[4] It was the first milestone on the long road to colonial unity and was established as a direct result of a war that started between the Mohegan and Narragansett Native American peoples.

Its charter provided for the return of fugitive criminals and indentured servants, and served as a forum for resolving inter-colonial disputes.

John Quincy Adams remarked at a meeting of the Massachusetts Historical Society on the 200th anniversary of the Confederation's founding: The New England confederacy was destined to a life of less than forty years' duration.

The New England leaders also felt that they were unique among the American colonies, and they hoped to band together to preserve their Puritan values.

The treaty calls on the New England colonies to act as a nation, saying that they share a way of life and religion.