Chapter 3 & 4The English Colonies

The First English Colonies• In the late 1500’s, the English government was envious

of the wealth that Spain had taken from its American colonies. The English people, faced with few job opportunities at home, hoped to find riches in America.• They were unaware of the dangers waiting for them on America’s

eastern shores• Roanoke Island• Queen Elizabeth I gave Sir Walter Raleigh permission to sponsor

England’s first American colony. Raleigh, a soldier and adventurer, establish the colony in 1585 on Roanoke Island. He named the colony Virginia

• Jamestown• In 1607 100 colonist, sent by the Virginia Company of London,

sailed into the Chesapeake Bay. The settlement was named Jamestown in honor of King James I. This became the first permanent English colony.

Financing a Colony• After Roanoke island had failed many merchants tried

to finance colonies through a Joint-stock company• Joint- Stock companies were funded by investors people who

put money into a project to earn profits

The two joint stock companies that colonized America1. Virginia Company of London 2.  Virginia Company of Plymouth

• Colonies were important in mercantilism• An economic system that European nations used to enrich

their treasuries.

• King James granted charters to both companies in 1606.• A charter was a written document, issued by a government,

giving the company the right to establish a colony.

Jamestown• The colony’s early years were troubled. Colonist

became ill from diseases carried by water or insects. To make matters worse, the London Company had promised that the colony would be rich with gold. • Settlers searched for treasure instead of building houses and

planting crops

By January 1608, only 38 of the colonist remained alive. Later that year, John Smith, a soldier and adventurer, took control.

“ He that will not work shall not eat”• Unable to find gold, the colonist discovered

another product that could bring them wealth- Tobacco.

Jamestown• Tobacco farms began spreading along the James River. This

established the pattern for the entire Chesapeake Bay- the region's many rivers allowed planters to ship their crops directly to England.

• To attract settlers, the Virginia Company offered a headright, a 50 acre land grant for anyone who could pay his or her way to the colony. Those who could not afford passage to America often became indentured servants. These men or women agreed to work without pay for a landlord if they landlord paid for their passage. (4-6 years)

• Settlers soon became frustrated at the lack of self government. So the Virginia Company decided that burgess or elected representatives, would meet once a year. The House of Burgesses created in 1619, was the first representative assembly in the colonies.

• After an uprising King James turned Virginia into a Royal Colony - a colony is ruled by the king’s appointed officials.

New England Colonies• Farms and Towns

• Farming in New England was not easy. The growing season was short, and the soil in many places was rocky. Most Farmers practiced subsistence farming – producing just enough food for themselves and sometimes a little extra to trade in town.

• Harvesting the Sea• The Atlantic Ocean offered many economic opportunities. • Whaling and Fishing Grounds• Timber• Iron

• Northern Colonist were partly responsible for slave trade in America because Slaves were part of the Triangular Trade from which Northerners profited• Coastal towns like Boston, Salem and Newport grew rich and

the English Government started to notice.

Navigation Acts• England wanted to make sure that they profited

from colonial prosperity. So the English government began passing the Navigation Acts• All goods had to be carried on English ships or on ships

made in the English Colonies• Products such as tobacco, wood and sugar could be sold

only to England or its colonies• European imports to the colonies had to pass through

English ports• Officials were to tax any colonial goods not shipped to

England.

New England Religion The Pilgrims

- A pilgrim is a person who goes on a religious journey• On a cold November day in 1620, the Pilgrims, traveling on a ship

called the Mayflower, arrived off Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast. They called their settlement Plymouth.

• The Pilgrims landed beyond the limits of the Virginia Company, so their charter didn’t apply. They were far from government authority and laws of England so they created the Mayflower Compact – Self Government

The Puritans• In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Company, a joint stock company

owned by Puritan merchants, received a royal charter to settle New England. The Charter Gave the colony freedom to govern itself• Founded Boston – most important town in New England• Great Migration- Between 1630 and 1640 20,000 settlers crossed

the Atlantic Ocean

Puritan Values• The Puritans set up their ideal society- a religious “common wealth” of

tightly kit communities. • They formed self governing congregations- a group of people who belong to the same

church

• Puritan values helped the colonist organize their society and overcome the hardships of colonial life. • Hard work- as a way of honoring God. The Puritan work ethic contributed to the

colony's rapid growth• Education – Because the Puritans wanted everyone to be able to read the Bible, laws

required that all children learn to read• Representative Government- Puritans brought their traditions of town meetings and

local self-government with them to America.

Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay colony could be called hypocrites because they escaped religious intolerance yet persecuted those who were not Puritans.

• Salem Witch Trials• Roger Williams• Anne Hutchinson

The Southern Colonies• In 1634, the second Southern colony, Maryland, was settled on the

Chesapeake Bay. Maryland was also intended to be a new kind of society, free from the religious conflicts of Europe. • Act of Toleration- forbade religious persecution

• In the 1690’s, Caronia's colonist started exporting rice. They learned how to cultivate this crop from enslaved Africans• Growing rice required a large labor force. So planters imported more enslaved

Africans to do the work• The Southern Colonial economy differed greatly from those of the Northern and

Middle colonies because its geography led to the plantation system using slaves• The owners of the plantation's were considered elite of this society.• At first planters tried to enslave Native Americans

• Stono Rebellion

• Eliza Lucas• Introduced indigo, which was a plant that produced a deep blue dye used to dye

clothes.

Middle Colonies• The Middle Colonies had much to offer in addition

to a climate of tolerance. Immigrants were drawn to the regions productive land• Among the immigrants who came to the Middle Colonies

were Dutch and German farmers. • Their skills, knowledge, and hard work produced an

abundance of foods.

• Middle colonies enjoyed a longer growing season than New England and a soil rich enough to grow cash crops. • Fruits, Vegetables, Grain “Breadbasket colonies”

• The excellent harbors of the Middle Colonies were ideal sites for cities. • Philadelphia – Fastest growing city

Backcountry• The Backcountry was a region of dense forest and

rushing streams in or near the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian stretch from eastern Canada south Alabama.

• Tensions Rise in the Ohio River Valley*Sparks the French and Indian

Climate Resources

Economy Ethnic Backgrou

nd

Social Class

Predominant

Religion

New England Colonies

Long winters;

short growing season

Rocky soil; good

fishing grounds

Small farms, fishing

and trade

English Middle Class

Puritans

Middle Colonies

Short winters

Fertile soil

Large farms, cash crops

European immigran

ts, Africans in cities

The Poor; middle class

Quakers

Southern Colonies

Warm; nearly year

round growing season

Fertile soil

Plantation

economy

English and

other Europeans, Many

enslaved Africans

Rich, noble

families, the poor, indenture

d servants,

slaves

Anglicans

The Backcount

ry

varied Woods and

streams

Small farms

Scots-Irish and Native

Americans

Poor, independ

ent farmers

Presbyterians