John Winthrop (1588-1649) was an English aristocrat and the only son to a lord. He married numerous times and became a widower. His wife Margaret by all accounts was the love of his life. Altogether, Winthrop had 16 children between the different marriages. While living in England he was educated with the understanding that he would take over the responsibilities of the family manor after his father’s passing. He continued his education when he was in his thirties by studying law, which helped him in founding and governing the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Winthrop was a devote man and strove to be a good Christian. He was surrounded by the corruption of the different religions of Europe, but mainly the Church of England. This corruption led him to Puritanism. The Puritans were not separatists they were reformers. They believed in the doctrines of the Church of England, but felt the corruption led the faith away from their original path. Instead of staying and reforming the Church from the inside, Winthrop joined the Massachusetts Bay Company in the hopes of finding religious harmony in the New World. The members of the company were all liked minded Puritans and hoped to establish a settlement that could govern through their religion. The church and state were intertwined, each aiding the other.

The company chose Winthrop to lead the voyage of the Massachusetts Bay Colony of 1630. He won the governorship twelve times after the founding of the colony. When the company first landed, they were on the opposite side of the Charles River, across from Boston. Because of the lack of fresh, clean water, the settlers got sick. William Blackstone invited them to cross the Charles River (into the Boston area) to live, where there was plenty of water and resources. Blackstone was fond of his privacy and eventually sold his land to the colonists. Winthrop was able to maintain a colony that survived the struggles of the new world. 

By: Jessica McKenzie 

Credits and Sources:

American Studies at the University of Virginia. “Context and Development.” University of Virginia. Accessed September 17, 2016. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/PURITAN/purhist.html#pur

Cohen, Charles L. “Winthrop, John.” American National Biography Online. Last modified February 2000. Accessed September 17, 2016. http://www.anb.org/articles/01/01-00995.html

McCarter, J. Parnell, ed. “John Winthrop: First Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony.” The Puritans’ Home School Curriculum. Last modified 2001. Accessed September 17, 2016. http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/John%20Winthrop.pdf

O’Connor, Thomas H. Boston: A to Z. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.

Schafer, Joseph. “John Winthrop.” Accessed September 17, 2016. http://washingtonubf.org/Resources/Leaders/JohnWinthrop.html