or executions for those who disagreed with Puritan theology or leadership.
What was the fate of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, who were expelled from Massachusetts Bay?
-Roger Williams was expelled for questioning the Puritans' treatment of Native Americans and went on to found Rhode Island. Anne Hutchinson was expelled for preaching the Bible as a woman and also contributed to the establishment of Rhode Island as a haven for religious dissenters.
Outlines
🏰 Founding Myths and Puritan Origins
The paragraph discusses the differing narratives of the United States' founding depending on regional perspectives. The instructor's personal experience in Pennsylvania contrasts with those from Virginia, highlighting the Pilgrims' search for religious freedom at Plymouth Rock versus the profit-driven adventurers at Jamestown. The video aims to explore the New England colonies, focusing on the Pilgrims and Puritans, and their distinct yet parallel experiences and motivations. It sets the stage for understanding the early settlers' reasons for migration, their religious backgrounds, and the establishment of colonies like Massachusetts Bay. The Puritans' desire to purify the Church of England and their eventual emigration due to persecution is also detailed, along with the timeline of early American settlements.
🚢 Distinctions Between Pilgrims and Puritans
This section delves into the differences between the Pilgrims, who were separatists seeking complete independence from the Church of England, and the Puritans, who aimed to reform it from within. The Pilgrims' small, family-based settlement at Plymouth is contrasted with the larger, more structured Puritan migration to Massachusetts Bay. The Puritans' vision, as exemplified by John Winthrop's 'city upon a hill' metaphor, is explored, highlighting their goal to set an example for a righteous society. The paragraph also discusses the environmental and social conditions in New England, which influenced the region's economic activities and social structure, leading to a more egalitarian society compared to Virginia. The influence of the Puritans on American culture and the challenges of life in New England, particularly regarding religious strictness and intolerance, are also covered.
⛪ Life and Challenges in New England
The final paragraph examines the strict religious environment of New England, where the Puritans' Congregational Church imposed significant restrictions on social life, including the cancellation of Christmas. It contrasts the Puritans' own experiences of intolerance in England with their own intolerance towards dissenters, leading to expulsions like that of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. The paragraph concludes by setting up the next video's exploration of New England's political life and its interactions with Native Americans, hinting at the complex and often harsh realities of early American settlements.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pilgrims
💡Puritans
💡Jamestown
💡Massachusetts Bay
💡Great Migration
💡Separatists
💡Congregational Church
💡Cotton Mather
💡John Winthrop
💡Egalitarian
Highlights
The founding mythology of the United States has different narratives depending on the region.
In Pennsylvania, the story of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock is prevalent.
The Pilgrims were a group of religious people seeking freedom from persecution in England.
In Virginia, the story of Jamestown's founding by adventurers seeking gold and glory is common.
Jamestown was founded in 1607, predating the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
Puritans began to emigrate to the New World in the 1620s due to increasing persecution in England.
Puritans believed the Church of England was too similar to the Catholic Church and sought to purify it.
The Pilgrims, a subset of Puritans, were separatists who wanted to completely separate from the Church of England.
The Puritans who arrived in 1630 aimed to set an example of a righteous society to influence England.
John Winthrop, a Puritan leader, envisioned Massachusetts Bay as a 'city upon a hill'.
New England's environment was colder and rockier, leading to a focus on family farming, fishing, and trading.
New England society was more egalitarian compared to Virginia, with fewer wealthy landowners and indentured servants.
Puritans' strict religious beliefs led to high literacy rates but also intolerance of dissent.
Christmas was canceled by Puritans, and dissenters faced expulsion or execution.
Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were expelled from Massachusetts Bay for religious dissent.
The video will continue exploring New England's politics and policies toward Native Americans in the next installment.
Transcripts
- [Instructor] Depending on where you grow up
in the United States, you might hear a different story
about the founding of this country.
Now, I grew up in Pennsylvania
and the story that I heard was about
the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock.
They were a group of deeply religious people,
who had been persecuted in England
and were looking for a new world,
where they could practice their religion freely,
but many of my friends grew up in Virginia
and the story they heard
was about the founding of Jamestown,
where a group of men from England,
who were adventurers looking for gold and glory,
landed in the New World, hoping to make a profit.
And I think both of these stories tells us a little bit
about the founding mythology of the United States.
Were the original settlers here
looking for religious freedom
or were they here looking to make a quick buck?
Well, in this video I'd like to take some time
to explore the New England colonies,
the story of the people who landed at Plymouth Rock
and then later, at Boston, to begin the colony
of Massachusetts Bay and we'll see as we go along,
just how different the settlers in Massachusetts Bay were
from those at Jamestown and also some of the ways
in which they were quite similar.
Now, there's no question about who got here first.
As you can see, Jamestown was founded in 1607,
but it wasn't too much later that the Pilgrims landed
at Plymouth Rock in 1620, and then they were followed
by a much larger group of Puritans,
who landed at Boston and founded Massachusetts Bay in 1630.
So let's talk about Puritans.
So who or what was a Puritan?
This is an image of Cotton Mather,
he was a prominent Puritan minister,
fact the Mather family will go on to be one
of the great theological families of Massachusetts.
