Title: Did the Puritans Settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Headings: Why Did the Puritans Settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Why Did the Puritans Settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The Puritans – Massachusetts Bay Colony

Content: The first governor of this group of Puritans was John Winthrop who proclaimed the new colony would be “as a city upon a hill”. Contrary to popular belief about this statement, however, Winthrop was not saying that the colony was destined for greatness and all other nations must look to it as an example. Rather, he meant it as a precaution – other nations would be observing the new colony and if they failed they would do so on the world stage: For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. In fact, the name Massachusetts derives from a Native American term “at the great hill.” The city upon the great hill was Boston, which was founded on September 7th, 1630. Salem and Charlestown were some of the other more notable settlements of the time. As you can imagine, the original Boston settlement bore little resemblance to the city which stands upon the same site today.