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: 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. A few log cabins were constructed, but shelters were often far more rudimentary. Some colonists had to make do with little more than a hole in the ground covered with timber. Others copied designs of the wigwams used by the natives, adding a few touches from home like covering the floors with straw or rushes. Though better prepared than previous colonies and supported with the frequent arrival of supply ships, the initial days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were as arduous as the colonies founded in Virginia and Maryland. Many perished during the first winter, but by the following summer the colony had a population of about 2,000.