british colonization
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North Atlantic Exploration and the Chesapeake . British Colonization. Early Atlantic Economy. Richard Hakluyt’s Argument. Richard Hakluyt made argument to English royals and merchants in favor of British colonization in the Americas: Main points: Agriculture and wealth to be found - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
BRITISH COLONIZATION
North Atlantic Exploration and the Chesapeake
Early Atlantic Economy
Richard Hakluyt’s Argument• Richard Hakluyt made argument to English royals and
merchants in favor of British colonization in the Americas:• Main points:
• Agriculture and wealth to be found• It’s easy – open areas of N. America, no interference or
conflicts with Spanish (or other powers)• No competition for wealth, power, control• Religion – spread Christianity to new areas of the world• Protestantism – spread British Anglicanism instead of
Catholicism• Safety valve for the poor – Britain’s many poor can be
relocated to Americas, making them useful, and getting them out of the Crown’s hair
Hakluyt Map, 1599
British Economic Motives
Competition with Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and French Explored and exploited northern Atlantic waters for fish
(cod) for centuries before formal colonization of Americas Wanted what Spain had: riches, gold, silver Found out that it was harder than it looked:
Very little gold and silver in N. America Hostile native populations, less-densely populated, large
wilderness they could flee into Hostile environment (experience of first settlers in
Chesapeake and New England?)
THE CHESAPEAKEProblems and Developments, 1607-1650
First English Settlements inthe Chesapeake, 1607-1652
Jamestown, 1607
English settled in Powhatan territories
The Chesapeake: Environmental Factors
• Jamestown was settled in horrible spot – good for protection and water travel, bad for living• Hot and humid• Swampy• Tidal waters: mixture of fresh and saltwater,
bacteria, fecal matter, unfit for human consumption
• Disease vector: climate, water, mosquitoes, human and animal waste
The Chesapeake: Native Americans• Algonquian tribes dominated eastern woodlands
from Canada to Virginia• Paramount Chief Powhatan dominated
Chesapeake region• What options were available to English at
Jamestown?• How did English goals, ideals, and preconceptions
of colonization affect the outcome?
Native American and British Settlements, early 1600s
Comparison: Native & French Relations A different model than N.A.-English relations Based on the fur trade – after 1608, the French had est.
fur trading posts in Quebec and along the St. Lawrence River
Missionaries – sent to convert natives, lived with them French had to work and live with native groups
Learned customs, language to achieve their ends Intermarriage
Trade as center of relationship – search for common ground, fair trade, and respect
Creation of “middle ground” – balance of power, maintenance of relationships and respect over time
John White’s Watercolors
• English scientist and artist at Roanoke Colony, 1585
• Watercolors documented Native American – Algonquin – life
• A Road Not Taken?• Depicted Native Americans in realistic manner,
not idealized or caricatured• Depictions show respect for and interest in
native life and customs
English-Native American RelationsDifferent than French-Indian relationsBritish only used trade relations when it suited
them – when they needed corn to survive first few years
Broke agreements and raided Algonquin towns Distrust and animosity grewNative attacks on Roanoke Colony and Jamestown
after initial English violenceThree wars between 1610 and 1646
English Mishaps
Bad choice of settlement siteToo many explorers, wealthy, tradesmen with little to
know willpower to grow cropsDependence on Powhatan Indians who didn’t want
them thereBad luck: harsh winters, hot summers, droughtMalnutrition, disease, lazinessBetween April and Sept., half of 104 original settlers
were dead; only 38 alive by following spring
King TobaccoEnglish searched for way to make colony lucrative and
successfulJohn Rolfe bred new type of tobacco – gained English and
European marketsTobacco Fever - Frenzy to buy land in Chesapeake for
tobacco, to sell as much as possibleThe first American get-rich schemeVirginia Co. gave land to stockholders and those who
settled in VirginiaTurned to indentured servants for labor (think about
Hakluyt’s argument from earlier) Tobacco Economy spurred population growth through
immigration and natural increase
Indentured Servitude
Curing, airing, and storing of Tobacco
Growing InequalityInequalities of wealth and power developed
quickly in the ChesapeakeReflected in land ownership patterns – wealthy
snatched up best lands near waterWealthy: more land, close to water, lower
transport costs = more tobacco, more profitsIndentured servants lacked wealth and powerIndentured servants mistreated, beaten, worked
to death in hot, humid, backbreaking labor Terms of service could be extended for minor
infractions, pregnancy
Tobacco Economy Dictated Land Use and Settlement Patterns
Great Chain of Being
GodAngelsMortals
(diff. levels of humans)
BirdsFishes
MammalsPlants
New Class Relations in AmericaMain question: How did American context affect
class relations?Paternal relations in England – the Great Chain of
BeingTraditional class relations: royalty, aristocracy,
peasantry – supposedly unchangingBut new wealth in America = new social classesHow did new economy affect class relations?What conflicts and how were they worked out?Who would have power in America if there was no
settled aristocracy or king present?
Future Topics and Themes
• Ongoing issues of power, wealth, land• Class issues and conflicts• Indentured servitude and the white poor• Servitude to Slavery• Political rights – who gets them?
Links
• Link to newspaper article on John White watercolors• Link to British Museum online exhibit of White’s watercolors• 3D Virtual Algonquin Village• Virtual Jamestown Site (with contracts of indenture, maps, etc.)• John White Watercolors, Fort Raleigh, NPS