Chapter 3
4. Describe the Calvinist influences in Puritan ideology.
● John Calvin of Geneva expanded Martin Luther’s reforms, shaping generations of American
thought.
○ His doctrine became central to Puritans, Scottish Presbyterians, French Huguenots, and
Dutch Reformed settlers.
● Core Beliefs incl:
○ God is all-powerful, all-good, and all-knowing.
○ Humans are inherently weak and wicked due to original sin.
○ From the moment of creation, some souls (the elect) were predestined for heaven, others
for hell (predestination).
○ Good works could not change predestination.
○ Even the elect could not assume salvation; they lived with constant anxiety about their
eternal fate.
○ Puritans looked for signs of “conversion”
■ an intense, personal experience of receiving God’s grace.
○ After conversion, believers were expected to live sanctified lives—holy behavior showing
they were part of the “visible saints.”
○ Puritans wanted only visible saints in church membership, unlike the Church of England
which included everyone.
● Separatist Influence
○ Frustration with having to share church space with the damned led some Puritans
(Separatists) to break entirely from the Church of England.
○ This set the stage for Puritan migration to New England.
5. What were the goals of the first Puritans who traveled to America? Discuss how their
experiences in England and in Holland led to this journey.
● Experiences in England
○ Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England of Catholic practices
○ Separatists (the most devout Puritans) believed only “visible saints” should be church
members
○ The Church of England forced them to worship alongside the “damned,” which they found
intolerable
○ King James I (1603–1625) viewed Separatists as a threat to his authority and harassed
them out of the land, fearing rebellion
● Experiences in Holland (1608–1620)
○ Separatists fled to Holland to escape persecution and to worship freely
○ They endured twelve years of toil and poverty in exile
○ Many became distressed at the “Dutchification” of their children, who were adopting
Dutch customs and culture
○ They longed to remain English in identity and Protestant in faith
● Decision to Travel to America
○ America offered a chance for a safe haven where they could live and die as English and
purified Protestants
○ They sought a place where they could freely practice their faith away from both Anglican
bishops and Dutch influence
○ Despite the dangers (memories of Jamestown’s suffering, stories of cannibals), they chose
to risk the voyage
○ Negotiated with the Virginia Company for settlement rights though they ultimately landed
outside its jurisdiction at Plymouth
● Goals in the New World
○ To create a godly community based on their religious ideals
○ To maintain their English identity while achieving religious purity
○ To govern themselves through the Mayflower Compact (1620), establishing
self-government by majority rule
○ To build a society that could serve as a moral and spiritual example for others
6. Discuss the unpopular views of Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. Why was each
considered to be threatening to the success and stability of the colony.
● Anne Hutchinson
○ Claimed that a holy life was no sure sign of salvation.
○ Preached that the truly saved need not obey the law of God or man (antinomianism).
○ Asserted she received direct revelation from God, considered even higher heresy.
○ Threatened Puritan religious authority and unity by challenging core Calvinist teachings.
○ Banished in 1638 to Rhode Island, later moved to New York where she and her family
were killed by Indians.
● Roger Williams
○ A Salem minister and extreme Separatist.
○ Argued for a clean break with the Church of England.
○ Condemned Bay Colony charter for taking Indian land without fair payment.
○ Denied the civil government’s authority to regulate religious behavior.
○ Banished in 1635; fled to Rhode Island where he founded Providence with full religious
freedom, separation of church and state, and tolerance for dissenters.
● Both Hutchinson and Williams threatened Puritan leaders by undermining religious conformity,
social order, and the colony’s claim to legitimacy.
7. What were the consequences of King Philip’s War? How did the conflict represent a turning
point in Anglo-Indian relations in New England?
● King Philip (Metacom), son of Massasoit, united several tribes in a last-ditch effort to resist
English encroachment (1675–1676).
● A series of coordinated assaults destroyed dozens of English villages.
● Hundreds of colonists and thousands of Indians killed; Metacom captured, beheaded, and his
family sold into slavery.
● Short-term effect: slowed westward English settlement for decades.
● Long-term effect: devastated Native American tribes in New England, permanently weakening
their military and political power.
● Turning point: marked the last major organized Native resistance in New England; after the war,
Indians were no longer a serious obstacle to colonial expansion.
8. Compare and contrast the geographic boundaries and political objectives of the New England
Confederation and the Dominion of New England. How did each influence the region’s
relationship with the monarchy?
● New England Confederation (1643)
○ Loose union of four colonies: Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut
Valley.
○ Formed for mutual defense against Indians, French, and Dutch.
○ Each colony had two votes regardless of size.
○ Aimed at colonial cooperation, self-protection, and maintaining order without royal
involvement.
○ First step toward colonial unity but weak in authority.
● Dominion of New England (1686)
○ Imposed by royal authority; included all of New England, later New York and New Jersey.
○ Headed by Sir Edmund Andros, who enforced Navigation Laws (no trade with anyone
except England), restricted town meetings, and suppressed colonial smuggling.
■ Supported and advocated for Church of England (against Puritans)
■ Taxed people without consent of representatives
○ Designed to tighten royal control, strengthen defense against enemies, and enforce
economic loyalty to England.
○ Colonists viewed it as oppressive and undemocratic, fueling resentment of the monarchy.
○ Glorious (Bloodless) Revolution - dethrone despotic / Catholic ruled James II in England
■ Inspired colonists - shut down Dominion - Boston mob
● Comparison
○ Confederation: bottom-up union formed by colonists themselves for mutual benefit.
