1588

Suffolk, England

1649

Massachusetts

Puritan leader, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony

Portrait: John Winthrop. Reproduced by permission of The Library of Congress.

" . . . the eies of all people are uppon us. . . . "

John Winthrop.

John Winthrop was a stern Puritan (member of a Christian group that held strict moral and spiritual views) and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Prior to emigrating (moving from one country to another) to America, he led a comfortable life as a wealthy lawyer and landowner in England. Then in the 1620s the country became embroiled in religious, economic, and political turmoil. Times were especially difficult for Puritans, who pressed for reforms in the Anglican Church (the official religion; also known as the Church of England) and took a dim view of the moral climate of England. Consequently, they were deprived of political rights, such as serving in Parliament (the British...