Chapter 4

The English Colonies

(1605 – 1735)

Chapter 4The English Colonies

(1605 – 1735)

Section 1

The Virginia Colony

Settlement in Jamestown Investors formed joint-stock company – London

Company – to settle Virginia April 26, 1607 – 3 ships arrived off Virginia coast; 105 male

colonists Jamestown – named after English king Men poorly prepared to start settlement; most

adventurers interested in making their fortune (searching for gold) Very few had farming experience Poor site for settlement; surrounded by marshes; water too salty

to drink By the time winter arrived, 2/3 of colonists had died; the few

survivors = hungry and sick Captain John Smith took control in September 1608 –

forced settlers to work and build better housing – biggest contribution was strong leadership

The Powhatan Confederacy Powhatan Confederacy – alliance of Algonquian Indians;

brought food to colonists; taught them to grow corn Not always peaceful; sometimes colonists took food by force 1609 – approx. 400 more settlers arrived in Jamestown; John

Smith had to leave due to injury Winter, disease and famine hit again – “starving

time;” by spring of 1610 only 60 colonists still alive – John Rolfe helped Virginia grow stronger

Important changes: John Rolfe introduced West Indian variety of tobacco – grew

well in Virginia; made a lot of money – colony began to thrive Land ownership shifted from London Company to individuals;

possibility of owning land attracted new settlers

War in Virginia John Rolfe married Pocahontas – Powhatan leader’s

daughter; helped colony form more peaceful relations with Powhatan

Pocahontas died in 1617; father died the next year; colonists no longer relied on Powhatan for food

Colonists wanted to grow tobacco on Indian lands; as the colony grew, so did conflict

1622 colonists killed a Powhatan leader; Powhatan attacked settlers killing hundreds; settlers then burned Indian villages – fighting continued approx. 20 years

War showed Virginia that London Company could not help its colonists Short on supplies; company did not send military support

English Crown cancelled London Company’s charter – Virginia became a royal colony under governor chosen by king

Daily Life in Virginia

Lived on scattered farms rather than townsTobacco plantations formed – made possible

in part by use of the headright system colonists who paid their own way to Virginia

received 50 acres of land – could earn 50 acres for each additional person brought from England

Raising a family difficultMen outnumbered women 7 to 1No schools and few churches

Labor in Virginia

Indentured servants – signed a contract to work for 4 – 7 years for those who paid their ship fare to America approx. 75% of early colonists arrived as

indentured servants Living conditions were poor, sickness was

common; many died before term ended Those who survived gained freedom and could

claim land

Labor in Virginia (continued)

Africans First brought by Dutch in 1619 Some were indentured servants – worked and

lived with white indentured servants; some became successful farmers at end of contracts

Enslaved – became more common as demand for indentured servants greater than the supply and as prices fell

Planters – wealthy farmers with large plantations By late 1600s most Africans in Virginia were being

kept in lifelong slavery Helped some tobacco plantation owners become rich

Bacon’s Rebellion Mid-1600s many colonists grew increasingly unhappy with

conditions Angered by governor’s tight control over the colony and refusal to call

elections Poor colonists believed their concerns were being ignored Higher taxes and lack of available farmland

Began farming land belonging to Natives – broke treaties between government and local American Indians

Bacon’s Rebellion – former indentured servants led by Nathaniel Bacon – wealthy frontier planter and relative of the governor Attacked and burned Jamestown At one point, he controlled much of the colony; he died, the rebellion

ended, and 23 of the remaining rebels were hanged Difficult to make peace with American Indians; fear of future

uprisings by former indentured servants made many planters rely more on slavery

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Chapter 4The English Colonies

(1605 – 1735)

Section 2

The Pilgrims’ Experience

Puritans and Pilgrims Puritans – wanted to reform, or purify, the

Church of England Bishops and priests had too much power over church

members The Bible was the most reliable source of authority Most extreme sect wanted to separate from the Church of

England Separatists founded their own churches and cut all

ties with the Church of England; punished by English leaders

Pilgrims – separatists who left England in 1608 and moved to the Netherlands Pilgrims happy to be able to practice faith but not

happy that children were learning Dutch language and culture; feared they would forget English traditions

