Essay On Why The Massachusetts Bay Colony Was The First Colonial Home

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One of the biggest reasons that people were leaving England was for religious freedom. The harsh church of England had in recent years become protestant. King Henry the VIII had separated from the Roman Catholic church and declared himself the head of the church so that he could divorce his first wife, Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. For years there were wars throughout Europe as Protestantism became more pronounced, and the Christians fought against it. The emigrants coming to the new world were often indentured servants, or people fleeing for religious freedom. Jamestown was the first stable colony in the new world- not that it started out that way. The colony was formed by king James I. The reason for the settlement was the hopes of finding gold, silver, and a passage to the West Indies. The colony struggled for a long time with starvation, disease and conflict with the Indians. John Smith would be the leader they needed. He took the colony from a struggling group of people to strong standing colony. He enforced harsh labour and improved relations with the Indians. At first, …show more content…

They settled in what is now Salem Massachusetts. The puritans believed in the anglo church and wished to establish it in the new world. The puritans came to the new world with supplies, as they were being backed by England and encouraged to settle. Unlike the pilgrims they had came prepared to settle here, they even in engaged in trade with New England. They brought fur and other things they received from the Indians to England. At first, the colony's relations with the native tribes were good. However, eventually, their cultural differences with the Indians and the Indians problems with other colonies led to the Pequot War and King Philip's War. In 1676 most Indians in the surrounding areas had died of disease, been killed, or driven

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