The English Colonies Settling the British Colonies 1585
The English Colonies Settling the British Colonies (1585 -1650)
Sir Walter Raleigh o Instrumental in the establishment of the Roanoke colony in the 1580 s o First settled in 1585 as a base for pirate ships o Poor relations with the native population o Found abandoned in 1590
Jamestown Colony o o o Settled in 1607 First “successful” English colony Organized by the Virginia Company of London
Jamestown Colony o Many settlers fell ill from disease o “Gentlemen” refused to do work o Not prepared to survive on their own • Relied on the local Powhatan Indians for food
Jamestown Colony John Smith o Captured by Chief Powhatan & may have been saved by his daughter, Pocahontas o Negotiated with the Powhatan to obtain access to more food o Implemented a “no work, no food” policy in the colony o Returned to England in 1609
Jamestown Colony o Tobacco saved the colony from financial disaster o John Rolfe developed a new strain of tobacco that flourished in Virginia • • Created a labor shortage Resulted in the introduction of the Headright System: § • Gave land to anyone who would pay the transportation costs of an indentured servant Led to the arrival of the first African slaves
The Plymouth Colony The Mayflower o Passengers included 102 men, women, & children • Made up of both “saints” & “strangers” o Arrived in New England in November 1620 • First landed in Cape Cod, then Provincetown, & finally Plymouth near the site of an abandoned Indian village o While on board, 41 Pilgrim leaders signed the Mayflower Compact
The Plymouth Colony The Mayflower Compact o Declared their support for King James I o Created a government to establish rules for the colony o Was an important step in colonial selfgovernment
The Plymouth Colony o o Nearly half died of exposure & disease during their first Winter Survived for a number of reasons: • • Strong leadership – William Bradford Help of Native Americans § § Squanto – served as an interpreter, taught the Pilgrims to grow corn & squash Massasoit – Wampanoag leader who signed a treaty of friendship with the Pilgrims
Massachusetts Bay Colony o o Founded in 1630 Elected John Winthrop as governor o Advocated that the Puritans establish a “city upon a hill” as an example to all people of what a godly community could be
Massachusetts Bay Colony o o o Governed by the General Court who then elected the governor Voting was restricted to church members Led to laws to protect authority & family values • Required church attendance & prohibited drunkenness, card playing, public kissing, etc. • Often punished with public shame & humiliation
Dissention in the Colony Roger Williams o o Called for the separation of church & state Declared that the colonists had no legal right to own land Banished in 1635 Moved to “Providence” & started his own colony o Purchased the land from the native populations & returned to England & received a charter from the Crown o Rhode Island became the 1 st colony to practice religious toleration
Dissention in the Colony Anne Hutchinson o o Challenged the authority of the ministers Put on trial in 1637 • One critic commented “You have stepped out of your place; you [would] have rather been a husband than a wife, a preacher than a hearer, & a magistrate than a subject. ” o Banished in 1638 • Went with her family & followers to an island south of Providence near present-day Portsmouth, RI
Connecticut o In 1633, a group from Plymouth settled in the Connecticut River Valley o Then in 1636, Thomas Hooker led about 100 Puritans from Massachusetts Bay to Connecticut o In 1639, he helped to draft the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a series of laws that provided for a government like that of Massachusetts • Key feature: Gave all free men the right to vote for their leaders
Pequot War (1636 -37) o Tension developed between Pequots & the colonists as the English expanded into Connecticut o Pequots attacked English town of Wethersfield following a raid on one of their villages o Colonists from MA & CT attacked the Pequot Village in Mystic About 400 died as the village was burned o Ended Pequot resistance to English expansion o
A Changing Landscape Native populations drop dramatically o o o From about 125, 000 in 1625 to 10, 000 in 1675 English settlement continued to expand Wild animals were replaced by domesticated ones Led to another series of conflicts in the 1670 s
King Phillip’s War (1675 -76) o Named after Metacom, son of Massasoit o Formed an alliance against the English o Attacked more than 50 English settlements o Led to English retaliation
King Phillip’s War (1675 -76) o English burned native villages & destroyed stores of food o o One of the bloodiest & costliest wars in American history o o Helped by their own native alliances with groups such as the Mohawks 1. 5% of the colonists, as well as 15% of the Native American population died Effectively ended Native American resistance in New England
South Carolina o Charles II granted land south of Virginia to 8 supporters in 1663 • Given the title of Lord Proprietors • Able to exercise their authority with virtual independence
South Carolina Background Settlement in the area began in 1670 o • • Many of its early settlers came from colonies in the Caribbean Learned to grow rice
South Carolina Search for a Labor Force o Indentured Servants o African Slaves • • Slaves for life Had knowledge of rice cultivation Immune to malaria & yellow fever Led to a black majority in South Carolina by the 1710 s
Georgia o Founded in 1732 & named for King George II o Created as a buffer between South Carolina & Spanish Florida
Georgia Background o A group of trustees was charged with ruling the colony in its early years • • One trustee, James Oglethorpe, was key to the colony’s early history Hoped the colony could serve as a haven for debtors who could leave jail if they agreed to relocate in Georgia Prohibited slavery & alcohol Limited landholdings to 500 acres
Georgia Early History o Ultimately, the population remained small & early goals were not reached • o By 1750, slavery had been legalized & size limits for landholdings were lifted Life began to resemble that in South Carolina with the rise of an elite planters who relied on slave labor
- Slides: 24