Early Colonial America

1. Early Colonial America Chapter 2

2. Types of Colonies • Royal Colonies received a charter and were controlled by king or queen • Lower colonial officials appointed by sovereign • Proprietary Colonies received land granted to a group of private owners for development • Joint stock companies pooled the money or investors to start colonies • Officials locally appointed, selected or elected

4. The Chesapeake

6. Chesapeake Society • Settlements spread out and near rivers • Settlers were mostly upper class men (6:1) • Labor devoted to mining rather than farming • House of Burgesses (1619) was first representative body • Free men of property voted • Protestants dominated assembly • Could levy taxes, make laws, but subject to veto • John Rolfe introduced tobacco which became lucrative and the basis of economy • Exports of 3m pounds by 1640 10 10m in 1660 • Falling tobacco prices caused a turn to slave labor

7. Chesapeake Society • Virginia land (named for Virgin Queen) lacked fresh water and agriculture, was swampy • Prone to disease • Maryland named for Charles’ wife • 1649 Toleration Act in ML granted some religious freedom • 60% of children in one VA county before 1680 lost one or both parents • Of 15,000 migrants between 1622 and 1640, VA only grew by 5,000

8. Chesapeake Society and Labor • Headright system encouraged immigration • Indentured servitude heavily relied on (profitable) • Workers received passage to America and land • ½ men died before contracts were up • Surplus of tobacco drove prices down • 1671 House of Burgesses forbids blacks to own guns join militias, win freedom by conversion or by moving into servitude • 1705 HOB legalizes slavery

9. Bacon’s Rebellion 1676 • Gov. William Berkeley thought to be corrupt • Landless distrusted his reactions to Indian raids • Bacon—a disgruntled soldier rallied troops in rebellion • After arrest elections held to quell dissent • Bacon freed; allies plunder Jamestown and burn estates • Must appease yeoman, curtail corruption and lower taxes • Whites can‘t be trusted for labor—rely on slaves

10. New England

12. New England Society • Town meeting grew as institution of democratic governance • Demographics showed shared background and religion • Puritanism was the state religion, the Bible the foundation of legal guidance • Underlying society was Puritan morality and work ethic (Calvinists) • “Godly watchfulness”—spy clubs for conformity • City on a Hill

13. New England Society • Structured, close-knit towns • Ability to defend and enforce behavioral norms • Self-governed (Mayflower Compact), male church members voted • Healthy environment, low mortality rate yet½ of pilgrims dead in a year • Puritans were of different stock than Chesapeake • Middling ranks rather than gentlemen • Congregations followed their ministers to New World • Families cam and clustered in towns

15. Religion and Society • Small communities meant watchfulness • Believed predestination to be true • Only “elect” could govern— How elected? • Conversion, calling, obeying • Calvinist dominated by TULIP morality • Conformity sometimes challenged and eliminated: • Roger Williams—separated church and state (RI) • Anne Hutchinson—gender roles and leadership • Thomas Hooker—better land, Hartford • Quakers—leadership

16. Witch Trials • Puritanism retained some mystical and pagan influences • Between 1647 and 1662 NE hanged 14 accused • Famously in 1692 in Salem, Mass Bay 19 executed • Patterns of social tensions emerged in the hysteria of ordeals and accusations: • Gender issues • Wealth distribution • Security concerns

17. Meanwhile….Back in England • Religious war erupted pitting Cromwell and Parliament against the Crown • Charles 1 executed 1649 • Cromwell’s rule became a misguided dictatorship • Charles II restored the Stuart monarchy • 1651 Navigation Acts (later updated 1660s) • All colonial trade had to travel on English ships • Must through English ports • Board of Trade set up to administer 1676 • 1699 Woolens Act banned colonists from selling wool to England • Adam Smith called these policies Mercantilism

18. Native Experience “If God were not pleased with our inheriting these parts, why doth he still make roome for us by diminishing them as we increase?” ~John Winthrop

19. Native Decline • Natives adopted tactic of retreat, collaboration, assimilation and resistance after contact • Years of war and disease devastated their numbers • Loss of land over time • Increased reliance on European goods and trade • Addiction to tobacco and alcohol • Neglected of native culture • Increased social division and new structures • Disruption of gender relations

20. Natives Go-Betweens • War did not occur all the time • Natives showed the settlers how to plant corn, where to fish, learned their language and even inter-married at times • Squanto aided the Pilgrims in their early days • Pocahontas moved to adopt John Smith as werowanceor subordinate chief after flinging herself on his body after his capture • She eventually married John Rolfe and went to England

21. Indian Wars • Relations with the New England Wampanoag deteriorated after “first thanksgiving” • Pequot War – 1634 fighting erupted after two traders were killed in Pequot territory • King Philip’s War - 1675 MA arrested and executed three Wampanoag for murder • Wampanoag chief Metacomet, also known as King Philip, led the fighting for over a year • Towns were burned and perhaps over 3000 died in the fighting—including Metacomet who was drawn and quartered

23. Natives and Other Empires • Forced encomienda system, treatment of women, religious oppression all contributed to upheaval in New Mexico • Drought and disease had decimated native numbers from 100,000 to 17,000 • 1680 Rio Grande pueblo natives resisted Spanish power by laying siege to capital Santa Fe killing 400+ and driving the Spanish out for a decade • Beaver Wars pitted armed Iroquois Confederacy against other groups to control trade with French • By 1660 prisoners made up nearly half of communities • Jesuit priests began living with natives for conversion

24. Powhatan Confederacy • Tribal confederation led by Algonquin-speaking Chief Powhatan • Traded skeptically with the colonists • Opechancanough, Powhatan’s brother attacked Jamestown in 1622 along with 12 groups and killed 300 • Charter revoked and declared a royal colony • Gov and ministers appointed by King • HOB stays but new Privy Council ratifies • Church of England established as legal church • Settlers pay taxes to church clergy

25. Other Colonies Caribbean, Restoration and Proprietary Colonies

26. The Caribbean • Caribbean colonies were extremely profitable • Sugar profits exceeded all of those of the mainland colonies • 2/3 of English migrants headed for the Caribbean • Barbados was the jewel of the region • Indenture turned to kidnapping then convicts then slaves

27. Restoration Colonies • Upon the ascension of Charles II new colonies were chartered • 1614 Dutch established trading outposts at Albany and New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island • Dutch welcomed traders across nations and religions • English conquered and divided into New York and Jersey • William Penn was given a land grant for a debt owed and established a tolerant Pennsylvania • Carolinas opened as a store colony to supply the Caribbean • Settled similar to Chesapeake, split between NC/SC 1700s • Founders sought profit and a buffer with Spanish Florida