Massachusetts Bay Colony was the largest and most successful early New England settlement. It was established in 1628 by the New England Company, a joint-stock company composed of English Puritans. That year, John Endecott led the first group of colonists to Naumkeag, an English settlement that he renamed Salem. In 1629, King Charles I granted a new charter that changed the name of the company to the Massachusetts Bay Company. In 1630, the company’s new governor, John Winthrop, brought the charter and about 1,000 more people to settle the Massachusetts Bay region, including the area that is now Boston.
The Puritans observed a simple form of worship that did not include the ceremonies of the Church of England. Each Puritan community established self-governing congregations. The Puritans wanted to make their church and society an example for people in other parts of the world to follow. Newcomers to the colony were expected to follow the Puritans’ religious beliefs and practices. People who refused were sent back to England or expelled to such other settlements as Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
England rarely interfered with the colony’s government and trade. Beginning in 1660, Puritans refused to obey new English trade laws. In 1684, the colony lost its charter. In 1691, King William III granted a new charter that included Plymouth Colony as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This charter lasted until the Revolutionary War in America began in 1775.
The colonists of the Massachusetts Bay Colony made many contributions to American life. Among the most important of these were a practical, local self-government and a love of learning.
