The Puritans And The Culture Of New England

In 1614, English explorer John Smith—after his adventures in Virginia—voyaged along the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts Bay. He named the area "New England". By the time 1630 rolled around, the Plymouth colony had been established and an ever-growing wave of English immigrants were fleeing the anti-Puritan crackdown of King Charles I to settle in this new land. John Winthrop—a prominent Puritan lawyer from Suffolk, England—was among these emigres, and he helped found a number of communities (including Boston) on the shores of Massachusetts Bay and the Charles River. 

Winthrop served as Governor of the new colony and generally cast a moderate religious tone—trying to placate the more conservative and liberal elements in his community. But, some of these groups opposed the religious positions of the Massachusetts elders—so a number of spin-off communities developed. Roger Williams took his more liberal flock to Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and Winthrop's own son founded the Connecticut colony. Anne Hutchinson founded a community in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and John Wheelwright founded communities in both Exeter, New Hampshire and Wells, Maine. 

Each of these new entities took on the character of their founders and, as a result, the many different cultures of New England began to take shape. While it may be a reach to attribute all of our regional diversity to these Puritans, it's not hard to see certain of their characteristics in modern-day residents. The pragmatic practicality of Massachusetts; the staunch independence of New Hampshire and the welcoming nature of Rhode Island might all be traced to the various religious interpretations of those early Puritans.