Chesapeake Society to 1660
Early American Social History
Term 1, Week 7
Introduction
• Transition from chaotic society, clinging
onto shores of Chesapeake to much more
permanent and secure one.
• Geog spread of white settlement
• Political, economic and social
development over very short period of time
- c.1624-1660.
Maryland
• Charter granted to George
Calvert (1579-1632), Lord
Baltimore, 1632, first settlers
1634. Proprietory colony.
Lord Baltimore
• 2nd Lord Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert
(1605-1675)
• Sends his brother
Leonard as
Governor – clear
authority
Establishment of Maryland
• First ships sent 1634, with c.200 settler
• Knew tobacco would be the main crop
(solves ec problem)
• Despite clear authority for Gov, some
political tensions
• Maryland = haven for Eng catholics, LB
tries to reserve all colonial positions for
them, but unworkable, since significant
nos of prots in colony – leads to Toleration
Act of 1649, v. imp piece of legislation.
,
Maryland Toleration Act, 1649
•
...whatsoever person or persons shall from henceforth upon any occasion of offence
otherwise in a reproachfull manner or way declare call or denominate any person or
persons whatsoever inhabiting, residing, traficking, trading or comercing within this
province or within any ports, harbours, creeks or havens to the same belonging, an
Heretick, Schismatick, Idolator, Puritan, Independent Presbyterian, Antenomian,
Barrowist, Roundhead, Seperatist, Popish Priest, Jesuit, Jesuited Papist, Lutheran,
Calvenist, Anabaptist, Brownist or any other name or term in a reproachful manner
relating to matters of Religion shall for every such offence foreit and lose the sum of
ten shillings Sterling or the value thereof to be levied on the goods and chattels of
every such offender and offenders...
•
and if they could not pay, they were to be "publickly whipt and imprisoned without
bail" until "he, she, or they shall satisfy the party so offended or grieved by such
reproachful language...."
Chesapeake Demographics
• Va popn before 1624 mainly young and male, women
only in significant nos after 1618.
• Sale of women off boats for 50 lbs tobacco; Women still
in minority eg 1660 5 men to every woman
• But youthful violence tempered as families start to
appear, and planters invest more to provide for family
futures.
• Yet families do not ease reliance on immigration due to
high death rates.
• 1625 popn 1,500; 1640 popn 8,000 (15,000 arrivals in
those 15 yrs)
Early Death
• 30% of settlers died each year
• Third of children orphaned by 18 (two thirds lost one parent),
so few nuclear families
• Causes of death: malaria (esp dangerous to those weakened
by voyage); dysentery (‘Bloody Flux’) since no fresh running
water in Jamestown; salt water poisoning from wells and
River; Indian warfare; psychological factors (‘give-up-it is’)
Impact of Early Death
• Psychological – climate of fear and dread
• Lack of authority (parents)
• Lack of experience (skills need to be relearned, mistakes
repeated)
• Community responsibility for orphans
• Power of widows (‘widowarchy’), through remarriage etc.
• 50% infant mortality rates = reliance on immigrants
• Fosters culture of hedonism and undermines attempts at
social stability
Social Mobility
• Early Death means society relatively fluid and
mobile.
• Possible for indentured servants to gain lands
under headright system and become planters,
JPs, assemblymen etc
• Most commonly freed servants migrate to
frontier zones where land not yet allocated to
mark out a claim, causes conflict with Indians
Political Developments 1624-44
• 1624 charter of Va Co
revoked - partly due to 1622
massacre.
• House of Burgess (1619)
remained, new council and a
governor appt by King
• H of B begins to assume role
of H of C in England, eg
control over finances, militia
etc.
Indian Massacre 1644
• Last attempt by Opechancanough to resist
white inroads
• Kills about 500 but effect limited as white
popn had grown so quickly
• Opec. captured and killed
• End of Powhatan power
• New formal treaty creates a frontier stable until 1670s.
Virginia’s frontier
Politics 1650-onwards
• Relatively peaceful transition to
commonwealth rule in 1650s, and back to
royal rule 1660
• By end 17thC H of B able to initiate
legislation
• Council appt by Gov, mainly leading
planters – functions like H of L.
• High death rates ensure rapid turnover of
members and inclusion of immigrants
William
Berkeley
(1606-1677)
Governor of
Virginia
1642-52;
1660-76
Economic Development
• Tobacco still most
important cash crop
• Price stabilisation of the
1620s takes excessive
profit out of market,
encourages longer term
investment
• First Africans arrive in
Virginia c. 1619, status
not clear, perhaps
slaves, perhaps
indentured servants.
Slavery not that imp
before 1660
Stability/Instability
• Historiographic debate;
Bailyn/E.Morgan saw Ches soc
as very unstable; Kukla argues
more stable than thought
• Kukla points to end of Indian
wars, civilian govt, brick houses
(permanency)
• stability is characterised by: low
levels of collective violence,
absence of division, acceptance
of governmental authority, few
changes of leadership, and when
changes occur, they are orderly.
Factors of Stability (Diamond, 1958)
• a) religion, with the C of E becoming more prominent
• b) creation of local hierarchy of gentry who served on the
council
• c) creation of assembly which gave the lower classes a
role in political society
• d) end of conditions of land ownership which encourages
migration (i.e. headright system)
• e) increased migration of women etc, Virginia becomes
more demographically stable
• f) introduction of cash crop, tobacco, which allowed the
colonists to pay for things they otherwise could not
afford.
Bacon’s Castle c.1660
Depth of White Settlement by 1660
Conclusions
• Chesapeake definitely more stable in 1660
than in 1624.
• Political govt normalised, economic future
secure, Indian threat neutralised.
• Demographics slowly normalising, birth
rate rising, death rate slowly falling, popn
reaches 25,000 by 1660
• Future much more certain.