John Winthrop

John Winthrop

Picture of John Winthrop

This article on  the biography and life of John Winthrop provides facts and information about:

  • Who was John Winthrop?
  • What was his involvement in the early colonization of America?
  • Life and Biography of John Winthrop
  • Interesting facts and fast information about John Winthrop
  • Educational resource for teachers and kids about the Massachusetts Colony
  • His aspiration of the "city upon a hill"
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Interesting facts about the life of John Winthrop, Puritan and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Short Biography about John Winthrop
John Winthrop (12 January 1588 - 26 March 1649) was famous for the founding, and as a leader of, the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England. He was a strict Puritan and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Winthrop and the Puritans believed that they would establish a pure church in New England  that would offer a model for the churches in the 'mother-land' and reform the Anglican Church. This article contains a short biography and fast facts and information about the early American colonist, John Winthrop. Who was John Winthrop and why was he famous?

Puritans and their families

Puritans and their families

John Winthrop & the 'City Upon a Hill'
Whilst aboard the Arbella, the ship that took Winthrop for England to the New World, he made a sermon which included the following quote:
 
"For we must consider that we shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world."
 
John Winthrop Sermon aboard the Arbella, 1630
 
'City upon a hill' is a biblical phrase in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden". John Winthrop preached that the new community of Puritans in the New World would be a "city upon a hill", watched by the world, an example of what could be achieved by the Puritans who had a strong work ethic and were motivated by their religion and desire to create a government and society that was tied to the church.
 
John Winthrop believed that that once the world saw this great city it would follow example set by Puritans and create a Utopian society - the New England Way.

 

Facts about John Winthrop

 John Winthrop Fact 1John Winthrop was famous as the leader and founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 2When was John Winthrop born? He was born in was born on 12 January 1588 to wealthy parents Adam and Anne Winthrop
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 3Where was John Winthrop born? He was born in  Edwardstone, Suffolk, England.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 4John Winthrop had an excellent education, tutored at home, attending a grammar school and was admitted to Trinity College in December 1602
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 5Whilst attending Trinity he met two other Puritans who would feature in the history of the colonization of America and New England. The first was John Cotton, the grandfather of Cotton Mather who played a major role in the Salem Witchcraft Trials and the other was John Wheelwright, who was banished from Massachusetts along with Anne Hutchinson.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 6John Winthrop married Mary Forth on 16 April 1605 - they were to have 5 children but two died in infancy. His son, John, was one of the founders of the Connecticut Colony
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 7In 1613 his father transferred the family holdings in Groton to Winthrop, who then became Lord of the Manor at Groton.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 8His first wife died in 1615 and he married his second wife Thomasine Clopton but she died on 8 December 1616 from complications of childbirth
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 9John Winthrop then studied law and in 1617 met his third wife Margaret Tyndal, whom he married on 29 April 1618
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 10Charles I became king in 1624 and the Puritans were under threat due to their religious beliefs. John Winthrop believed that safety lay in the New World.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 11John Winthrop was instrumental in developing the Cambridge Agreement allowing the immigration of Puritans, who would control the government and the charter of the Massachusetts Bay company and its trading potential. He secretly planned to develop a religion based government.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 12The Cambridge Agreement was signed 26 August 1629 and provided means for emigrating shareholders to buy out non-emigrating shareholders of the Massachusetts Bay Company
 
 

Facts about John Winthrop
of the Massachusetts Colony

Facts about John Winthrop
The following facts about John Winthrop provide interesting facts and an overview and description of the life and times and his involvement in the early colonization of America and the Massachusetts Colony.

Facts about John Winthrop

 John Winthrop Fact 13In the spring of 1630, Winthrop led a fleet of 11 vessels and 700 passengers to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 14John Winthrop was one of 20,000 Puritans who journeyed to America between 1620 and 1640.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 15He travelled on the ship called the Arbella on which he made his famous 'City upon a hill' sermon
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 16John Winthrop settled in Boston, which quickly became the capital and chief port of Massachusetts.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 17He served as governor of Massachusetts for 12 terms
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 18In 1636 he clashed with Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson and was forced to banish them from the colony. In March, 1637, John Wheelwright, the brother-in-law of Anne Hutchinson, was convicted of sedition and contempt because his religious views departed from orthodox Puritanism
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 19In 1645 Winthrop became the first president of the Confederation of New England.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 20His third wife, Margaret, died on 14 June 1647 in Boston, Massachusetts.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 21In 1648, he married his fourth wife, Martha Rainsborough.
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 22John Winthrop died on March 26,1649 in Boston, MA. The cause of death: unspecified. He was buried at King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Massachusetts
 
 
 John Winthrop Fact 23Winthrop's History of New England was published after his death in 1649
 
 

Facts about John Winthrop
of the Massachusetts Colony

John Winthrop


The life and biography of John Winthrop is presented in a short, easy fact file format that is highly suitable for kids. The facts about  are a fast and accurate way to gain a good understanding of the life of this famous man who played a major role in the early colonization of America. The facts include the major events in the life of John Winthrop together with important dates and details of the colony.

The John Winthrop

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