Early Settlements
After Christopher Columbus explored the Americas in 1492, the
nations of Western Europe—Spain, Portugal, France, The
Netherlands, and England—created vast colonial empires in the
western hemisphere. The Spanish empire in Mesoamerica (the
lands from present-day Mexico to Panama) sent great wealth to
Spain in the form of gold and silver.
Early Settlements
England, who held little claim to land or possession in the
new world, wanted to pursue their own economic interests.
England’s first attempts to carve out a colony of its own in
North America proved to be a very dangerous task.
First Colonies of Virginia
In the year 1585 Sir Walter
Raleigh began the initial stages of
England’s colonization by
exploring the present day area of
North Carolina to Florida. He
named this region Virginia in the
name of Queen Elizabeth who
was known as the “Virgin
Queen”.
First Colonies of Virginia
While the first colony of Virginia proved to be a failure in 1585, Sir Walter
Raleigh dispatched a second expedition two years later to the area known
as Roanoke. This colony survived for a time but still needed its captain John
White to sail back to England for more supplies. However upon his return
this lost colony of Roanoke had disappeared and no trace of the colonists
was ever found.
First Colonies of Virginia
As a result of these failed
expeditions, which were funded by
the English royalty, Sir Walter
Raleigh was thrown in jail. Queen
Elizabeth’s successor, James I
refused to fund more colonies by
using the royal treasury.
Jamestown
As a result of these previous settlement failures, English colonies
would now no longer be funded by English rulers. Instead they
would be funded by joint stock companies. These stock
companies allowed several investors to pool their wealth in
support of a colony that would, hopefully, yield a profit.
Jamestown
In 1606, King James I of England granted a charter
to the Virginia Company of London. This colony
would start out as a business venture and would
go to the land explored earlier by Walter Raleigh.
Jamestown
In 1607, Jamestown
was established. This
was the first permanent
English colony in North
America and was
established by the
Virginia Company of
London.
Jamestown
As Jamestown struggled in the
early beginnings it was clear
that they would need a strong
leader to be able to survive.
John Smith provided such
leadership as he governed
Jamestown with strict
authority stating “You must
now obey this law….he that
will not work shall not eat.”
Jamestown
• The people that John
Smith governed were
called “Cavaliers”.
Cavaliers were mostly
nobles who owned land
that had come over from
England to try and get
rich quick.
Jamestown
By 1619, Jamestown had begun to start exporting tobacco. A new
cross breed of tobacco created by Jamestown colonist James Rolfe
allowed for a high quality tobacco to be produced. By the year 1620,
this new “brown gold” had reached exports of up to 1.5 million
pounds to England each year.
Jamestown
Jamestown had 3 initial reasons for being settled. First
the settlement would block other countries from
settling in the same area and thus establishing English
dominance.
Jamestown
Secondly, the economic motive of the colony
was to find and exploit natural resources that
could be brought back to England. Third, this
settlement would allow the English to continue
to search for the Northwest Passage.
Jamestown
Although Jamestown was the
first English settlement in the
North Americas it was not the
first one overall. The Spanish
had been living in what is
present day Florida in the
town of St. Augustine since
1565. One year after
Jamestown the French also
established colonial holdings
in 1608 in Quebec City,
present day Canada.
Life in the Colonies
The impact that Europeans had on the Native American
populations greatly differed by which culture came into
contact with them. However although some European
societies were friendlier than others, almost all of them
resulted in the loss of life and property for the Native
Americans.
Spain
The Spanish sought to bring Christianity (Catholicism) to the
natives. They intermarried with many and converted the
native women into what were known as mestizos.
French
The French exploration of Canada did not lead to large-scale
immigration from France, and relations with the natives
peoples were often more cooperative than other European
cultures.
British
The British often used the generosity of the Native Americans
to survive and prosper in the early stages. However as they
became acclimated to their new environment, British settlers
often forced the tribes away from their settlements and
desired very little interaction among them.
5) By the early 1700s the thirteen colonies could
be divided into
A) The New England Colonies = Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode
Island.
• B) The Middle Colonies = New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
• C) The Southern Colonies = Maryland, Virginia,
North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
New England Colonies - Social
New England’s colonial society was based on religious standing.
The Puritans were a group of individuals who were seeking
freedom from the religious persecution in Europe. They formed
a “covenant community” which was based on the principles of
the Mayflower Compact and their religious beliefs.
New England Colonies - Social
In 1629, John Winthrop and some of his well-connected
friends obtained a royal charter for a joint–stock enterprise.
In September, 1630 Winthrop and other colonist established
the Massachusetts Bay Colony and claimed Boston as their
capital.
New England Colonies - Social
John Winthrop believed in a unity of spirit that could sustain
a bond of peace for all who joined. His beliefs did not stem
from a belief in either social equality or democracy but out
of necessity for survival in the New World.
New England Colonies - Social
The Mayflower Compact
called for a government
where majority rules. The
Puritans took their religious
beliefs very seriously and
were often intolerant of
those not sharing their
religion.
New England Colonies - Social
In addition to coming to
America for religious freedom,
Puritans also came seeking
economic opportunity. The
Puritans practiced a form of
direct democracy (where
everyone can voice their
opinion and vote) through town
meetings.
