Salem, a brief history
Roger Conant, founder of Salem, 1626
In 1623 a group of colonists attempted to set up a fishing establishment at Cape Ann, on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The project failed but a few men led by Roger Conant did not give up and in 1626 settled in Naumkeag, Christianized to Salem, in 1629 (Phillips, 25-27). By 1640 Salem would be the second most important colonial town next to Boston (151).
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was issued a charter by the monarch of England in 1629 giving them the rights of autonomy and self rule. The colonists were intent upon establishing a commonwealth where the Puritan Church could exist and their rights would be upheld. They intended to worship God without the interference of the bishops of the Church of England and rejected anyone who did not follow their principles (37-38).
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