Migration to New England was very marked in its effects in the two decades from 1620 to 1640, after which it declined for a while. The term Great Migration has been used to apply to the migration in this period of English people to New England, particularly in the years 1629 to 1640.^[1]

[edit] Context

King James I of England made some efforts to reconcile the Puritan clergy in England, who had been alienated by the hard line of Elizabeth I of England, his predecessor, against further reform in the Church of England. James, however, supported episcopacy, and in the last years of his reign Calvinist doctrine started to lose its dominance in the Church. Puritans were distinguished at this point by emphasis on Calvinism and preaching, a growing sabbatarianism, and preference for a presbyterian system of church polity. They opposed religious practices in the Church that at any point came close to Roman Catholic ritual.

After Charles I of England succeeded his father in 1625, this latent conflict was exacerbated, particularly by Archbishop William Laud. Parliament also fell outside royal control, and posed a serious threat to the King's authority. In 1629, Charles dissolved Parliament entirely, in an ill-fated attempt to neutralize his enemies there, who included numerous lay Puritans. With the religious and political climate so hostile and threatening, many of Calvinist, Puritan and nonconformist beliefs wished to leave the country. Some of the migration was from the expatriate English communities in the Netherlands of nonconformists and Separatists who had set up churches there since the 1590s.

[edit] The 1630s

The Winthrop Fleet of 1630 of eleven ships delivered 700 passengers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Migration continued until Parliament was reconvened in 1640, at which point the scale dropped off sharply. In 1641, when the English Civil War began, some colonists returned to England to fight on the Puritan side, and many stayed, since Oliver Cromwell, himself an Independent, backed Parliament.^[2]

From 1630 through 1640 approximately 20,000 Puritans colonists came to New England.^[3] The so-called Great Migration is not so named because of sheer numbers, which were much less than the number of English citizens who emigrated to Ireland and the Caribbean during this time. The distinction drawn is that the movement of colonists to New England was not predominantly male, but of families with some education, leading relatively prosperous lives.^[1] Winthrop's noted words, a City upon a Hill, refer to a vision of a new society, not just economic opportunity.

[edit] Religious freedom and tolerance

Puritans did not come to New England to practice religious freedom in the sense of liberty of conscience. Rather, they typically were convinced that theirs was the only true religion, and they held little regard for the beliefs of others, notably (after 1640) Quakers.^[4] Roger Williams was a notable exception to this rule, being a firm believer in religious tolerance. For holding this opinion, Williams and his followers were sent to live in exile, where they established Providence, Rhode Island.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Anderson, Robert (1999). The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. Boston: New England Historic Genealogial Society.  Three volumes.

[edit] See also

• English Civil War, for further details on Charles' conflicts with parliament.
• Great Migration Study Project

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