Time Period 2 Review (1607-1754)

Concept 2.1 .II. In the 17th century, early British colonies developed along the Atlantic coast, with regional differences that reflected various environmental, economic, cultural, and demographic factors.

Concept 2.1. III- Competition over resources between European rivals and American Indians encouraged industry and trade and led to conflict in the Americas.

Key Concept 2.2: The British coloniesparticipated in political, social, cultural, and economic, exchanges with Great Britain that encouraged both stronger bonds with Britain and resistance to Britain’s control. (Mercantilism).

Concept2.2.I.Transatlantic commercial, religious, philosophical, and political exchanges led residents of the British colonies to evolve in their political and cultural attitudes as they became increasingly tied to Britain and one another.Concept 2.2. II. Like other European empires in the Americas that participated in the Atlantic slave trade, the English colonies developed a system of slavery that reflected the specific economic, demographic, and geographic characteristics of those colonies. (Triangle Trade)

Context & Overview:

In about 150 years, the British established colonies (13), which provided profitable trade and a home to a diverse group of people. From the establishment of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in 1607 to the eve of the French and Indian War, the British colonies grew in population, with diverse economies, and diverse cultures over time. These colonists struggled at first to survive their new environment however; over time they developed thriving, permanent towns and cities. These people also brought with them ideas about how they might govern themselves and lord over the native populations who they saw mostly as an impediment to colonial growth. Over time, different economies emerged based on the climate and geography of a particular region. These settlers also instilled ideas about farming, business, and trade transplanted from Europe to America. Since a majority of colonists were engaged in agriculture, an emphasis on labor developed which increasingly relied on African slavery through the trans-Atlantic trade (Triangle Trade). By 1753, a conflict was looming in which world powers like France and Britain would seek to control North America.

When Does the American Colonial Era End?: Historians are not sure. Some say the end of the Seven Years War in 1763; others say the start of the American Revolution in 1775. Historian’s determination about the start or end of eras (historical time periods) is mostly based on major (turning point) political or military events. Other historians might use other criteria such as cultural changes such as when the immigrant populations (non-English immigrants) role began to change American culture.

The Thirteen English Colonies 1607-1754:

  • All were located on the Eastern seaboard of North America.
  • All received their authority & identity to operate from a CHARTER from the English King.
  • The charter gave permission to settle and described the relationship between the New World settlement and Britain (the King).

Three Types of Charter or Colonies Developed

1. Corporate Colonies (Jamestown, Va.-1607): operated by Joint-stock companies (Virginia Co.) for profit; most operated this way mostly during the early years of colonial settlement.

2. Royal Colonies (Virginia post 1624)- colonies was to under direct control & authority of the King of England.

3. Proprietary Colonies (Maryland, Delaware)- controlled and managed by individuals who received a charter of ownership from the King.

** The English colonists brought with them an expectation and practice in representative government (unlike the Spanish & French settlers in North America).

EARLY ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS

Jamestown, Virginia (established in 1607)

  • The Virginia Company- a for-profit joint stock company given a charter to establish a colony; the charter guaranteed the “rights of Englishmen” to all men who settled there.

Struggle for survival: they located their settlement in swampy areas along the James River, which led to diseases among the settlers like dysentery & malaria.

  • Some Jamestown “gentlemen” too good to do physical labor.=
  • Some settlers were “gold hungry” spent too much time looking for gold to plant or hunt.
  • Early on, natives helped colonists with food for English trade goods…but as conflict increased so did cooperation.
  • 1609-1610- “The Starving Time”—harsh winter, lack of food= 60 of 216 survive.
  • John Smith helped the young colony survive its first five years—barely… “He who does not work shall not eat.”
  • John Rolfe developed a milder tasting form of tobacco= economic savior of the early colony.

Self-Government:

  • The Virginia Co. Charter stated that all men would “receive all Rights of Englishmen” in the new community.
  • 12 years after the colony was founded, they developed the House of Burgesses (1st legislative assembly in the America’s).

** From 1607-1623- Virginia was a for-profit corporate run colony (corporate charter) until 1624 then it became a Royal Colony. The colony had been struggling financially (even with tobacco) & mismanaged by the Virginia Co.---the KING TOOK IT OVER IN 1624.

Plymouth & Massachusetts Bay

  • Religious motivation—NOT profit led to these settlements. There were Religious dissenters (influenced by Swiss Theologian John Calvin) who differed with the Anglican Church (Church of England). They adopted Calvinism (predestination ideas) and became persecuted in England from 1603-1625 under King James I.