Formed joint-stock company and returned to England to apply for permission to settle in Virginia

The Founding of PlymouthMayflower left England Sept. 16, 1620 with more

than 100 men, women and children not all were Pilgrims, but Pilgrim leaders were in charge –

William Bradford

Landed far north of present-day Virginia; Plymouth Rock – present-day Massachusetts Realized they were outside of boundaries of English charter decided to establish basic laws and social rules to govern their

colony Mayflower Compact – social covenant or contract between

members of society; set out rules by which Pilgrims agreed to govern themselves – one of first attempts at self-government in the English colonies

Pilgrims and American Indians

Most of the local American Indians killed by diseases brought by previous European visitors (fishermen)

Occasionally came across deserted villages and empty cornfields Used empty fields to plant their crops

According to Bradford in March 1621, an American Indian walked into the settlement and spoke English Samoset of a Pemaquid tribe; introduced them to Squanto

– had lived in Europe and spoke English Taught them to fertilize the soil with fish remains

First Thanksgiving – Pilgrims and Wampanoag

The Pilgrim Community Tried farming but land around settlement was

poor; fishing and hunting conditions not good Not wealthy enough to form strong community Different from Virginia in that families were

common Most hoped to have many children (needed to help work)

Taught children to read and offered some education to indentured servants

Family served as center of religious life, health care and community well-being

Women cooked, spun and wove wool, sewed clothing; made butter and soap, carried water, dried fruit, cared for livestock

Men repaired tools, worked in fields, chopped wood and built shelters

The Pilgrim Community (continued)

In Plymouth, women had more legal rights than they did in England had the right to sign contracts and bring certain

cases before local courts Widows could own property Married and widowed women could get licenses to

run inns and to sell liquor

Chapter 4The English Colonies

(1605 – 1735)

Section 3

The New England Colonies

The Massachusetts Bay Colony

Charles I became king in 1625 Raised taxes during period of economic downturn

Church of England began punishing Puritans because they were dissenters Charles I refused to allow Puritans to criticize church

actions

Great Migration – 10 year period in which tens of thousands of men, women and children left England; because of economic, political and religious problems More than 40,000 to Caribbean and New England

The Massachusetts Bay Colony (continued)

King Charles I had granted a charter to Puritans to establish a colony in New England – they formed the Massachusetts Bay Company

Hoped to have freedom to practice their religion freely John Winthrop wrote speech about their goals – reflected belief

that they had made a covenant with God – agreed to build and ideal Christian community

Well prepared to start colony – people were neither wealthy or poor, but brought tools, livestock; trade with Plymouth helped

Established towns of Salem, Mystic, Newton, Watertown, and Dorchester; Puritans built Boston – chief city and capital of Massachusetts Bay

New Hampshire became a royal colony in 1679

Church and State in New England Massachusetts subject to English laws

Company charter provided more independence than the royal charter of Virginia Created a General Court to help run the colony – type of self-

government John Winthrop was the first governor of Massachusetts General Court became a two-house (bi-cameral)

legislature in 1644 – main political body of New England (Massachusetts)

Politics and religion were closely linked Government leaders were church members Male church members were the only colonists who could vote Could only become full members in the church by become what

Puritans called God’s “elect” or chosen

Church and State in New England (continued)

Thomas Hooker (minister) and his followers left Massachusetts to help found Connecticut Helped draft the Fundamental Orders of

Connecticut – set of principles that made Connecticut’s government more democratic

Some have called Hooker “the father of American democracy”

Daily Life and Customs

Lives centered around religion, family duties, and public work

Sundays – 2 sermons; brought all members of community together

Community life more stable than in Virginia Colonists in Virginia were either wealthy or poor People who came to New England were more middle

income; skilled workers or experienced farmers; some had success with fishing or fur trading

Grew food mainly for own use; little need for indentured servants or slaves

Daily Life and Customs (continued)

Most came in family groups Parents helped choose children’s marriage

partners Women had three main duties to fulfill in

marriage – obey husband, have children and run the household

Education was important; wanted children to be able to read the Bible

Massachusetts Bay Colony passed some of the first law requiring parents to provide education Literacy much lower in Virginia

Dissent in Massachusetts

Roger Williams did not agree with the leadership of Massachusetts Called for his church to separate completely Criticize General Court for taking land from American

Indians without paying

Took his supporters to southern New England and formed Providence – later became the colony of Rhode Island

In Providence, Williams supported separation of the church from politics and promoted religious tolerance; wanted to deal with American Indians fairly

Dissent in Massachusetts (continued) Anne Hutchinson (Boston) angered Puritan

church leaders by discussing religious ideas believed to be radical Believed God speaks directly to people apart from the Bible

Important community members met at her home for religious discussions

John Winthrop (Puritan leader) alarmed by her ideas She was put on trial and forced out of the colony She and followers settled the new colony of Portsmouth

(Rhode Island)

The Salem Witch Trials

Worst community conflicts in New England were the witchcraft trials (early 1690s)

Largest number held in Salem, Massachusetts Girls accused people of casting spells on them

– mostly womenCourt often pressured the suspected

witches to confess19 people put to death

Chapter 4The English Colonies

(1605 – 1735)

Section 4

The Southern and Middle Colonies

Tolerant Maryland English Catholics faced persecution in England because

of their sympathies with foreign powers and their opposition to England’s separation from the Roman Catholic Church – not allowed to worship freely

Lord Baltimore (Cecilius Calvert) given charter to start Maryland as refuge for English Catholics; named in honor of England’s queen Henrietta Maria

Proprietary colony – owners controlled the government Spent time raising corn, cattle and hogs Like Virginia in that most settlers were men who raised

tobacco for profit Protestants began moving to Maryland causing religious

conflicts Toleration Act of 1649 – made restricting the religious

rights of Christians a crime; one of the first laws supporting religious tolerance in the English colonies

The Carolinas

Started by 8 proprietors who supported Charles II during the English Civil War; originally one colony

Carolina – latin form of the name Charles North and South Carolina became separate

colonies because settlements widely divided, making it hard to govern them all

North Carolina – poor farmers who moved south from Virginia Few plantations No towns and few churches until early 1700s

The Carolinas (continued)

South Carolina Port of Charles Town – Charleston Attracted many settlers from other English colonies

(particularly from British West Indies) – brought enslaved Africans with them (led them to rely on)

Rice production – required many workers Only mainland colony with a higher population of

enslaved Africans than free whites

Colonists unhappy with proprietors’ management of Carolinas – both became royal colonies

Diversity in New York and New Jersey

New Amsterdam – center of fur trade in New Netherland Generous land grants and religious tolerance attracted

Jews, French Huguenots, Puritans and others Peter Stuyvesant took control in 1647 – experienced soldier

ruled colony as dictator English took control of New Netherland and renamed it

New York (first of the middle colonies) Dutch settlers remained in colony; contributed words such

as boss, cookie and stoop to the English language Duke of York made Carteret and John Lord Berkeley

proprietors of New Jersey – diverse population (Dutch, Swedes, Finns and Scots)

New York and New Jersey produced large amounts of wheat

The Pennsylvania Experiment Quakers (Society of Friends) – one of the largest

religious groups in New Jersey – Protestant sect founded by George Fox in England Believed all people had an “inner light” that could help them

experience God Rejected formal religious practices and dressed plainly Supported nonviolence and religious tolerance

William Penn founded Pennsylvania (west of New Jersey) – provide safe home for Quakers Tried to create a government that was fair to all people Sold land to colonists at low prices, promised religious freedom to all

Christians Government would care for the poor

Penn named the capital of his colony Philadelphia or the City of Brotherly Love; became a model for city planners in other colonies

Delaware sold to Penn; remained part of Pennsylvania until 1776

The Ideal of GeorgiaJames Oglethorpe received permission to

start a colony (Georgia) for poor English citizens; among the group were people who had been jailed for unpaid debts

King hoped Georgia would serve as a shield between South Carolina and Spanish Florida

City of Savannah founded in 1733Oglethorpe wanted Georgia to be different; hoped

it would draw attract small farmers and avoid the rise of a class of wealthy planters He outlawed slavery and limited the size of land grants Gave poor colonists free passage to Georgia

Received cattle, land and food until they could provide their own Settlers grew tired of strict rules (wanted slavery and

larger farms) Became royal colony with new laws