Early British Colonies United States History Chapter 1 / Section 3

An English Settlement at Jamestown April, 1607 the Virginia Company’s threes ships landed in Jamestown. John Smith knew the colonists were in trouble because the company expected a quick return on their investment. This was due to the fact colonists more interested in searching for riches than farming.

Jamestown Settlement (cont’d) If that wasn’t bad enough infected river water spread disease. To make matters worse they starved. Smith held the colony together despite all the hardships. After receiving food from the Powhatan people, Smith forced the settlers to farm.

Jamestown Settlement (cont’d) As much as the colony struggled it was saved in 1609. It was saved by the arrival of new colonists and the development of a highly profitable crop, tobacco. By the late 1620’s colonists were exporting more than 1.5 million pounds of tobacco each year to England.

Tobacco Requires Labor Supply The crop was so valuable that it could even be used as currency, exchanged for goods and services. By 1618, the headright system was introduced; this gave land to each new immigrant. Sadly, most new immigrants were indentured slaves. First African slaves arrived in 1619 aboard a Dutch merchant ship. Slavery really began decades later.

Colonists Clash with Native Americans Colonists’ desire for more land, in hopes to accommodate their growing population and demand for crop space. However, the battles for land were brutal because the English drove everyone off the land they defeated. This is why the mestizo population never developed in our country.

Colonists Clash (cont’d) To accomplish running out the natives Jamestown leaders demanded tributes of corn and labor. Soldiers accomplished this by setting villages on fire and taking hostages of those who didn’t give tribute. Then in 1622, Powhatan’s sent raiding parties to strike colonists killing 340+. By 1644, the English were dominant in Virginia.

Economic Differences Split Virginia Caused by white men who were former indentured servants who had little money to buy land, couldn’t vote, and had little rights. (Most lived in what is now West Virginia) With little backing against the natives, Nathaniel Bacon, a young planter rebelled in 1676 to colonial leaders that frontier people were not represented. Did this occur 100 years later?

Puritans Create a “New England” Began when King Henry VIII broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530’s. Puritans felt that the new Church of England kept to many Catholic ideas. To fix this many wanted to reform the church from within. (met with opposition) Those who left Separtists. This is when people started to flee to the Americas. (Name of group?)

Massachusetts Bay Colony These were the Separatists who turned to New England in the 1620’s. Left because of religious persecution, political repression, and bad economy. Winthrop led this expedition and began the colony. Because of planning the colony was a success. People began to migrate here.

The Puritans Puritans believed they had a special agreement with God. In this agreement they felt obligated to create a moral society that served as a beacon for others. No effort was made to create a Democracy in the colony; however, not only stock holders got to vote but even male members of the Puritan church.

The Puritans (cont’d) Puritan views dominated Massachusetts society; taxes supported the church and laws required attendance. Unlike Virginia, Massachusetts Puritans crossed the Atlantic as families and not single men or women.

Dissent in the Puritan Community Puritans came to America to follow their religious beliefs, so this made them intolerant of those who didn’t. Roger Williams, believed English settlers no right to take native lands and that the government had no business punishing settlers for beliefs. Anne Hutchinson, another threat because was a woman.

Native Americans Resist Colonial Expansion As the population of the colonies continues to grow, people begin to move west. (Conn. and New Ham.) This started to scare Natives, their people were dying from disease and Europeans over running their lands. Ex: for every acre a colonial farmer needed, a native needed 20 acres to hunt, farm fish,etc. Why did natives struggle with English taking land? (pg.27)

Natives Resist Expansion (cont’d) In 1637 the Pequot people rose against colonists. However, the colonists had an alliance with the Narragansett an enemy of the Pequot. Once the Narragansett were surrounded the Pequot and English burned the fort down they had them trapped in. This scared other natives from the English.

King Philip’s War Tension continued for 40 years, especially since colonial population was more than 50,000. Deprived, natives work for English. These things led to King Philip’s War. War ends when food shortage, disease, and casualties forced natives to surrender.

Settlement of the Middle Colonies While English colonized New England, the Dutch founded one to the South. This colony started as early as 1609, when Henry Hudson established a fur trade with the Iroquois and built a trading post at Fort Orange. Which was located in present day Albany.

Dutch Found New Netherlands Founded by the Dutch West India Company in 1621. Colony open door to all people, there were free and enslaved people there. Relations in this colony were friendly with natives. However, in 1644 the English took over the colony and renamed it New York, after the duke of York.

Quakers Settle Pennsylvania King Charles II was in debt to William Penn, as payment he gave him land in America. Penn belonged to the Society of Friends, or Quakers; this group was Protestant and let any person speak as the spirit moved them. Plain people opposed war and to serve.

Quakers / Pennsylvania (cont’d) Unlike the Puritans the Quakers seemed to have some different feelings about the Americas. Penn felt like Roger Williams this land was that of the natives; so he saw to it they were paid for their lands. However, Quakers became minority in colony and slavery was prominent.

England and its Colonies Prosper According to Mercantilism how did a nation increase its wealth? A country that accomplished the ideas behind mercantilism became very powerful. Countries accomplished this through colonies. What other countries prospered?

England and its Colonies Prosper (Cont’d) By 1651 England tightened colonial trade by passing the Navigation Acts. They did what? Is this the beginning of the problems in the English colonies?