English Settlements

English Settlements Several factors led to England’s growth in colonization: defeat of Spanish Armada, population growth (economic growth), joint stock companies

Jamestown • King James I chartered Virginia Co. (joint-stock) that est. first permanent English colony in N. America in 1607 • Great hardships: Indian attacks, famine and disease • Many settlers wanted gold! And refused to farm/hunt • Captain John Smith’s leadership helped the struggling colony • John Rolfe est. tobacco industry

Jamestown John Rolfe • John Rolfe develops a sweeter strain of tobacco to sell in Europe • Marries Pocahontas • This brings financial prosperity to the colony • This required a large labor force: indentured servants • In 1619 African slaves arrive for the first time • Both are used for labor

Jamestown • The Virginia Company fell heavily into debt and went bankrupt • The company’s charter was revoked in 1624 and Virginia came under the direct control of King James I • Virginia became the first royal colony

Puritan Colonies • Religious Motivation (Plymouth and Mass. Bay) • Settled by English Protestants who were influenced by John Calvin’s teachings, including predestination • In the early 1600s many people in England wanted to change the Church of England • They wanted to “purify” their church of Catholic influences • James I viewed these Protestants as a threat and had them arrested and jailed

The Plymouth Colony • Separatists: wanted to organize a completely separate church, independent of royal control • These Pilgrims first migrated to Holland and then to America • Set sail for VA in 1620 • After 65 days the Mayflower landed off MA coast • Rather than go to VA they est. Plymouth Colony

The Plymouth Colony • After a harsh winter the settlers at Plymouth befriend the Native Americans and adapt to the land • First Thanksgiving: 1621 • Strong leadership of Capt. Miles Standish and Gov. William Bradford • Fish, furs and lumber help the economy grow

Massachusetts Bay Colony • Charles I continued to persecute Puritans, so another group set out for religious freedom (not Separatists) • They gained a royal charter and in 1630 about one thousand set sail, led by John Winthrop • They landed in MA and founded Boston • The English civil war drove thousands out of England (Great Migration), many to MA Bay Colony

Early Political Institutions • Plymouth: Aboard the Mayflower the Pilgrims drew up and signed the Mayflower Compact • Pledged to make decisions by the will of the majority • Represented early form of colonial self-govt. and early form of written constitution

Early Political Institutions • The VA Company sought to encourage settlement in Jamestown by guaranteeing colonists the same right they had had in England • This included the right to be represented in the lawmaking process • IN 1619, 12 years after the founding of Jamestown, VA’s colonists organized the first representative assembly in America: Virginia House of Burgesses

Early Political Institutions • In the MA Bay Colony there were limited democratic actions • All free men – male members of the Puritan Church-had the right to participate in yearly elections of the colony’s governor and his assistants

Early Political Institutions • Only male property owners could vote in the colonies • Women and those who did not own land had few rights • Indentured servants and slaves had practically no rights • Many colonial governors ruled with autocratic powers, answering only to the king • Therefore, democracy in the Americas developed slowly

The 13 Colonies • Chesapeake Colonies: MD and VA • MD: Act of Toleration • VA: House of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, headright system • New England Colonies: RI, CT, NH, MA • RI: Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson • CT: The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut • NH: royal colony

The 13 Colonies • Restoration Colonies: NC, SC, NY, NJ, PA, DE • NC & SC: agriculture and slavery • NY: New Amsterdam to NY • PA: William Penn, Quakers, “Holy Experiment” • Last Colony: GA • GA: defensive buffer, debtor destination

Slavery • Slave population grew rapidly in late 1600s and early 1700s • By 1750 half of VA’s and 2/3s of SC’s population were slaves • Increased demand for slaves: • 1.) reduced migration • 2.) Dependable work force (indentured servants=Bacon’s Rebellion) • 3.) Cheap Labor

Slavery

Detailed Drawing of a Slave Ship

Slavery • White colonists enacted laws to ensure Africans remained in bondage • Whites regarded blacks (whether slave or free) as inferior • Racism and slavery became an integral part of American colonial society

African Slave Trade

Slavery • Triangular Trade: many colonial merchants entered the profitable slave trade • Rum from New England to W. Africa to be traded for slaves • Middle Passage to West Indies, where slave were traded for sugarcane • Return to New England to trade sugar for rum

Triangle Trade

Africans in America • Slave life in the South was very tough, as rice growing was much harder than tobacco • Many blacks in America evolved their own languages, blending their native tongues with English. Gullah • Blacks also contributed to music with instruments like the banjo and bongo drum • A few of the slaves became skilled artisans( carpenter, bricklayer)

Africans in America

Africans in America • Revolts did occur • In 1712, a slave revolt in NYC cost the lives of a dozen whites and 21 blacks were executed • N 1739, SC blacks along the Stono R. revolted and tried to march to Spanish Florida, but failed

Slave Rebellions

English Settlements