Massachusetts Colony

Religion:

• Puritans

Industry/Trade:

• Major industries in the Massachusetts Colony included fishing, livestock, farming, lumber, and shipbuilding.

Natural Resources:

• Natural resources in the Massachusetts Colony included forests (timber), furs, fish, whales, and some farming.

• Although it was difficult to farm because of the rocky terrain, colonists still farmed for beans, corn, squash, pumpkins, wheat, and rye.

Geography/Climate:

• The Massachusetts Colony's landscape included treed mountains, lots of hills, rocky soil and lots of rivers. Massachusetts's coast is jagged.

• The climate in the Massachusetts Colony included long, cold winters and mild summers. Like the other colonies in the New England region, the cooler climate made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the warmer Southern Colonies.

Important People:

• John Winthrop (Leader)

• Roger Williams (Forced to Leave)

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Rhode Island Colony

Religion:

• Separatists

• The Rhode Island Colony was founded by those who wanted to escape the lack of religious tolerance found in the other New England colonies. Its founder Roger Williams was a former colonist and religious exile from the Massachusetts Colony, where religious tolerance did not exist among the Puritans.

• The Rhode Island Colony was home to the first Jewish synagogue and the first Baptist church in the New World.

Industry/Trade:

• Major industry in the Rhode Island Colony included fishing, whaling, manufacturing of ships, rum manufacture and export, and some farming.

• Rum manufacturing was so popular in the Rhode Island Colony that by 1761 it was home to three sugar refineries and 22 distilleries.

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Natural Resources:

• Natural Resources: Fish, whales, forests. Imported agricultural products from other colonies. Farming was difficult for crops like wheat because of the poor soil.

Geography/Climate:

• Rhode Island's landscape was flat with rolling hills and lots of coastline, about 400 miles of coastline in total. Rhode Island is approximately 48 miles in length and 37 miles wide.

• Rhode Island Colony had long cold winters and mild summers. Like the other New England Colonies, the cold winters made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the warm Southern Colonies where the climate made it possible for diseases to spread more easily.

Important People:​

• Roger Williams 

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Connecticut Colony

Religion:

• Puritans

Industry/Trade:

• The Connecticut Colony, like other New England Colonies, was an exporter of rum.

• The Connecticut Colony colonists prospered in several different sectors including shipbuilding, whaling, fishing, timber, fur trading, livestock, and maple syrup.

• Whaling was important to the colonists as it provided oil for lanterns.

Natural Resources:

• Natural resources in the Connecticut Colony included fish, whales, forests (timber), and some farming.

• Despite the poor soil and farming conditions, colonists in the Connecticut Colony were able to grow some crops including beans, corn, pumpkins, squash, and rye.

Geography/Climate:

• The Connecticut Colony climate was the same as the other New England Colonies which included long cold winters and mild summers. The weather made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the Southern Colonies where the heat often helped diseases to spread rapidly.

• The Connecticut Colony's landscape was hilly, mountainous, rocky, treed, with lots of rivers and soil unsuitable for farming for most crops.

Important People:​

• Founded by Thomas Hooker

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New Hampshire Colony

Religion:

• Puritan

Industry/Trade:

• Major industry in the New Hampshire Colony included fishing, livestock farming, potato farming, manufacturing of textiles and building ships.

• Rum was a common export from the New Hampshire and the other New England Colonies.

Natural Resources:

• Natural resources in the New Hampshire Colony included forests (timber), fur, fish, and whales.

• Whales were important to the colonists because the oil could be used in lamps for light.

Geography/Climate:

• The New Hampshire Colony, along with the other three New England Colonies, experienced long, cold winters, and mild summers. The cold temperatures made it more difficult for diseases to thrive, unlike in the warmer climate of the Southern Colonies.

• The geography of the New Hampshire Colony included plateaus, mountains, hilly terrain, and low coastal regions. The rocky land made it difficult to plant crops.

Important People:​

• Captain John Mason was given a land grant from the Council for New England in 1622 which helped him to found the New Hampshire Colony.

• New Hampshire Colony's first governor was Benning Wentworth. He governed from 1741 to 1766.