<P> The colony was economically successful, engaging in trade with England and the West Indies . A shortage of hard currency in the colony prompted it to establish a mint in 1652 . Political differences with England after the English Restoration led to the revocation of the colonial charter in 1684 . King James II established the Dominion of New England in 1686 to bring all of the New England colonies under firmer crown control . The dominion collapsed after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 deposed James, and the colony reverted to rule under the revoked charter until the charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay was issued in 1691, which combined the Massachusetts Bay territories with those of the Plymouth Colony and proprietary holdings on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard . Sir William Phips arrived in 1692 bearing the charter and formally took charge of the new province . The political and economic dominance of New England by the modern state of Massachusetts was made possible in part by the early dominance in these spheres by the Massachusetts Bay colonists . </P> <P> Prior to the arrival of Europeans on the eastern shore of New England, the area around Massachusetts Bay was the territory of several Algonquian - speaking tribes, including the Massachusett, Nauset, and Wampanoag . The Pennacooks occupied the Merrimack River valley to the north, and the Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Mahican occupied the western lands of present - day Massachusetts, although some of those tribes were under tribute to the Mohawks, who were expanding aggressively from present - day upstate New York . The total Indian population in 1620 has been estimated to be 7,000 with the population of New England at 15--18,000 . This number was significantly larger as late as 1616; in later years, contemporary chroniclers interviewed Indians who described a major pestilence that killed between one - and two - thirds of the population . The land - use patterns of the natives included plots cleared for agricultural purposes, and woodland territories for the hunting of game . Land divisions between the tribes were well understood . </P> <P> During the early 17th century, several European explorers charted the area, including Samuel de Champlain and John Smith . Plans began in 1606 for the first permanent British settlements on the east coast of North America . On April 10, 1606, King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) granted a charter forming two joint - stock companies . Neither of these corporations was given a name by this charter, but the territories were named as the "first Colony" (fourth paragraph of charter) and "second Colony" (fifth paragraph of charter), over which they were respectively authorized to settle and to govern . Under this charter, the "first Colony" and the "second Colony" were to be ruled by a "Council" composed of 13 individuals in each colony . The charter provided for an additional council of 13 persons to have overarching responsibility for the combined enterprise . No name was given to either the company or council governing the respective colonies; the council governing the whole was named "Council of Virginia ." </P> <P> The "first Colony" ranged from the 34th - to 41st - degree latitude north; the "second Colony" ranged from the 38th - to 45th - degree latitude . (Note that the "first Colony" and the "second Colony" overlapped . The 1629 charter of Charles I asserted that the second Colony ranged from 40th to 48th degrees north latitude, which reduces the overlap .) The investors appointed to govern over any settlements in the "first Colony" were from London; the investors appointed to govern over any settlements in the "second Colony" were from the "Town of Plimouth in the County of Devon ." The London Company proceeded to establish Jamestown . The Plymouth Company under the guidance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges covered the more northern area, including present - day New England, and established the Sagadahoc Colony in 1607 in present - day Maine . The experience proved exceptionally difficult for the 120 settlers, however, and the surviving colonists abandoned the colony after only one year . Gorges noted that "there was no more speech of settling plantations in those parts" for a number of years . English ships continued to come to the New England area for fishing and trade with the Indians . </P>

Who settled the massachusetts bay colony and why