Massachusetts Bay Company The Great Migration

1. Massachusetts Bay CompanyThe Great Migration

2. Chartered in 1629 by a group of London merchants • 5 Ships left England in 1629, by 1642 21,000 Puritans had emigrated to Massachusetts Bay • Goals – Further the Puritan cause • Profit through Indian trade • By 1642, migration had virtually ceased

3. Comparison to Other Colonies • Servants represented about 25% of the Great Migration • Most settlers came with families • Unlike Virginia and Maryland the settlers were: Older More prosperous Ratio of men to women was more equally balanced • Due to the sex ratio and better climate, the population grew • By 1700 the white population was 91,000 larger than that of the Chesapeake and West Indies

4. Puritan Families • The family was the foundation of a strong community • Unmarried adults were considered a danger to the community fabric. • A typical woman was married at the age 22 and bore 7 children • Due to the climate, the infant mortality rate was lower than the southern colonies • Most of a woman’s life was devoted to child bearing and rearing.

5. Males were head of the household • Married women had very limited legal and economic rights • Male authority vital to a man’s economic success especially in a farming community with few servants and a large family • While women were NOT the economic equals of men, they were considered equal spiritually.

6. Puritan Liberties • Social hierarchy • People who were considered socially prominent were given the best land and choice seats in church • People were referred to as “goodman,” “goodwife,” “gentleman,” “lady,” “master,” or “mistress” • Inequality was an expression of God’s will • Slavery was allowed

7. Separate list of rights for men, women, children, servants • Ministers weren’t allowed to hold office • The law allowed for the death penalty for worshipping any God but the lord God • Taxes were collected to support the minister • Some rights such as free speech and assembly were allowed to all.

8. Puritan marriage was based on reciprocal affection and companionship and divorce was legal. • The husband’s authority was virtually absolute.

9. Government • The colony was organized in self governing towns. • Groups of settlers would receive a land grant from the colony’s government and subdivide it themselves. • Residents were given a house lot in a central area and land on the outskirts for farming. • A lot of the land remained in common ownership: To be used collectively To be divided later among settlers or for the sons of the founders.

10. Each settlement was required to establish a school. • Harvard University was established in 1636. • The colony was to be ruled without interference from non-Puritans. • A group of 8 deputies was elected by landowning church members to form the General Court. • 10 years later, company officers and elected deputies were divided into two legislative houses. • The freemen elected a Governor.

11. Churches were formed by agreement and ministers were elected. • No important church decision was made without agreement of male members. • Anyone could worship at church but to be a member one had to prove worthiness. • Church membership was considered to be prestigious.