E/MS Unit I: Two Cultures Collide: Early Relations Between English Settlers and Indigenous People in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies Lesson B: Indian “Praying Towns”
Key Questions
- What were the Puritans' goals when they settled what is now Massachusetts?
- What did Puritan settlers do to achieve these goals?
- Where were the Indian "praying towns"?
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
Primary Sources
- Document E/MS I-7:
An Example to All: Excerpts from A Model of Christian Charity, by John Winthrop, 1630 - Document E/MS I-8:
Massachusetts Bay Colony seal, 1629 - Document E/MS I-9:
Teaching and Preaching: Excerpt from John Winthrop’s Journal, Describing the Rev. John Eliot’s Methods of Instructing Indians, 1647
Related Mass Moments
"Puritans Leave for Massachusetts"
In April 1630, 11 vessels sailed from England with passengers bound for the brand-new Massachusetts Bay Colony.
"Natick Established"
Natick was among the first Indian “praying towns” established in Massachusetts.
"Ceremony Honors Early Indian Students"
Between 1655 and 1698, an Indian College existed at Harvard.
lesson image credit: John Eliot preaching to the Indians, engraved by J.C. Buttre