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: After Blackstone heard of Winthrop’s arrival from his Native-American friends, the two met and Blackstone invited the puritans to live with him on the peninsula. Winthrop accepted the offer and the Puritans began construction on their settlement. “Gov. John Winthrop — In honor of the birthday of Governor John Winthrop, born June 12, 1587,” wood engraving, circa 1860-1880
In September of 1630, the colonists officially named the settlement Boston after their hometown in England. By the mid 1630s, the Puritans had invited hundreds of more colonists over from England and were taking over the area. After the Puritans took control over almost all the land Blackstone believed was his, Blackstone decided to sell his remaining 50 acres back to the Puritans, which later became Boston Common, and moved to the area that is now Rhode Island. 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: