UNIT 2: European Colonization

A long time (about 500 years) ago on a continent far, far away …

• Renaissance brought new discoveries in shipbuilding, navigation, and mapmaking

• European countries began sailing oceans to find new trade routes to Asia

• Columbus’ discovery of the Americas led to race to establish colonies

Why Did They Want Colonies?• Mercantilism: trade wealth = national power• Countries needed natural resources to sell or

manufacture into trade goods• Colonies a source of raw materials (GOLD?!)

Meanwhile, back in Europe …

RELIGIOUS WARFARE!• Newly Protestant countries (ex. England)

feuding with Catholic countries (ex. Spain) over which Christianity is the right one

• Minority religious groups faced persecution (even death!)

• Most land owned by nobles or church – lack of economic opportunity for commoners

The Three G’s of European Exploration

•GOLD–Make money

•GLORY--Military heroes

•GOD–Religious Freedom OR spread Christianity to Native Americans

Who Colonized America?SPAIN (you learned about them in TX History):• Explored southern part of North America • Conquered and enslaved Natives in South and

Central America and American Southwest• Built missions, established farms, but few

large settlements – wanted to make Natives into Spanish citizens

FRANCE:• Explored and claimed Mississippi Valley

and central U.S. – named Louisiana after King Louis XIV

• Claimed eastern Canada• Few settlers – mostly wanted to find gold,

trap furs and trade • Established several important trade

centers – Montreal, Quebec, and New Orleans

and finally …ENGLAND• Settled eastern North America along Atlantic

coast; competed with French for Canada• Brought many settlers with families –

established towns, ports, and farming communities

• Not as concerned with missionary work – saw Natives as a threat to expansion

Unit 2 BIG IDEAS

1. English settlers came to America hoping to find economic opportunity and religious freedom they couldn’t have in Europe

2. Settlers endured many hardships such as disease, hunger, and Native conflicts before achieving successful colonies

3. English tradition, Protestant religion, and the distance from home led to representative governments in the colonies

VIRGINIA: The 1st English Colony

• Establishing colonies expensive – ships, men, tools, and supplies needed for success

• Joint stock company – investors buy stock in company, then share in profits or lose money

• Virginia Company founded to find investors for new colony in North America

• Charter - legal permission from a monarch (king or queen) to establish a colony – settlers have same rights as citizens at home

1607 - Jamestown

• Named after King James I• Chose deep water port on

James River – easy to defend from rival explorers

but …• Settlement on swampy land

with bad water• Mosquitos, disease, and

poor land for farming

What did Jamestown look like?

First Settlers• First group – 104 men (women came later)• “Gentlemen” – wealthy English and their

servants - not used to work• Indentured servants – poor men who sold

their labor for passage to Virginia• Arrived in May - too late to plant spring crops• Poor leadership - more concerned with

finding gold than survival • Over half die in first year …

Captain John Smith• 27 year old adventurer,

arrived in 1608• Captured by Powhattan

(Algonquin chief) –Pocahontas saved his life

• Took leadership role in Jamestown

• He who doesn’t work - doesn’t eat

“Starving Time”• John Smith wounded in 1609, returned to

England• Poor leadership, conflicts with Natives left

Jamestown unprepared for winter• Only 60 of 214 settlers survived – ate whatever

they could (even cannibalism), used buildings for firewood – settlement near failure

• Governor De la Warr arrived in 1610 with supplies and skilled builders – colony survived!

Tobacco Saves Jamestown• Jamestown losing money –

investors angry!• 1609 – John Rolfe brought Spanish

tobacco seeds from West Indies – grew well in Virginia soil and climate

• 1612 – introduced tobacco to Jamestown after it proved successful

• Tobacco popular in Europe – Jamestown now had profitable crop

Pocahontas Marries• Royal weddings used in Europe to make peace

between countries, so …• 1614 – John Rolfe married Pocahontas,

daughter of Chief Powhatan• Short period of peace followed …

1619 - House of Burgesses

• Colonists wanting more independence from Virginia Company rule

• Established House of Burgesses – members (burgesses) elected by male land owners to make laws for the colony

• First representative government in colonies

First Africans Arrive• Also in 1619, the first Africans arrived in

Jamestown as laborers• First more like servants than slaves, but true

slavery of Africans would become a major part of Virginia’s plantation economy

The Peace Ends• Settlers continued expansion on Native land• Chief Powhatan died, and new chief attacked

Jamestown in 1622 - 347 settlers killed• King revoked the Virginia Company’s charter

and made Virginia a Royal Colony• Fighting would continue on the frontier until

1645 • Natives forced to cede (give away) land and

recognize the authority of the King.