The History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Introduction

Hello, explorers! Today we are going to discuss the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including political and religious beliefs. We'll look at how these two factors and many others affected the young colony.

Task

You will investigate the following people, events, and topics in order to familiarize yourself with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. What can you find that helps you see their perspective? Look at the following questions to begin your research. You will then write a paragraph discussing the nature of politics and religion in the colony, and how those facets of society affect the new society.

- Where was the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and what was living in the colony like?

- Who was Anne Hutchinson, and for what crime was she tried?

- What kind of government did the Massachusetts Bay Colony use, and in what way did politics interact with religion?

- How were town meetings used? Was this a democracy? Who was excluded?

- Who was targeted during the Salem Witch trials? What tensions existed in the colony beforehand?

- Who were Roger Williams and Thomas Hooker and what did they do? How were their actions related to the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

Process

Steps for Assignment Completion:

1) Read through the questions given in the Task section and repeated below.

2) Explore the websites given for each topic and discuss with your classmates as you go. It is alright if you split up the reading and share with your team, but I expect the work to be divided equally.

3) Together, write down a list of things that effected the people of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and organize your ideas.

     Learning Advice: The next step will be easier if you organize your information either using a timeline or a Venn diagram.

4) Individually, write a paragraph about how politics and religion impacted the lives of colonists inside the Massachusetts Bay Colony and in the surrounding colonies.

 

Guiding Questions:

- Where was the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and what was living in the colony like?

- Who was Anne Hutchinson, and for what crime was she tried?

- What kind of government did the Massachusetts Bay Colony use, and in what way did politics interact with religion?

- How were town meetings used? Was this a democracy? Who was excluded?

- Who was targeted during the Salem Witch trials? What tensions existed in the colony beforehand?

- Who were Roger Williams and Thomas Hooker and what did they do? How were their actions related to the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

 

Websites to explore:

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Famous Trials: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson

Britannica: Massachusetts Bay Government and Society

JSTOR: Town-Meeting Politics in Massachusetts, 1776-1786, David Syrett

New England Law: The True Legal Horror Story of the Salem Witch Trials

Famous Trials: Salem Witchcraft Trials (1692)

Roger Williams Family Association: Roger Williams

Connecticut History: Thomas Hooker, Connecticut’s Founding Father

Evaluation

Included here is the copy of the rubric I will use. Please look over it before you complete this assignment.

 

Reporting Category
Scoring Criteria
Thesis/Claim
(0-1 point)
0 point
unchecked Is not historically defensible
unchecked Only restates the prompt
unchecked Does not answer the prompt
unchecked Does not create a line of reasoning
1/2  point
unchecked Creates a broad thesis
unchecked Creates a confusing line of reasoning 
unchecked Answers the prompt with knowledge
1 point
unchecked Responds to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis
unchecked Creates a line of reasoning
unchecked Answers the prompt in thoughtful capacity that shows knowledge outside of the prompt
Contextualization
(0-1 point)
0 point
unchecked Provides an unclear or nonspecific context
unchecked Provides incorrect information
unchecked Provides no historical context
1/2  point
unchecked Describes specific content related to the prompt
unchecked Gives some incorrect information
unchecked Accurately describes context that is not relevant
1 point 
unchecked Describes a broader historical context relevant to the prompt
unchecked Accurately describes relevant content for the prompt 
Evidence from the Document
(0-1 point)
0 point
unchecked Misinterpreted the document
unchecked Quotes the document without giving credit to the document (plagiarism)
unchecked Does not provide evidence from the document
1/2  point
unchecked Correctly interprets part of the document
unchecked Evidence only partially supports their thesis
1 point
unchecked Accurately interprets the document
unchecked Supports the argument made in thesis
unchecked Uses document to support thesis
Evidence from Beyond the Document
(0-1 point) 
0 point
unchecked Provided unrelated evidence
unchecked Provided evidence not from the time period of the document
unchecked Only repeats information given in the prompt
unchecked Provides only a reference to evidence, but not an explanation
1/2  point
unchecked Uses evidence partially discussed in the prompt
unchecked Evidence is accurate but loosely related to the thesis
unchecked Evidence is broad
1 point
unchecked Uses historical evidence not found in the document or prompt
unchecked Evidence is related to the thesis and argument
unchecked Evidence is a specific piece of evidence
Analysis and Reasoning
(0-1 point)
0 point
unchecked  Does not explain evidence from document
unchecked Does not identify or analyze the evidence
unchecked Summarizes the document without explaining its context
1/2  point
unchecked Partially discusses evidence
unchecked Identifies the point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience, but does not explain why it is relevant to the thesis
1 point
unchecked Thoroughly discusses evidence from the document
unchecked Explains the relevance of the document to the thesis
unchecked Discusses the point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience and its relevance to the thesis 
Conclusion

Hello all! I hope you have enjoyed your exploration of Massachusetts Bay Colony! By exploring the political system, religious influences, and the people of the colony, I hope you have a better understanding of the time! Reflect on the lessons you have learned as we go on to discuss other religiously based colonies in the future, suchas Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Credits

All links and Websites used:

American History Central: Massachusetts Bay Colony

Famous Trials: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson

Britannica: Massachusetts Bay Government and Society

JSTOR: Town-Meeting Politics in Massachusetts, 1776-1786, David Syrett

New England Law: The True Legal Horror Story of the Salem Witch Trials

Famous Trials: Salem Witchcraft Trials (1692)

Roger Williams Family Association: Roger Williams

Connecticut History: Thomas Hooker, Connecticut’s Founding Father

Tennessee Social Studies Standards

Teacher Page

TN State Standards: 

8.03 Explain the founding and development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including the significance of: • Anne Hutchinson • Role of theocracy • Salem Witch Trials • Town meetings 

8.04 Explain the motivation for and the founding of the Rhode Island and Connecticut Colonies, including the roles of Roger Williams and Thomas Hooker