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Colonial

America

The English Establish Colonies

in the New World

England Challenges Spain

• With England’s defeat of the Spanish

Armada in 1588, other countries saw that

Spain could be beaten, and some decided

to challenge Spanish land claims.

• Many explorers from several countries

continued to search for a water route

called the NORTHWEST PASSAGE that

would take them through the American

landmass and onto Asia.

For many

years,

explorers

searched

for a

waterway

through

North

America

that would

lead to

Asia.

A route was eventually found in the 20th Century.

• Throughout the late 1500s, and into the

1600s countries like Holland, France, and

England continued their explorations,

sometimes setting up colonies. The

French were successful in establishing

colonies in Canada, and the Dutch were

actually the first Europeans to colonize

what is now New York. New York City’s

original name was New Amsterdam.

New Amsterdam in 1660

Two Early English Colonies Fail • As early as 1585,

the English tried to

establish a colony on

the east coast of

North America.

• It was located on an

island called

Roanoke off the

coast of modern-day

North Carolina.

Sir Walter Raleigh, a soldier, statesman,

and adventurer who served under Queen

Elizabeth I received permission to start a

colony. The colonists originally relied on

Native Americans for food, but when the

natives realized they were planning to stay

and use the land, the food supply was cut

off. In the following year of 1586, the

surviving colonists returned to England.

Sir Walter Raleigh

was a favorite of

Queen Elizabeth I,

who never married.

She never married,

and was known as

the “Virgin Queen”.

That is where

“Virginia” got its

name.

• In 1587, an artist named John White

convinced Raleigh to try again, with White

as the governor.

• That year, along with over 100 settlers

returned to Roanoke Island.

• In the summer, White’s daughter Elinor

gave birth to a little girl named Virginia,

the first English child born in North

America.

• In late 1587, White returned to England for

some much needed supplies, promising to

return the next year.

• However, England’s war with Spain and other

delays prevented John White from returning

until 1590.

• When John White and his crew arrived, they

found the settlement eerily quiet and

abandoned with no sign of the more than 100

men, women, and children that had been left

there.

The only clue that could be found was the

word “Croatoan” carved on a post, and “Cro”

carved on a tree. Croatoan was the name of

some friendly Indians located on a nearby

island. John White wanted to search for the

colonists, but his crew refused, as a large

storm was brewing. They were blown out to

sea and lost their anchor. Low on supplies,

they headed back to England. John White

was never able to return and look for them.

The “Lost” Colony

What Might Have Happened?

There are theories that maybe they moved

to another area, or that maybe the Spanish

found the colony and killed or enslaved

them. Some speculated that maybe they

even tried to sail back to England

themselves and didn’t make it. One of the

more accepted theories is that they joined

with some natives either by choice or force.

There is possible evidence of this.

• In 1607, another

colony called

Sagadahoc was tried

in what is now the

state of Maine.

• Fights among the

colonists (many of

them convicts),

clashes with Natives,

a harsh winter, and

food shortages, forced

the people to go back

to England.

Financing a Colony • Sir Walter Raleigh had

financed the colony at

Roanoke and lost his

investment.

• The English now tried

forming joint-stock

companies with

multiple investors.

• Investors would now

share both profits and

losses.

• Merchants organized

the Virginia Company

of London and also

the Virginia Company

of Plymouth.

• King James I granted

CHARTERS to both

companies giving

them permission to

establish colonies.

In 1607, the Virginia Company of London

financed a colonial attempt to the

Chesapeake Bay area. More than 100

colonists sailed up the James River to look

for a place to settle. They found a spot, and

named their colony Jamestown after the

king. They picked a terrible spot for the

colony. It was swampy, and many colonists

died from malaria.

The drinking water was also unclean.

Instead of spending their time building

shelters and trying to grow food, many of

the men spent valuable time looking for

gold, which was not to be found. The hot,

humid summers, and bitter winter cold took

their toll. By January of 1608, there were

only 38 colonists still alive.

Jamestown Grows • Later in 1608, a

soldier and

adventurer named

John Smith took

control.

• Smith announced,

“He that will not

work shall not eat”.

• His methods began

to work.

• He also persuaded the Powhatan tribe to trade

corn to the colonists.

• Unfortunately, in 1609 he was injured in a

gunpowder explosion and had to return to

England.

• That same year more than 800 English settlers

arrived in Jamestown.

• Unfortunately, tensions rose again with the

Natives, and they stopped trading with the

settlers and attacked them.

During a period known as the “starving

time”, the colonists ate rats, mice, and

snakes. Only 60 colonists remained when

in 1610, a new governor arrived, and things

began to get better. In 1612, a man named

John Rolfe developed a high-grade

tobacco that grew well in the area, and

became very popular in England. Tobacco

really helped save Jamestown.

The colony continued to grow, and the

Virginia Company began to let people own

their own land, and they worked even

harder. The company offered a 50-acre

land grant for each man, woman, or child

who could pay their way to the colony. The

first Africans also arrived in 1619, many of

them as slaves. Jamestown’s population

jumped to 2,000.

Indentured Servants • More workers were needed, but not everyone

could afford to pay for the passage to America.

• Some became INDENTURED SERVANTS.

• These were men and women who sold their

labor to the person who agreed to pay for their

passage to the colony.

• After working for a set number of years, they

could have their freedom and could become

farmers or take up a trade of their own.

Conflicts With the Powhatan • Cultural differences between the settlers

and Powhatan continued to worsen.

• In an effort to improve relations, John

Rolfe married Chief Powhatan’s daughter

Pocahontas in 1614.

• Things improved somewhat but there

were still tensions.

• In 1622, after settlers continued to

develop land, the natives killed hundreds.

