The Founding of Massachusetts
Introduction
The founding of Massachusetts is a hallmark event in the history of the state and the history of the U.S as a whole. In the recollection of this multi-layered event, it must be stated that many other events had to occur for this event to take place, and under the special circumstances that produced the outcomes that lined up the history of Massachusetts for centuries ahead. From the first encounter with the inhabitants of the land of Massachusetts to the establishment of the Puritan government and the Pequot war. Each of these events left a legacy and set many social, political, religious, and economic trajectories for the state's future.
The Massachusetts Tribe
The original inhabitants of the now known state of Massachusetts were primarily the Massachuset tribe, a population of roughly 3000 who were inhabiting Boston bay during the turn of the 17th century. The name Massachuset is a word that originates from the Algonquin language, and it roughly translates to "about the great hill." Little is known about how they were educated; however, it was reported that the tribe was well versed in languages such as Algonquin and N- dialect. Furthermore, their lifestyle was a hunter-gatherer one, where they would migrate around a localized area to hunt animals, fish, and collect wild fruits. In the early 17th century, A Frenchman by the name of Samuel de Champlain was the first to explore the land of Massachusetts and engaged in trade with the native Americans, where they would exchange alcohol, weapons, and armor with things such as pelts made from skinned animals, amongst other items. This is a brief introduction to the history of the original tribe that inhabited a good portion of the state of Massachusetts.
Map of Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth colony
The Massachuset tribe resided near the Massachusetts bay and typically in the Boston Bay area, pinpointed in the center-right of the map.
The Pilgrims
A Depiction of the landing of the First Pilgrims in Massachusetts
The original inhabitants of the now known state of Massachusetts were primarily the Massachuset tribe, a population of roughly 3000 who were inhabiting Boston bay during the turn of the 17th century. The name Massachuset is a word that originates from the Algonquin language, and it roughly translates to "about the great hill." Little is known about how they were educated; however, it was reported that the tribe was well versed in languages such as Algonquin and N- dialect. Furthermore, their lifestyle was a hunter-gatherer one, where they would migrate around a localized area to hunt animals, fish, and collect wild fruits. In the early 17th century, A Frenchman by the name of Samuel de Champlain was the first to explore the land of Massachusetts and engaged in trade with the native Americans, where they would exchange alcohol, weapons, and armor with things such as pelts made from skinned animals, amongst other items. This is a brief introduction to the history of the original tribe that inhabited a good portion of the state of Massachusetts.
One of the main struggles of the Pilgrims was their relations with the native American tribes and specifically the Massachusetts tribe, who saw the dangers of dealing with the early settlers and tried to use other tribes to rebel and push the early settlers out of the land. This, however, comes to an intense stop when the great migration of Puritans to the Massachusetts colony occurs between the years 1620 to 1640, in which roughly 20,000 people have been recorded to have migrated from England alone.
The Puritans
In the early 16th century, the church of England was perceived by a few to be highly corrupt despite the initiative by king Henry VIII to reform it and to hold the members and officials of the church to the standards set by the Holy Bible. A religious group emerged called the Puritans emerged as a result of the corruption of the church of England. Contrary to the pilgrims, they aimed to purify the church from this corruption and transform it into an entity that lives by the codes and the Bible's teachings; however, they lacked the political power to do so and even posed a threat to the church and its members. Therefore, the puritans faced religious persecution and were deemed dangerous as their cause was logical and entirely truthful; this would have meant an increase in the members of the Puritan movement as a result.
Further escalation of the Puritans to pressure parliament to reform the church have failed. As a result of this, they desired a new life, a clean slate where their biblical ideals would hold them accountable to themselves. They wanted a new church where this could be possible, and therefore, they decided to flee the country and move to the New World. In 1630, a few hundred men ran to the Massachusetts Bay colony, establishing that colony under their rule to establish their church. This sparked a new era of mass migration where the dreams of the Puritans would finally come true and to have a land that is ruled not by a monarchy but by justice based on the ideals of the Bible and its commandments. During the years pertaining between 1630 to 1640, the migration of A population of 20,000 puritans commenced. They traveled from England to the Massachusetts Bay colony and left their old life in England to start a new one.
Portrait of a Puritan Husband and Wife
During the great migration, the Puritans brought with them pathogens, which they have transmitted to the native American tribes, such as smallpox which they had no immunity against, nor did they have any medical expertise to deal with. Therefore, the population of the tribes dwindled massively. Rebelliousness from the tribes was soon to be extinguished.
