colonial america. early attempts vikings reach canada – 1000ad spanish columbus 1492 ponce de leon...
TRANSCRIPT
Early Attempts
• Vikings reach Canada – 1000AD• Spanish• Columbus 1492• Ponce de Leon reaches Florida 1513• St. Augustine 1565
• British• Roanoke 1580s• Jamestown 1607
Why Britain colonized America
• Land Pressures in Britain– Enclosures– Population Growth
• Trading Companies
• Mercantilism– Strengthen state through trade, resources– Competition with other empires (Spain, France)
Roanoke• Raleigh received Charter 1584• Grenville arrives with settlers Spring 1585• Left in August, 1585 • 75 men left behind, promised to return in next
spring• He was late returning, so in June,1586, Drake (he
was passing by) taxied colonists back to England
• Grenville returns soon after, leaves men again• 1587, Grenville sent 117 more in under John
White• Found 1 skeleton!• White’s daughter gave birth to Virginia Dare• George Howe is killed while crabbing• John White returned to England for help1587
• Did not return until 1590! (War, then pirating)
Chartered Companies (Early 1600s)
• London Company (Virginia)• Cape Fear, NC to Long Island
• Plymouth Company (Pilgrims)• Chesapeake Bay to New Brunswick
Jamestown & Colonial Virginia
• Jamestown founded in 1607 by London Co.
• Followed 30 years of failed efforts
• Bad spot – powerful Indian tribes, swamps
• By 1624 only 1,300 of first 8,500 colonists still alive
Major Milestones in Virginia
• Began to plant tobacco (1612)
• First Africans arrive as labor (1619)
• First representative assembly (1619)
• Virginia Co. bankrupt, crown takes control (1624)
• Population begins to grow; 8,000 by 1640
Major Milestones in Virginia
• Indian tribes and colonial government agree on line separating control along Blue Ridge Mountains (1644)
• Colonial population continues to grow (16,000 by 1650, 40,000 by 1660) and colonists keep moving west
• Tensions between colonists in east, west
Colonial Massachusetts
• Pilgrims land far north of Virginia in 1620
• Other Puritans follow – 1,000 in 1630 under Mass. Bay Co.
• John Winthrop seeks “City Upon a Hill” (theocracy?)
Origins of Puritanism
• Reform movement in English Anglican Church, began around 1560
• Movement a response to view that:– Anglican Church structure too
hierarchical– Religious practices too close to
Catholicism
Major Puritan Beliefs
• Original Sin– Humans by nature sinful; they can only achieve grace
through self-examination and self discipline.
• Emphasis on Community– Community had right to make sure members adhered to
community standards and expectations.
• Predestination– Person born as one of the elect (will go to heaven) or
not. Best evidence? Live life rightly.
Evidence of a Life Lived Rightly
• Public confession of an experience of conversion
• Being a good member of the faith, following its moral codes
• Being frugal, self reliant and hard-working– Ideally leads to wealth
Politics in Puritan Massachusetts
• Theocracy? Yes & No• Puritan men had
influence in selecting church leaders
• Puritan men had vote in selecting colony’s elected assembly
• Emphasis on education, schools
The end of Puritan control
• As colony’s population grew, it also grew more diverse (more non-Puritans)
• After 62 years, charter of 1692 gave all males the right to vote
• However, Puritan cultural influence remains– Emphasis on hard work, democracy, education,
‘exceptional’ nature of society (City Upon a Hill)
Diverse Colonies
• Unlike Va. and Mass. most colonies “proprietorships”
• Maryland – Founder Catholic but most colonists Protestants
• New York diverse (English, Dutch, German, French, etc.)
Diverse Colonies
• Pennsylvania founded by Quaker, prospered from start, good relations with Indians
• Georgia last established (1733), created as barrier to Spanish, home for poor of England
Similarities across colonies
• Most people work in agriculture (80%)
• Representative assemblies take root
• Less class-based than in England
• More social mobility than in England– Land plentiful, laborers not
Differences: North and South
Southern Colonies
•Good agricultural lands
•Large-scale agriculture
•Slavery extensive, expanding
•Little manufacturing
•Religion less important
Northern Colonies
•Not as bountiful
•Small-scale agriculture
•Slavery fades
•Rifles, furniture, ships, lumber, fishing
•Religion central