How did New England use land?
The New England colonies grew by a process of group settlement. The general courts of the various colonies, most notably that of Massachusetts Bay, would make a grant of land to a migrating group, fixing its boundaries carefully. This group would then establish a new town.
How was land distributed in the New England colonies?
The distribution of land was fairly egalitarian in nearly all of New England because of the custom of dividing land among heirs. In contrast to the predominantly male Chesapeake colonies (which tended to be marked by a high level of violence), there were roughly equal numbers of men and women in New England.
What was the land like in the New England colonies?
Some New England states have rocky soil, hilly landscapes and thick forests, while others have flat land and rich soil. The southern colonies are bordered by the Appalachian Mountains on the west and all of the colonies, with the exception of Pennsylvania, are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
What was the religion of the New England colonies?
The primary religion of the New England colonies was the strict Puritan Christianity originally brought to the Massachusetts Bay colony by ships like the Mayflower, but as the colonies grew and changed, some of the colonists began to move away from that base. So too did views on the Native Americans who shared their land.
When did the New England colonies become one province?
Establishing the New England Colonies. The separate colonies were governed independently of one other until 1691, when Plymouth Colony was absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
Where did the pilgrims come from to establish the New England colonies?
Establishing the New England Colonies. A group of Puritans known as the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower from England and the Netherlands to establish Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, the second successful English colony in North America following Jamestown, Virginia.