The New England Colonies

Chapter 6 section 1 Pages 150-155

Making a living:

• Farming: in New England:– The land was hilly and rocky– The Growing season was short– People began subsistence farming, where all

members of the family worked together to produce just enough food for their own needs

Fishing:

• Fishing: in New England:– The waters were a better

source of feed then farming– Cod fish were abundant and

it could be salted, kept and traded

– Fishers caught enough fish to Export to the West Indies

– With the profits they could import goods they needed

Whaling:

• They used whales parts of the whale to make oil lamps, candles, and other products

• Nantucket and Martha's vineyard became important whaling ports

Living from the Forrest:

• This forests covered much of New England

• Timber was used in:– Building houses– Firewood– Ship building

• Building ships employed many people including artisans (craftsmen)

Women in the Economy

• Women played an important role in the economy

• Many of them worked side by side with their husbands

• Women who's husbands worked at sea often opened shops

• Others produced goods such as cloth, candles, soap, and furniture

Triangular Trade Routes

• Colonial ships followed regular trade routes that formed a triangle– Ships took fish, grain, meat, and lumber to the

west indies– There they traded for sugar, molasses, and fruit

that they took back to New England to make rum– The rum along with manufactured goods were

taken to west Africa and traded for slaves– The slaves were then brought back to the colonies

and traded for fish, grain, meat, and lumber.

Belief in Education

• Puritans believed that people needed enough education to read the Bible

• Parents who could read taught the children at home- this was a Dame school

• Because books were scarce, many times they used a horn book, a flat piece of wood with the alphabet engraved on it covered by a transparent piece of horn

The First Public Schools

• Because of the puritans concern for education Massachusetts law required all children to learn to read

• Massachusetts School Law provided that every town of 50+ households had to hire a teacher

• This was the first public school in America• The first college was Harvard, it trained

ministers , lawyers, and docters

The Town:

• Settlers built their homes in 2 rows facing each other, at one end what the Church or meeting house

• The meeting house is where people met to discuss and resolve the problems of the town– This was called a town

meeting