Plymouth

Established by PILGRIMS -RADICAL SEPARATISTS (wanted total separation from Church of England). Chose to move to America to live on land chartered to the Virginia Co.

  • 1620 traveled over on the Mayflower- 100 passengers (1/2 were NOT separatists—only people looking for better economic circumstances).
  • Landed IN MASS. NOT VIRGINIA
  • 1620-1621--Struggled to survive first winter in America- helped by friendly Indians; celebrated a good harvest (First Thanksgiving) in 1621.
  • Key Leaders: Miles Standish, William Bradford (Gov.).
  • Key Economic Activities Early: Fish, furs, lumber.

Self-Government:

  • The Mayflower Compact- signed by most men on board; pledged all to “make decisions based on the will of the majority”.—early form of colonial self-government.

The Massachusetts’s Bay Colony

Settled by MODERATE RELIGIOUS DISSENTERS (PURITANS). They fled England when a new King, Charles I persecuted them starting in 1625.

  • Gained a ROYAL CHARTER from the King for Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629).
  • 1630—1000 settlers led by John Winthrop came to Mass. Shore; founded Boston & other towns—English Civil War (1630’s) drove more settlers to Mass (Great English Migration).

Self-Government: All free men (male members of the Puritan Church) voted in yearly elections for Governor, Governor’s assistants, representative assembly.

Limits to Colonial Democracy:

  • Most colonists were EXCLUDED from participation in voting or governing in these early colonies.
  • Only male property owners could vote
  • Females & landless males had few political rights; slaves & indentured servants (white) had none.
  • Many colonial governors operated as autocrats who only answered to the King of England.

The Chesapeake Colonies:

  • 1634- the King divided Virginia colony & chartered a new colony across the Chesapeake.
  • The Chesapeake colonies are :Virginia & Maryland

Maryland

  • Control of the new colony (Maryland) was given to George Calvert (Lord Baltimore).
  • First Proprietary Colony (see charter types).
  • Lord Baltimore envisioned a Catholic haven; Baltimore died & passed ownership of the colony to his son Cecil Calvert (Second Lord Baltimore) who implemented his father’s vision in 1634.
  • Maryland divided into estates for wealthy Catholic owners who quickly were outnumbered by protestant farmers also immigrating to Maryland= became a majority in Maryland Assembly.
  • The Act of Toleration (1649)- first colonial law granting freedom of religion to all Christians; called for death to anyone who denied divinity of Jesus.

**late 1600’s a brief civil war erupted in Maryland—protestants won—Catholics denied political rights.

** By 1700’s, Maryland is much like Virginia.

Labor Shortage in the Chesapeake

* High death rates from disease and conflict with local Indians meant that Virginia would grow very slowly. They tried to address labor issues through Indentured Servants at first.

  • The Headright System—50 acres of land offered to a) any immigrant who paid for their own passage over to Virginia and b) to any plantation owner who paid the passage of an immigrant (USED IN VIRGINIA MOSTLY)
  • Indentured Servants: A person whose passage was paid for by a planation owner. Most were young men from Britain who worked out an Indenture Contract of 4-7 years.
  • Freedom Dues: clothing, land, supplies that might be given an indentured servant once their contract was up. Former indentured servantscould buy land, & farm or work for wages.

Slavery in the Chesapeake

  • 1619- a Dutch ship brought Africans who served as indentured servants (were not slaves) and their children were born free.
  • Early colonists were struggling to survive and too poor to buy slaves anyway.
  • 1650- there were ONLY 400 African laborers in Virginia
  • 1660’s House of Burgesses- began to make laws to discriminate against blacks. Africans & their children now would be slaves for life.

Economic Problems

1660’s- low tobacco prices (overproduction)= hard times in the Chesapeake.

  • House of Burgesses attempted to raise tobacco prices & English merchants raised their prices of products sold to America.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

  • Gov. William Berkeley (Virginia) government favored large plantation owners & angered small farmers in the western part of the colony.
  • Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion against Berkeley’s government & Indian villages on the frontier. Bacon’s rebels who then burned Jamestown defeated Berkeley’s army. Bacon dies of dysentery & the Gov. routs the rebels executing 23.

Significance: lasting CLASS CONFLICT IN VIGINIA & COLONIAL RESISTANCE TO ROYAL CONTROL. Importation of African slaves increases.

The New England Colonies

Rhode Island (Rogues Island)- became a settlement of dissenters who were unwelcome in their home colonies.