The House of Burgesses

Some of the colonists wanted to have

more local control over their affairs,

eventually, “burgesses” or elected

representatives were allowed to meet

yearly, starting in 1619. This was the

first elected assembly in America.

Voyage of the Mayflower

In the early 1500s King Henry IIIV broke

away from the Catholic Church and formed

his own Church of England. In the early

1600s, a group of people known as

SEPARATISTS wanted to completely break

with the Church of England because they

thought it was “too Catholic”. The

PILGRIMS were a separatist group that

were especially persecuted in England.

• For awhile, the Pilgrims moved to Holland, a

country that was more accepting of them.

• After awhile, the Pilgrims became dissatisfied

with life there and approached the Virginia

Company about settling in America.

• They were given permission, and set off on the

Mayflower, but were blown off course. In

November of 1620 they landed to the north of

Virginia at a place called Plymouth, and

decided to sign the MAYFLOWER COMPACT.

• The men who signed the agreement vowed to

obey laws agreed upon for the good of all.

The Plymouth Colony • Like the settlers at

Jamestown, the

Pilgrims at Plymouth

endured a starving

time.

• That first winter, over

half of the colonists

died, mainly from

starvation and

disease.

Things Begin to Improve • The following spring,

the colonists met an

Indian named Samoset

who had learned

English from European

fisherman.

• He introduced them to

Squanto, a native who

had earlier been taken

captive, and had lived

in England.

• Squanto helped work

out differences

between the Pilgrims

and the Natives.

• He also helped teach

them ways to hunt,

fish, and plant crops.

• Trade began to grow,

and the settlers were

preparing goods to

ship back to England.

The First Thanksgiving

It was common for both English and Native

American people to have harvest

celebrations. In 1621, sometime during the

Fall, a three-day feast was held that

included both the Pilgrims and some

Natives. The meal helped symbolize how

the two groups were working together, and

that the Pilgrims were giving thanks to God

for the harvest.

The Puritans Come to Massachusetts

• Between 1630 and

1640, another

religious group

known as the

PURITANS left

England.

• Approximately

20,000 crossed the

Atlantic to America.

• Unlike the Pilgrims who just wanted to

separate themselves from the Church of

England, Puritans wanted to completely

reform or “purify” the Church.

• They received a charter to settle north of

the Plymouth Colony.

• They were better financed and better

supplied than the Pilgrims were, and

therefore, didn’t suffer as much.

The Puritans led a very strict life. The

center of their towns was the meetinghouse,

where frequent meetings were held. By

law, all Puritans in a town had to attend

church where they stressed strong beliefs in

duty to God, hard work, and honesty.

Puritans wanted everyone to read the Bible,

so laws were passed that required that all

children learn to read.

Some Puritans set

up other colonies

in places like

Connecticut and

New Hampshire.

Others, who had

disagreements

with the church left

to form their own

colonies.

• Roger Williams was a

minister who didn’t

believe in forced

church attendance.

• He also didn’t believe

in the forced taking of

land from natives.

• He was forced to

leave Massachusetts,

and started a

settlement in what is

now Rhode Island.

• Anne Hutchinson

believed a person

could worship God

without the help of a

church or minister.

• She also would hold

Bible study sessions in

her home.

• She was eventually

put on trial, and forced

to move to Rhode

Island.

The Quakers

The Quakers were a religious group who

got their name from the way they would

tremble or shake “at the word of the Lord”.

They believed that people could know God

through an “inner light”. They also

believed in treating Natives fairly.

Because of these beliefs, Quakers were

sometimes whipped, imprisoned, and

hanged. Some went to Rhode Island.

The Middle Colonies • The Middle Colonies

included New York,

New Jersey,

Delaware, and

Pennsylvania.

• Settlers included

Swedes, Dutch,

English, Germans,

and Africans.

• Protestants,

Catholics, Jews and

Quakers also came

for religious freedom.

• The Dutch originally

colonized the land

along the Hudson

River.

• Because they wanted

to grow, their leader

attacked a Swedish

settlement along the

Delaware River.

• When they became a

threat to England,

action was taken.

England didn’t want another power between

its colonies in New England and Virginia. In

1664, the king’s brother, the Duke of York

appeared in the harbor of New Amsterdam

with some warships. The colony

surrendered, and was renamed New York in

honor of the Duke. The Duke also owned

land that became the colony of New Jersey

after he gave some of the land to his

friends.

• Pennsylvania was founded by William

Penn who was a Quaker.

• He welcomed people of different religions

and ethnic groups, and also believed in

treating the Natives fairly.

• In 1704, William Penn granted the three

lower counties of Pennsylvania their own

legislative assembly. They eventually

formed their own colony of Delaware.

Does William

Penn look at

all familiar to

you?

• The Southern

Colonies

included

Maryland,

Virginia, North

Carolina, South

Carolina and

Georgia.

A man named Lord

Baltimore founded the

colony of Maryland as

a refuge for England’s

persecuted Catholics.

Maryland based its

economy on tobacco

which required the

use of slaves or

indentured servants.

• The Carolinas were founded by English

colonists from the Caribbean island of

Barbados.

• They built the settlement of Charleston in

1670, and made money by cutting timber,

raising cattle and trade with the Natives.

• Slaves were imported to grow rice and

indigo, a plant that can be used to make a

blue dye.

• The Carolinas eventually split into two

separate colonies in 1729.

Georgia was

originally founded

in 1732 by a man

named James

Oglethorpe as a

refuge for debtors.

The English were

hoping it would act

as a buffer between

Spanish Florida

and French

Louisiana.

By 1732, the

English had

established 13

colonies along the

Atlantic Seaboard.