Massachusetts was a predominantly Puritan colony. It was run with extremely stringent laws and regulations, and there was virtually no separation of church and state. It was founded by the New England Company, which was comprised of Puritans looking for an escape from English persecution. This colony later became the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritan society which governed it was focused primarily on upholding intense religious values and enforcing strict moral standards. The Puritans persecuted anyone who did not fit the mold for what they considered to be "proper", which included all other religions, such as the Quakers. In fact, the lifestyle demands the colony placed on its inhabitants were so extensive that they prompted numerous instances of citizens leaving and starting their own colonies. (Sometimes by force, other times by choice.) Surprisingly, although the colony operated as a theocracy, the first General Court was also established with its charter. Economically, the colony relied on fishing, lumber, fur trade, and shipbuilding to supply its incoming. This was because it was situated near a part of the Atlantic Ocean that contained much plankton, meaning that fish were plentiful. Additionally, the dense forests of the region provided trees and animals for the lumber and fur trades. Farming was not nearly as important here as in the colonies further south, due to the cold climate and rocky soil. Growing seasons were shorter and less successful, and so colonists in Massachusetts mainly practiced subsistence farming, which was simply farming for the food that they needed to survive and not for a profit. |