Title: History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Headings: History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
What Type of Colony was the Massachusetts Bay?
Who Founded Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Who Settled Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Massachusetts Bay Colony Government and Religion:
Massachusetts Bay Colony Economy:

Content: In 1632, the colonists officially made Boston the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By 1640, more than 40,000 English colonists had moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Coastal communities, such as Salem town, became overcrowded and colonists began to move inland to establish farming communities, which led to the formation of Salem Village and many other farming towns in Massachusetts and New England. The Massachusetts Bay Colony towns and settlements founded during the Great Puritan Migration were: Weymouth, Massachusetts, settled by Thomas Weston of Plymouth Colony in 1622, failed in 1623, surviving colonists joined Plymouth colony, Weymouth taken over by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, originally named Wessaguscus
Gloucester, Massachusetts, settled by the Dorchester Company in 1623, taken over by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1642
Salem, Massachusetts, settled by the Dorchester Company in 1626, taken over by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628
Charlestown, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628
Saugus, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629
Boston, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630
Roxbury, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630
Dorchester, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630
Hull, Massachusetts, settled by members of the Plymouth Colony in 1624, taken over by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, originally named Nantasket
Watertown, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630
Cambridge, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, originally named New Town or Newtowne
Ipswich, Massachusetts settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1633, originally named Agawam
Hingham, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, originally named Bare Cove
Newbury, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635
Concord, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, first inland settlement in New England
Dedham, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636
Rowley, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1639
Salisbury, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, originally named Colchester, renamed Salisbury in 1640
Sudbury, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638
Haverhill, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1641, originally named Pentucket
More Puritans continued to travel over from England and the number of colonies in New England expanded to a total of four: Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Haven. These colonies included many villages. Each village consisted of houses, a community garden and a meetinghouse to host church services. Schools were also built, including the first American public school, called the Boston Latin School, and laws were passed requiring a school in every town with more than 50 inhabitants. In 1643, the four colonies formed a military alliance, known as the New England Confederation, to help defend themselves from Native American attacks.