New England Confederation

The New England Confederation ( officially United Colonies of New England) was founded in 1643 in Boston as a military alliance for the establishment of " security and prosperity " between the British colonies Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, Colony of Connecticut and New Haven Colony. The main purpose of the alliance was the defense of the Puritan colonies against the Indians ( especially against the Mohegan and Narragansett ) against which settled in the neighborhood of the French and Dutch as well as in the settlement of border disputes of the colonies with each other. Internal Affairs, however, were left to the colonies themselves. The founders gave the Confederation own constitution, which they entitled " The United Colonies of New England ". The Anglican embossed Maine and the equally adjusted settlements on the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Iceland also wanted to join, but this was rejected for political and religious reasons the Alliance.

Background

The Alliance was the first experiment of a federal America and was based on a number of compromises on. It was not a central government, which is why major weaknesses of the concept existed, among other things, that the elected representatives had only advisory in nature and in the fact that between the colonies ruled substantial rivalries. So had the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which had the most residents who pay most taxes to the alliance compared and provide most of the soldiers, however, had no more influence on decisions to be made than any other colonies.

Stability

The alliance was only 10 years after its founding, shortly before the collapse, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1653 refused to enter the English- Dutch War. Shortly before the annexation of the New Haven Colony to the State of Connecticut, the regulations of the Alliance have been changed, that the representatives should take only once every three years, so that the alliance constantly lost its importance. 1676 she received again during King Philip 's War, a climax, to be neglected thereafter again more and more.

End of the alliance

With the revocation of the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1684, the Alliance was finally resolved. Later precursors of the United States of America included, among other things, the Dominion of New England and the Albany Congress.