Notes:BC1:Southern New England

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Rhode Island

As was discussed in New England - the Great Emigration, the founding and early years of the Massachusetts Bay colonies were lead by people who sought to establish a "Bible Commonwealth" and establish a "particular church". Their views were their own and most of local public opinion was with them. There were a few determined and forceful dissenters, but dissenting opinions were not tolerated. Some of the colonies to the south of Massachusetts were started by such people who were either exiled or left Massachusetts.

  • Roger Williams, who publicly protested the authority of Massachusetts government to require adherence to a state sponsored church, was exiled and later founded the colony that became Providence.[1]
  • This was done without license from the king. So the Providence settlers took care of their own government until such time as the king provided permission and direction, which occurred some 25 years later.
This government was the most democratic of the time and religiously tolerant, but did not last long. Separation of church and state was a concept that was foreign to them and apparently difficult to grasp.
  • Anne Hutchinson and followers founded Portsmouth in 1637
  • They wrote and signed a covenant that read:
"We, whose names are under written, do here solemnly, in the presence of Jehovah, incorporate ourselves into a Bodie Politick, and as he shall help, will submit our persons lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of his given us in his holy word of truth, to be guided and judged thereby."
  • Portsmouth was a bible commonwealth in which the will of God was determined, when needed, by a meeting of the freeholders.
  • William Coddington, a follower of Hutchinson, and his friends removed themselves from Portsmouth in 1639 and founded Newport at the southern end of the island.
  • Samuel Gorton emigrated from London to Boston in 1636. His views were certain to offend in that religious age.(Channing pg. 390)[1]
He stated that "heaven and hell had no actual existence" and that the Scriptures were only "tales".
He was run out of Boson, then Plymouth, then Portsmouth, and then Providence.
  • Gorton started a colony that was to become Warwick. He was such an outcast, however, he was at odds with everyone in Massachusetts and the Rhode Island colonies. He did, after a few verbal, written, and legal confrontations (Channing pg. 393)[1], apparently learn to live quietly in Warwick.

It was, therefore, a collection of odd ducks that established the first 4 colonies in what was to become Rhode Island. Their major contribution seems to be that they were more democratic minded than what had come before in Massachusetts and demonstratively more individualistic. They united in few things except about local town rights. And towns united only in disputes with other states.

However, there also existed among their strong opinions, strong toleration of the opinions of others.


Connecticut

It is not known why the men that settled the Connecticut valley left Massachusetts Bay. They were men of substance and well thought of. The possible reasons were that

There was no freedom of conscience in Massachusetts at the time and it may have grated on men who, though well thought of, were not among the ruling group. They would have felt overshadowed by powerful personalities like Winthrop.
The Connecticut valley was much better suited to agriculture than the land around Massachusetts Bay.
Which would likely have been the strongest reason. The search for personal independence surely was a factor, but likely subsidiary to the search for better land on which to make a living.
  • In 1638 there were colonies at Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford.
  • In January of that year - after the Pequot war had settled down and the settlements were reasonably established, inhabitants of these colonies met and formulated a written constitution
  • It was significant in that, while avowing Christian faith and its preservation, it was based on legal precedent rather than ecclesiastic principles as previous such documents.
It provided for General Courts whose officers were elected by those who could vote, which consisted of "admitted inhabitants by the major part of the town where they live". This was later changed to a means test of 30 pounds - later reduced to 20 pounds.
No religious qualification is called out for the electorate - which is significant.
But a person could qualify as an elector and be refused by the General Court.
The Governor was required to be a member of an "approved congregation" (whatever that was) and formerly a magistrate.
  • There was nothing radical about Connecticut's constitution. It captured much about the way that Massachusetts was governed. But it is hailed as an early example of a constitution based on legal precedent. Though it seems unremarkable to this author.
  • New Haven was founded by John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1637 - Davenport a pastor and Eaton his close fried. They left England over differences with Archbishop Laud. Though Massachusetts wanted them to stay in the bay area, they left to found New Haven for reasons of their own. That such emigrants were independent minded was illustrated on numerous occasions. And these independent minded people were the driving force behind the start-up of colonies in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
  • What is clear is that they wanted to make New Haven a commercial center. But this was retarded because of ill luck and proximity to Manhattan - a more natural center.
  • Though independent minded, they continued the trend of establishing bible commonwealths in New England, and they required that all "free planters" (a phrase with a vague meaning) be admitted members of the church and that they subscribe to church based principles. And it was a small group that, in effect, controlled church membership.
In this way, New Haven made the Massachusetts Bay colonies look liberal.



  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Channing, Edward. History of The United States, Vol. I, The Planting of a Nation in the New World, 1000-1660. New York. The MacMillan Co. 1909