The New England colonies were founded in the early 1600s by Puritans who were seeking to create a religious utopia. The Puritans believed that they were creating a city upon a hill" that would be an example to the rest of the world. The New England colonies were very different from the other English colonies in America. The Puritans were a very devout and religious people. They believed in hard work and self-discipline. They also believed in education and had some of the first public schools in America. Life in the New England colonies was not easy. The winters were long and cold and the summers were short and hot. The Puritans worked hard to farm the land and to build their homes and churches. They also had to defend their colonies from attacks by the Native Americans."