○ Dominion: top-down structure imposed by monarchy to increase control.
○ Confederation encouraged independence and local self-government; Dominion deepened
colonial resistance to royal authority and sowed seeds of rebellion.
9. Explain how New Netherland’s entrepreneurial origins supported the colony’s long term
success.
● Dutch Commercial Roots
○ The Netherlands in its Golden Age focused on commerce and trade, not military empire
■ Dutch East India and Dutch West India Companies
○ The Dutch West India Company planted New Netherland in 1623–1624 for quick-profit
fur trading
○ Manhattan was famously purchased for trinkets, and New Amsterdam was run as a
company town with profit as its driving purpose
● Entrepreneurial Features
○ Patroonships: vast feudal estates along the Hudson granted to promoters willing to settle
50 people, embedding a strong aristocratic and economic structure
○ The Hudson River and harbor gave strategic trade access; commerce flourished even when
politics faltered.
○ New Amsterdam’s diversity and commercial activity created a cosmopolitan, enduring
foundation for later New York
● Long-Term Legacy
○ Even after English takeover in 1664, the colony’s economic foundations endured.
○ New York inherited New Netherland’s commercial spirit, aristocratic estates, and
mercantile orientation, ensuring its long-term success as a leading trade center.
10. Discuss how the diversity of New Amsterdam, as well as the English presence in New
England contributed to the Dutch loss of control over the New Netherland colony.
● New Amsterdam’s Diversity
○ By the 1640s, 18 languages were spoken in the city, reflecting a mix of Dutch, German,
French, Scandinavian, African, and English settlers.
○ English immigrants alone made up nearly half of New Netherland’s population by the
1660s, weakening Dutch cultural and political unity.
○ This diversity made the colony cosmopolitan but less loyal to Dutch rule.
● English Pressure
○ English colonists in New England resented the Dutch as “trespassers” and frequently
pushed back against their settlements.
○ King Charles II granted the land to his brother, the Duke of York, in 1664.
○ An English fleet appeared off New Amsterdam, and unpopular governor Peter Stuyvesant,
lacking support and supplies, was forced to surrender without a fight.
● Consequences
○ The Dutch lost political control, but their cultural legacy, place names like Harlem and
Brooklyn, architectural styles, and folk customs such as Santa Claus and waffles, remained
part of New York’s identity.
○ The fall of New Netherland was driven both by its internal diversity and external English
pressure, securing England’s dominance on the Atlantic seaboard.
11. Compare and contrast the religious practices of the Quakers and the Puritans in early 17th
century England.
● Puritans
○ Wanted to purify the Church of England of remaining Catholic rituals.
○ Believed only “visible saints” (those with evidence of conversion) should be church
members.
○ Practiced strict moral discipline; enforced laws against public sins.
○ Ministers were formally educated, and congregations were expected to follow their
authority.
○ Religion and government were intertwined—church membership granted political rights.
● Quakers
○ Known as the “Society of Friends,” they believed in an inner light that guided each
believer.
○ Rejected formal clergy and met in simple meetinghouses where anyone moved by the
Spirit could speak.
○ Opposed oaths (govt. issues), war, and taxes for the Church of England.
○ Emphasized equality, addressing each other as “thee” and “thou.”
○ Promoted religious tolerance and peace, often clashing with authorities
● Comparison
○ Puritans enforced conformity and sought order through strict religious codes.
○ Quakers emphasized individual spiritual freedom, peace, and equality.
○ Puritan practices built rigid communities; Quaker practices encouraged openness but often
invited persecution.
12. Discuss William Penn’s treatment of the Native Americans in and around Pennsylvania and
how this treatment affected the colony.
● Fair Dealings with Natives
○ William Penn, a Quaker, insisted on buying land from Indians rather than seizing it.
○ Negotiated with Chief Tammany and other leaders, establishing treaties based on fairness.
○ His policies allowed Quakers to walk unarmed through Indian territory without fear.
● Impact on the Colony
○ Created one of the most peaceful relationships between colonists and Native Americans in
North America.
○ Attracted settlers who valued safety and fair dealings, boosting population and prosperity.
○ Set Pennsylvania apart from colonies with frequent conflicts, such as Virginia or
Massachusetts.
● Limitations
○ As non-Quaker settlers arrived (like the Scots-Irish), Penn’s model of peace was
undermined.
○ Over time, pressure for land led to disputes despite Penn’s original intentions.
13. Describe the social and economic characteristics shared by the middle colonies in the early
colonial period.
● Geography and Economy
○ Colonies included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
○ Fertile soil and moderate climate supported grain farming—earning them the nickname
“bread colonies.”
○ Navigable rivers (Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna) fostered trade and access to the
interior (water wheel power due to more waterfalls)
○ Economy combined farming with emerging industry and commerce, blending Northern
and Southern traits.
■ Forests supported lumbering and shipbuilding industries
● Social Traits
○ Most ethnically and religiously diverse region of the colonies: English, Dutch, Germans,
Scots-Irish, and others.
○ Religious tolerance was greater than in New England or the South.
○ Landholdings were midsize (larger than in New England but smaller than in the South),
creating a broad middle class.
○ Cities like Philadelphia and New York became trade hubs, supporting artisans, merchants,
and farmers alike.
● Legacy
○ The middle colonies embodied balance: diversity, economic opportunity, and political
pluralism.
○ Their blend of agriculture, commerce, and tolerance made them some of the most
prosperous and stable colonies in early America.