SSUSH1 COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH SETTLEMENT AND COLONIZATION DURING THE 17TH CENTURY
British North America All the colonies developed economies that allowed settlers to survive & even prosper, yet each colony differed in its religious, cultural, & political customs.
Mercantilism and the Transatlantic Trade (1a) Founders of the colonies were influenced by the economic theory called mercantilism. Limited supply of wealth in the form of natural resources. To become a stronger nation was to acquire the most wealth. Colonies existed to strengthen the material welfare of the founding nation. Colonies could not become manufacturing or trading competitors of the founding nation. Explorers returned with reports of timber and fur. Began to think that colonization would be the most efficient means to engage in trade and to increase England’s power. Raw materials (N.A. -> Europe) Manufactured goods (Europe -> Africa. Enslaved Africans (West Africa -> Caribbean or American Colonies)
Southern Colonies (1b) Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland Reasons Established Impact of location/ Economic Development All the colonies developed economies that allowed settlers to survive & even prosper, yet each colony differed in its religious, cultural, & political customs. Virginia: Business venture Maryland: Refuge for Catholics Carolinas: Keep France and Spain away (eventually split) Georgia: James Oglethorpe and English debtors. Large farms/plantations to cultivate cash crops/ tobacco Agriculture Long growing season perfect for crops such as tobacco and rice Colonists main trading partner “Mother” country/England so plantations located near rivers to transport cash crops to England
Southern Colonies (1b) Relations with American Indians Sometimes good, sometimes bad. colonists initially traded with the Rappahannock Indians struggled with the growing colony and loss of their land Slavery was very abundant in the southern colonies. There were many occasions in which colonists captured Indians and sold them into the slave trade
New England Colonies (1c) Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Reasons Established Impact of location/ Economic Development Massachusetts: established by the puritans to pursue a better life. Rhode Island: religious dissenters from Massachusetts Connecticut: puritans of a “different group” New Hampshire: economic (export wood and fish) Small family farms [No need for slaves] Establishment of churches and towns built around church congregations Colonists had little to trade to “Mother” country/England so precedent of illegal trading/smuggling common in New England – precedent of commerce and business Religious intolerance led to creation of other colonies Summers were warm; winters long and cold. Growing season: Five months long
New England Colonies (1c) Relations with American Indians Uneasy mix of cooperation and conflict At first, trading occurred with the Europeans. Afterwards, conflicts arose. King Philips War Peace was attempted between the American Indians and the Southern New England Colonies.
Mid-Atlantic Colonies (1d) New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania Reasons Established Impact of Location/ Economic Development New York: settled by the Dutch; conquered and renamed. Pennsylvania: religious tolerant Quakers; “Holy Experiment” New Jersey: Agriculture Economy Delaware: small trading Colonists main trading partner other colonies and then Mother England – need for infrastructure to bring goods to eastern/southern colonies Tolerance was a key characteristic in Philadelphia and New York – led to diversity of cultures Breadbasket colonies – cash crops like wheat, barley, and rye
Mid-Atlantic Colonies (1d) Relations with American Indians Proximity to Native Americans led to peaceful coexistence between colonists and American Indians Tribes were very friendly to the white and welcomed trade with the colonists in the beginning. Did not remain good for long. With the rapidly rising population amongst the colonists, the land became more and more of a commodity.