  • Roger Williams- BANISHED FROM MASS. BAY COLONY; conflict with Puritan leaders over ind. Conscience over authority of civil & religious leaders. Founded settlement of Providence. (1636).
  • Paid Indians fairly for their land, allowed Catholics, Quakers, & Jews to worship freely.
  • 1st Baptist church established in RI.
  • Anne Hutchinson: banished from Mass. Bay Colony over dissent over “antinomianism”; founded Portsmouth, RI near Providence.
  • 1644- Williams was given a charter from Parliament= Providence & Portsmouth become Rhode Island.

New Hampshire

  • Originally part of Mass. Bay—last colony founded in New England; a few settlements north of Boston.
  • 1679- King Charles II separated New Hampshire (Royal Colony) from Mass. Bay

Halfway Covenant (1660’s) -

New England Confederation (1643)-

King Phillip’s War-

The Restoration Colonies

North & South Carolina, New York, New Jersey

  • Lords Proprietors:

Pennsylvania & Delaware

West of New Jersey---forested land settled by Quakers;.

William Penn-

“The Holy Experiment”-

Delaware- 1702- Penn granted lower three counties of Penn. Their own assembly –Delaware became a separate colony .

Georgia_- 13th colony; chartered in 1732.

  • Only British colony to get direct financial support from England.
  • Defensive buffer to protect SC from Spanish in Florida, relieve overcrowded English jails of debtors.
  • James Oglethorpe- founded first settlement Savannah; first Governor, set strict regulations against drinking & slavery---colony did not prosper because threat of Spanish attacks.
  • 1752- English government made it a Royal colony-restrictions on rum drinking & slavery were dropped= grew slowly= adopted planation system used by SC.

Mercantilism & British Empire

Most European kingdoms in the 17th century used MERCANTILISM

England adopted mercantilist policies after the English Civil Wars

The Navigation Acts (1650-1673)-

Effects of Navigation Acts in the Colonies:

  • New England shipping prospered, Chesapeake tobacco got a monopoly on sale of tobacco to England, English military protects colonial shipping & from attacks by French & Spanish.
  • Also limited colonial economic growth—Chesapeake farmers had to accept low prices for tobacco & pay high prices for English made goods.
  • Colonist resented these laws imposed by a distant government
  • Colonists often defied the acts by smuggling.

Enforcement of the Acts

  • Britain was often lax in enforcement early on—Benign (Salutary) Neglect

The Dominion of New England

1685- King James II- Determined to get control of the American colonies in New England. By combining them into a larger administrative unit & DOING AWAY WITH THEIR ASSEMBLIES.

1686- COMBINED –NY, NJ, AND other NE colonies into the DOMINION OF NEW ENGLAND.

  • The King appointed Sir Edmund Andros to lead the Dominion—Andros raised taxes, limited town meetings, and revoke titles of land ownership= he became very unpopular in NE.
  • The Glorious Rebellion BROKE OUT IN ENGLAND—William & Mary replace James II & brought the Dominion of New England to an END=COLONIES restart their own assemblies etc.

Slavery in The American Colonies

  • By 1750—1/2 of Virginia’s population & 2/3 of SC’s were enslaved!! (CHANGE OVER TIME).
  • Why such an increase in demand??—Reduced English migration, Bacon’s Rebellion led plantation owners to seek a more reliable workforce, Cheaper labor.

Slave Laws- 1641- Mass. Became first colony to recognize enslavement of lawful captives, 1661 Virginia assembly enacted laws, which stated that children of a slave mother inherited permanent life slavery status.

  • Whites increasingly saw blacks as inferior in status

Triangle Trade

Royal Africa Co.- monopoly—expires = New England merchants became involved in slave trade= a three part trade route began.

  • First, a Ship from NE (Boston) would carry American rum across to West Africa, rum traded for slaves, Next the ship would travel the Middle Passage, slaves who survived trip were traded as slaves in West Indies for sugar cane which was transported back to America to make rum.

More Key Terms for Time Period 2

The First Great Awakening-

Jonathan Edwards-

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”-

George Whitefield-

Cotton Mather-

New Lights/Old Lights

Political Impact of the Great Awakening?

“Established Churches”-

Benjamin West-

John Copley-

Ben Franklin’s ‘Poor Richard’s Almanac”-

Phillis Wheatley-

John Peter Zenger Trial (significance

Compare English, Spanish, & French Colonization Patterns

Key Concept 2.1: Europeans (Spanish, British, French) developed a variety of colonization and migration patterns, influenced by different imperial goals, cultures, and the varied North American environments where they settled, and they competed with each other and American Indians for resources.

Concept 2.1:I. Spanish, French, Dutch, and British colonizers had different economic and imperial goals involving land and labor that shaped the social and political development of their colonies as well as their relationships with native populations.