The Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by Puritans seeking religious freedom, with John Winthrop leading the first significant wave of immigrants in 1630. The colony faced harsh winters and had rocky soil, making farming challenging, while social life was strictly controlled by religious practices. Women held limited rights and opportunities, and the colony became notable for early innovations and institutions, including the first public school and Harvard University.

1. Massachusetts Bay Colony
New England
Mona Hajijoo

2. Basic Information
✣ The location of the Colony
✣ Three geographic areas
✣ The establishment of the Massachusetts Bay
✣ First exploratory in 1498
✣ In 1620 the Mayflower ship transported 102
English Puritans
✣

3. Basic Information
✣ Origin of the Name
✣ Massachusetts Nickname
✣ Names meaning
✣ Natural resources
✣ The social status of these people
✣ The Native American Indians of Massachusetts

4. John Winthrop
✣ He was one of the leading figures in the founding of the Colony
✣ led the first large wave of immigrants from England in 1630
✣ His writings and vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a
hill" dominated New England colonial development.

6. Climate & Geology
✣ Colonists in the New England colonies endured
bitterly cold winters and mild summers.
✣ According to the documents Black Death rates in
Massachusetts were twice as whites.
✣ Race slavery was not feasible on a large scale
✣ Cold winters reduced the spread of disease.
✣ Land was flat close to the coastline but became
hilly and mountainous farther inland.
✣ Soil was generally rocky, making farming difficult.

7. Puritans
✣ Pilgrims came for religious freedom and
purification
✣ They did not tolerate any other form of religion
✣ The Puritans of Massachusetts rejected of those
Anglican ideas
✣ Very strict rules
✣ Town centered around the church
✣ No celebrations of holidays/weddings
✣ Heavy emphasis on reading the Bible, so education
was important
✣ Religious freedom was virtually non-existent
✣ Anyone who believed differently could be
persecuted

8. Government
✣ Colonial Massachusetts
became a Charter Colony
✣ The charter established the
rules of government
✣ John Haynes was elected as
the first Governor
✣ The Governor of Colonial
Massachusetts held the
executive power

9. Interesting facts:
✣Basketball was invented in 1891
by James Naismith in Springfield.
✣Volleyball was invented in 1895
by William Morgan in Holyoke.
✣The Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) invented the
first computer in Cambridge in
1928
✣The first public school system
was founded in Boston in 1635
✣The first American lighthouse
was built in the Boston Harbor
in 1716
✣Harvard University was
founded in 1636

10. Womens Situation in Massachussetts Bay
Colony

11. The male was the head of the house hold
Women did not have the vote and could not, in most cases,
hold property.
Their opportunities were severely restricted.
Some practiced a trade, such as blacksmithing or printing,
but almost none made a name in business.
Women were in great demand, not only as companions or
to satisfy sexual appetites, but as partners in the enterprise
of settlement.

12. Sources
✣
The History of Massachusetts, Volume I; Thomas Hutchinson; 1764
The Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company; Barbara A. Moe; 2003
Disguised as the Devil: A History of Lyme Disease and Witch Accusations; M. M.
Drymon; 2008
Politics and Religion in the United States; Michael Corbett, Julia Corbett-Hemeyer, J.
Matthew Wilson
Massachusetts: Mapping the Bay State Through History : Rare and Unusual Maps;
Vincent Virga, Dan Spinella; 2011
Building the Bay Colony: Local Economy and Culture in Early Massachusetts; James
E. McWilliams; 2007
Encyclopedia Britannica: Massachusetts Bay Colony:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/368431/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony
Citizen Information Service: Historical Sketch:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf2.htm