Social DevelopmentThe New England colonists included more educated men as well as many skilled farmers, tradesmen and craftsmen. They were mostly farmers and settled in small villages for common religious activity. Shipbuilding, commerce, and fisheries were important in coastal towns. New England's healthy climate (the cold winters killed the mosquitoes and other disease-bearing insects), and abundant food supply resulted in the lowest death rate and highest birth rate of any colony in the New World.(marriage was expected and birth control was not, and a much higher than average number of children and mothers survived).The eastern and northern frontier around the initial New England settlements was mainly settled by the American descendants of the original New England colonists. The main religion in New England was Christian (or Catholic). These people were also know as Puritans. A famous type of Puritan lived in these colonies. They are known as Separatists (more commonly known as Pilgrims). They were highly religious, and moved to the new world for separation from the Church of England. The Separatists wanted to completely redesign the way Christianity was viewed by the Church of England, Puritans just wanted to reform it. These Puritans are famous for both the "first" Thanksgiving, and on the darker side of things, the Salem Witch Trials.
The Salem Witch Trials:
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