Making Connections

1. How did the religious dissenters who flooded into the northern colonies address the question of religious dissent in their new homes? Comparing two colonies, discuss their different approaches.

2. John Winthrop spoke of the Massachusetts Bay colony as “a city upon a hill.” What did he mean? How did this expectation influence life in New England during the seventeenth century?

3. How did religious and political turmoil in seventeenth-century England affect life in the colonies? In your answer, consider the establishment of the colonies and the crown’s attempts to exercise authority over them.

4. To what extent did the New England and middle colonies become more alike during the seventeenth century? To what extent did they remain distinctive?