The New England Colonies

2.2 Explore Page 2 New England Colonies

Daily Life in New England

Multiple Choice

New England homes were large and fancy. Colonists had many possessions.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Who managed and did most of the field work on New England farms?

• Mothers

• Children

• Fathers

• Slaves

Multiple Choice

New England towns were small and did not have large stores and hospitals.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Every town, no matter how small, had a __________.

• Church

• Shoprite

• Hospital

• Inn

Multiple Choice

A person who goes on a journey for a religious reason is called a ____.

• Purtian

• Seperatist

• Traveler

• Pilgrim

Multiple Choice

Religion was important to the colonists and they also believed _____ was a service to God and would be rewarded with favor.

• money

• farming

• work

Multiple Choice

The Massachusetts town that put women on trial for being witches was?

• Boston

• Hartford

• Salem

• Massachusetts Bay Colony

Later, from the 1720s to the 1730s, a religious revival movement called the Great Awakening spread through New England and the rest of the colonies. Led by charismatic preachers like Jonathan Edwards, the Great Awakening emphasized the importance of personal devotion to God and the punishments that would come to sinners. This movement resulted from a common belief among church members that rituals and ceremonies of the established Protestant religions did not guarantee personal salvation. Instead, preachers emphasized salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

This Great Awakening reinforced the importance of religion in New England. Many religious colleges, including Brown and Dartmouth, were founded in New England during this time. In addition, the movement inspired Christian missions for Native Americans and enslaved African Americans. The Great Awakening also led to many people beginning new churches and turning away from the established church leaders and traditions. Overall, this movement emphasized individual experience rather than established church structures. This emphasis contributed to the democratization of society that would eventually lead to the American Revolution.

Multiple Choice

The movement that emphasized the importance of personal devotion to God was called ______________.

• Protestant Reformation

• The Great Awakening

• Puritan Devotion

Multiple Choice

The Great Awakening emphasized individual experience rather than the established church structure.

• True

• False

Going to School

School in colonial New England was also hard work. Both boys and girls started school when they were very young. They often went to school in addition to doing their daily chores on the family farm. In areas where fewer people lived, school was held at home. Children began their education at “dame schools.” Years ago, “dame” was another word for “woman.” Most of the colonial teachers were women. At the dame schools, children learned to read and write. Students had to share primers, or basic reading books. Students practiced writing on thin plates of stone called slates. Sometimes they wrote on scraps of white birch tree bark because paper was rare and expensive.

The New England people believed education was very important. This belief can be traced back to events in Europe. The Protestant Reformation changed religious life for many people. One of its effects was to get people to rely less on church leaders. The Reformation wanted people to be able to read the Bible themselves. This explains why reading was highly valued in Puritan families. It also explains why a large number of New England children went to school. In the Middle and Southern colonies, many children worked. In these other regions, only children from wealthy families got an education.

Multiple Choice

New England children's education focused on math and science.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What supplies did New England children use in school?

• basic reading books

• slates

• scraps of white birch tree bark

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

New England colonists valued reading because _______

• they wanted people to read the newspaper

• they wanted people to be able to be teachers

• they wanted people to read the Bible for themselves

Multiple Choice

What did the colonists bring from the "Old World" to the "New World"?

• their religious beliefs

• their views on education

• Both their religious beliefs and views on education