Puritans started in England and their main concern
was that they believed the Church of England,
the Anglican Church, was too much like the Catholic Church
and this is a fairly legitimate criticism,
because in many ways, the Anglican Church
was very similar to the Catholic Church,
except that instead of being headed by the Pope,
the Church of England was led by the king.
So Puritans hoped that they could purify
the Church of England from its many Catholic influences.
So that's where Puritan comes from, purify,
and by this, they meant that there were too many rituals,
too much pomp and circumstance,
and not enough focus on the Bible itself.
So they kind of wanted to strip away
a lot of the fanciness of the Church of England.
In the 1620s, the Puritans began to face
more persecution in England.
Now, why did the English government care
about a group of religious folks
who were not big fans of the Church of England?
Well the answer is, that there was no separation
of church and state and so as the king
was the head of the church, if you're casting doubt
on the church, you are then casting doubt on the king
and so the Puritans did not make themselves
very popular in England and sensing
that they might be in trouble,
many Puritans began to emigrate to the new world.
They'd seen lots of tracts about Virginia
and how one could make a new life there
and they thought that perhaps,
if they went to Virginia and they were originally aiming
to go to Virginia, they ended up landing
a bit north of there, that they could set an example
of what a righteous church and a righteous society
would look like, because they believed that the church
and the society of England were becoming much too corrupt,
much too divorced from the principles of the Bible.
So in 1620, one group of Puritans
set out for the new world and landed at Plymouth Rock
and we call them the Pilgrims,
and then in 1630, a second group set out
and they were just Puritans more broadly.
And over the course of the 1630s,
about 14,000 Puritans emigrated from England
to New England, Massachusetts Bay,
in what's called the great migration.
So what was the difference between these two groups,
The Pilgrims and the Puritans?
Well, the Pilgrims who arrived in 1620,
they were separatists and what that means
is that they thought that the Church of England
was so corrupt that there was just no chance
that they were going to be able to save it.
So they wanted to separate from that church altogether
and live a completely separate life at Plymouth.
They had a pretty small settlement,
about a hundred people crossed over on the Mayflower,
the ship that brought them to the New World,
but the group that came over in 1630,
the Puritans, they did not want to separate
from the Church of England altogether.
They wanted to purify it and they hoped
that by setting an example of a righteous society,
they would actually convince people back in England
to adopt their ways, invite them back,
and that all of England could become like New England.
This man here is John Winthrop
and he was a lawyer who became a leader of the Puritans,
he was elected governor pretty much for his entire life
and he wrote that he wanted Massachusetts Bay
to be like a city upon a hill
and be a kind of a beacon of light,
showing the world what a good society could be like.
Now, obviously the New England Puritans
did not get their way, they were not invited back
to England to become the model of English society,
but they did become the model of society
in Massachusetts Bay and New England, more generally,
and I think a strong influence
on American culture, writ large.
So how did life in New England
compare to life in Virginia?
Well, a lot depended on the different environment
of the colony and the reasons
that migrants came to New England.
Because the environment of New England
was colder, the land was rockier,
it was both a healthier place to live,
because tropical diseases couldn't flourish there
the way that they could in the marshy areas of Virginia
and it was also the unsuitable place
for large-scale plantation agriculture.
So they couldn't grow the kinds of crops
that Virginia grew, like tobacco
or even sugar in the West Indies.
So that meant that in New England,
most of the industry was either family farming
and fishing and also some trading,
since they were on the coast.
And because most Puritans came over to help build
this city upon a hill, they came in family units,
not as single men, like in Virginia,
so there was a much more even ratio of men to women.
The families that came over tended to be well-off enough
to pay their own passage across the Atlantic,
tended to be kind of middle-class, artisan types
and so New England didn't have the kind of influx
of indentured servants that Virginia had,
nor did it have an influx of enslaved Africans
as laborers, because most New Englanders
were farmers and they were small farmers,
so they relied on their own family as labor.
So a major consequence of these motivations
for emigrating and this environment,
was that New England society was relatively egalitarian.
There were very few very wealthy landowners,
like there were in Virginia,
and very few people who were completely at the bottom,
like servants and enslaved people.
People who lived in Virginia had a life expectancy
of up to 70 years, which was one of the highest
life expectancies in the world at this time
and because reading the Bible so important
to the Puritans, New England also had one
of the highest rates of literacy in the world at this time,
but for all of these positives,
there were plenty of reasons why living in New England
wasn't so much fun.
Most of them related to the strictness
of the Congregational Church.
Puritans canceled Christmas,
that they thought was too much of a pagan ritual
and though you would think that their own experience
of religious intolerance in England
would have led them to be more tolerant
to dissidents, that was not the case.
Anyone who disagreed with a Puritan theology
or leadership, was given the option
to go somewhere else or be executed.
For example, Roger Williams, who questioned
the Puritans' actions toward Native Americans
was expelled from Massachusetts Bay in 1636
and he went on to found the colony of Rhode Island,
where religious dissenters could find a place of refuge
from Massachusetts Bay, just as the people
of Massachusetts Bay had found refuge from England.
One of these was a woman named Anne Hutchinson,
who in 1637, was expelled from Massachusetts Bay
for daring to be a woman who preached the Bible.
So in this video, I've explored some of the background
to Puritans and Pilgrims and aspects
of New England society and religion.
In the next video, we'll continue our exploration
of New England's life through its politics
and policies toward Native Americans.
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