• For some time only those who were theologically acceptable could enter Massachusetts. The Puritans felt that rigid orthodoxy was necessary for their survival: "We believe in liberty," they claimed, "and others are at liberty to stay away from us!" They meant to create a "New Jerusalem"—Winthrop's famous "city on a hill"—and were willing to pay a high price to try to achieve that state.
• When the English Civil War broke out in 1640, Puritan life changed. Many Puritans, feeling that their time had come or perhaps wanting to get in on the struggle, returned to England. The center of the Puritan world shifted back to England, and the effects on the colony were sharp. Immigration into New England slowed markedly, and various adjustments had to be made to keep the colony thriving.
• By 1660 Massachusetts Puritans were concerned over the restoration of King Charles II to the throne. Stronger mercantile laws changed economic conditions in all the colonies, and in that decade the Puritans also adopted the "halfway covenant"—a sort of agreement that one was acceptable if one was at least trying to live the right kind of life—and numbers continued to grow.
• In 1684 the Massachusetts Charter was revoked, and Massachusetts became a crown colony. In 1686 James II issued a new charter for Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. Yet another charter was issued in 1691 by William III, which provided for two elected assemblies.
World History
