Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was formed in the 17th century by Puritan settlers led by James Winthrop fleeing from religious persecution in England. It was located in New England and centered around the modern day cities of Boston and Salem, Massachusetts.

The lands which became the Massachusetts Bay Colony had previously been inhabited by Native Indians for thousands of years. After coming into contact with the Europeans, many of the Natives contracted and later died from smallpox. The Puritans saw this as God's way of emptying the land and justifying the colony. They saw themselves as God's chosen people and compared their journey from England to the new world to the exodus of the Jews. Most of the settlers were fervently religious and attended several sermons a day.

• Ex Post Facto: The Puritan Enterprise

• First Amendment Center: Roy Moore vs. Roger Williams: Two visions of America

• Archiving Early America: The Regular Singing Controversy: The Case Against Lining-Out

• The New York Times: "The Puritan Dilemma" (2003)

• University of Tennessee: Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?

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