Establishment of the Massachusetts Government
In 1629, the puritans wanted to establish an actual government. They required the king's permission to migrate to the New World under establishing a trading colony in New England. Namely, the king's charter officially made Massachusetts into the Massachusetts Bay colony, where most of the company's men were Puritans. One of the main reasons the king allowed for this to happen was to ease the political tensions the puritans had with the Anglican church to be a more stable political and economic landscape in England. This was done under the guidance of an influential man by the name of John Winthrop.
Since the puritans now have the foundations to form a new colony, they desired to achieve a mission. That mission was to design a state with a clean uncorrupted church and a fully god-fearing society to implement the Bible's teachings. The first course of action was establishing a covenant community, where a district would elect their minister for their church. They decided which rules should be set for their respective church. However, this may cause differences in the beliefs of communities concerning one another. Therefore, a unification of those communities was required in the form of an official governing body.
A general court was to be constructed, and the head of it was John Winthrop. In this government, officials could be elected and have the power to build and pass laws. The first meeting took place in October 1630 and was attended by a small number of white free Englishmen. As the passage of time took place, the government grew more significant, and the system of government became more complex. To be specific, in 1644, the general court separated into a two-house legislature comprised of general court assistance and town deputies. This ensured that certain towns would have an adequate number of town officers to represent them. Both sides had to agree on a specific law to be passed. This general court proposed many laws that oversaw all aspects of puritan life, such as making blasphemy a crime and regulating the prices of products. One of the innovations of this general court was when it came up with the 'Massachusetts Body of Liberties' of which were comprised of laws directly inspired from the Bible; this took place in the year 1641 and was mainly driven by Nathaniel Ward, who was an English puritan and a legislative innovator. His work would inspire the making of the U.S Constitution.
Special Character: John Winthrop
A figure in the establishment of Massachusetts
Born: January 22, 1588
Date of death: March 26, 1649
The Pequot War
Portrait of Pequot Tribe Members fighting the English
The Pequot war highlights an everlasting legacy of conflict between the settlers and the natives and numerous reasons. When the puritans settled into New England, they had painted a particular image of the natives as brutal, ruthless, uncivilized godless savages due to their lifestyles and lack of a structured, systematic method of worship which prompted them to construct attractive rhetoric to themselves and the English settlers as the people who would do God's work by making the natives go extinct as they are the evil that lurks within their god-given territory.
The rudimentary cause of the Pequot war was the monopoly that the Dutch settlers and the Pequot tribe had over the beaver fur trade, which alienated the rival tribes as they were subjugated as lesser people than the Pequot tribe. When the arrival of the English puritans took place, the natives saw an opportunity to dismantle the monopoly and restore the balance in their favor; this meant that native tribes would go against the Pequot tribe and the English settlers. However, this does come at a cost as, during the great migration, the Puritans brought with them pathogens, which they have transmitted to the native American tribes, such as smallpox which they had no immunity against, nor did they have any medical expertise to deal with. Therefore the population of the tribes dwindled massively. Smallpox, however, did not entirely wipe out the Pequot tribe as their area of occupation was much more inland with respect to New England.
From 1633 until 1637, further escalation between rivaling tribes and competition for the fur trade would lead to many skirmishes and murders between opposing sides, namely the native tribes and the British against the Pequot tribe. The situation comes to a climax in 1636 July where the Pequot besieged a fort and attacked a settlement that made the Puritans ally with tribes the Mohegan and the Narragansett tribes (who are rival tribes of the Pequot tribe) and declared war on them. It was unfortunate for the Pequot tribe that this combined force went to Mystic, a civilian village under Pequot territory. It heartbreakingly burned hundreds of people, including men, women, and children. The war's aftermath was a treaty set in 1638 between the two sides where the Pequot would be forced to dismantle their tribe and only trade with the English and accept any of their decisions.
A particular reason that highlights the weight of this event is that the relationship between the natives and the English settlers is set for generations to come as the Puritans fulfilling God's plan on this land by mercilessly praying on the evil agents that are the Natives. Unfortunately, this is a tactic the early settlers used to expand their territory and take more land; despite their own biblical beliefs and despite the suffering inflicted upon them by the Anglican church, they had committed the very atrocious evil that they tried to escape from.
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