Pilgrims
Group of English Protestant dissenters who established Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620 to seek religious freedom.
Mayflower Compact
1620 - The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony.
Commonwealth
A politically organized body of people under a single government.
Puritans
A religious group who wanted to purify the Church of England. They came to America for religious freedom and settled Massachusetts Bay.
John Withrop
Puritan leader who became the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Salem Witch Trials
Several accusations of witchcraft led to sensational trials in Salem, Massachusetts. 18 people were hanged as witches. Afterwards, most of the people involved admitted that the trials and executions had been a terrible mistake.
Roger Williams
He founded Rhode Island for separation of Church and State. He believed that the Puritans were too powerful and was ordered to leave the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious beliefs.
Anne Hutchinson
She preached the idea that God communicated directly to individuals instead of through the church elders. She was forced to leave Massachusetts in 1637. Her followers founded the colony of New Hampshire in 1639.
Fundamental Order of Connecticut
Set up a unified government for the towns of the Connecticut area (Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield). First constitution written in America.
Town Meetings
Meetings in colonial New England where settlers discussed and voted on issues
Massachusettes Bay Colony
A group of Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony along the upper coast of North America. The port town of Boston soon became the colony's thriving capital.