English Colonization Early Settlements

English Colonization In the late 1500s, the English began to establish colonies on the east coast of North America. Some colonists came for land, others for gold, and still others for religious freedom.

The First English Settlements Lost Colony of Roanoke (1585- 1590) The first attempt for an English colony was off the coast of present-day North Carolina on Roanoke Island It was abandoned. The circumstances of its end are a mystery.

Jamestown Virginia becomes the first permanent English settlement.

Jamestown (1607) Jamestown almost failed in its first year due to starvation and disease Survived due to: Assistance from local Native Americans-Powhatan.( (This did not last long) Leadership of John Smith- “No Work, Not Food” The colonists found a dependable source of income to sustain the colony: tobacco.

Jamestown (1607) In 1619, Virginia’s lawmaking body, the House of Burgesses, was elected. The House of Burgesses marked the start of representative government in North America. Representative government: system of government with a law-making body that is elected by the people.

Plymouth Colony(1620) In the 1500s, English subjects were expected to support the Church of England, and they could be punished if they had different beliefs The Separatists wanted to separate from the Church of England and practice Christianity in their own way. Between 1607 and 1609, several groups of separatist left England and settled in Holland

Plymouth Colony(1620) A group of Separatist, known as Pilgrims sailed for Virginia aboard a ship called the Mayflower. A storm blew them off course, and so they landed in present-day Massachusetts. The Pilgrims called their new home Plymouth.

Plymouth Colony(1620) Before leaving the ship, 41 men signed the Mayflower Compact, a document that called for a representative government. The Mayflower Compact was the first document in which American colonists claimed a right to govern themselves.