New England Colonies - Social
As time moved on the Puritans grew increasingly intolerant
of dissenters who challenged the Puritans’ belief in the
connection between religion and government. In fact, the
colony of Rhode Island was created by dissenters who were
fleeing persecution by the Puritans.
New England Colonies - Economic
The New England colonies developed an economy based on
shipbuilding, fishing, lumbering, small scale subsistence
farming, and eventually manufacturing. These colonies
prospered, which reflected the Puritans’ strong belief in the
values of hard work and thrift.
New England Colonies - Economic
By exploiting the natural resources that were found in the
Americas the colonies were able to bring substantial wealth
back home to England. These extremely cheap raw materials
helped feed Europe into the Industrial Revolution.
The Virginia Cavaliers
1) The growth of tobacco gave
the Virginia colony the
political and economic
stability that it needed. In
1619, the settlers organized a
representative assembly
known as the Virginia House
of Burgesses, the first
democratic form of
government in North
America. This body
continues today as the
Virginia General Assembly.
The Virginia Cavaliers
2) By the 18th century, Virginia
and Southern colonies
increasingly had a social
structure and government
based upon family status
and the ownership of land.
As the powerful planters
became more dominant and
aristocratic, they became
commonly referred to as the
“Virginia Cavaliers.”
The Middle Colonies - Economic
The Middle Atlantic region
was settled chiefly by the
English, Dutch, and German –
speaking immigrants who
came seeking religious
freedom and economic
opportunities. These small
settlements separated the
two primary English colonies
of Jamestown and Plymouth.
The Middle Colonies - Economic
However as the Dutch
started to take over
Swedish settlements,
the English defeated the
Dutch and solidified its
holdings along the
Atlantic seaboard of
North America.
The Middle Colonies - Economic
The Middle colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and Delaware developed economies based on shipbuilding,
small scale farming, and trading. Cities such as New York
City and Philadelphia began to grow as seaports and
commercial centers.
The Middle Colonies - Economic
Philadelphia was originally designed by William Penn to serve
as a seat of government and shipping port for the new colony
of Pennsylvania.
The Middle Colonies - Social
After the English defeated the Dutch, they allowed for the
colonists to stay if they remained committed to the country
of Britain. This lead to a more tolerant society and political
practices than in New England.
The Middle Colonies - Social
In 1667, a young man by the name
of William Penn committed himself
to a new radical religious sect that
was becoming popular, known as
the Quakers. King Charles II had
owed William Penn’s father money
and as repayment the King allowed
for William to have a charter to
begin a safe haven for Quakers.
The Middle Colonies - Social
William Penn desired to create a colony where religious
tolerance for all would be implemented on a daily basis.
These tolerant principles attracted many settlers of all faiths
as a means to escape religious persecution.
The Middle Colonies - Political
The Middle colonies incorporated democratic principles
that reflected the basic rights of Englishmen. Their
representative bodies were chosen by eligible voters
that lived in their colonies (men with property).
The Southern Colonies - Economic
The first catholic
settlements were created
in 1634 when Lord
Baltimore received a grant
from the king to establish a
“Catholic Haven”. In
addition a Carolina colony,
Charleston was established
in 1660, but later split into
two.
The Southern Colonies - Economic
North Carolina is a haven for poor farmers from VA & SC
South Carolina will use rice & indigo as “cash crops”
The Southern Colonies - Economic
Virginia and the other Southern colonies developed economies in
the eastern coastal lowlands based on large plantations that grew
“cash crops” such as tobacco, rice, and indigo for export to
Europe. Farther inland, however, the economy was based on
small-scale subsistence farming, hunting and trading.
Tobacco
There is an herb called uppowoc, which sows itself. In the
West Indies it has several names, according to the different
places where it grows and is used, but the Spaniards generally
call it tobacco. Its leaves are dried, made into powder, and
then smoked by being sucked through clay pipes into the
stomach and head. The fumes purge superfluous phlegm and
gross humors from the body by opening all the pores and
passages. Thus its use not only preserves the body, but if there
are any obstructions it breaks them up. By this means the
natives keep in excellent health, without many of the grievous
diseases which often afflict us in England.
– Thomas Hariot, A Brief and True Report of the New Found
Land of Virginia (1588)
The Southern Colonies - Social
The Southern colonies had a social structure based on family
status and the ownership of land. Large landowners, in the
eastern lowlands dominated colonial government and society,
maintained an allegiance to the Church of England and had closer
social ties to England than in the other two colonial regions.
The Southern Colonies - Social
In the mountains and valleys further inland, however
society was characterized by small subsistence farmers,
hunters, and traders of Scots-Irish and English descent.
The Southern Colonies - Social
The colony of Georgia was
started in 1732 by a man
named James Oglethorpe.
He created this colony for
debtors and paupers to
have a second chance and
created a buffer zone
between prosperous South
Carolina and the Spanish
Florida
The Southern Colonies - Political
The Southern colonies, including Virginia, maintained its strong
ties to Britain, in which planters played leading roles in their
colonial legislatures. These planters were often authorized and
put into positions of power by the British government.
Indentured Servitude and Slavery
The growth of plantation based agricultural economy in the hot,
humid, coastal lowlands of the Southern colonies required cheap
labor on a large scale. Originally these labor needs were met by
indentured servants or poor persons who agreed to work on a
plantation for a period of time in return for their passage from
Europe or a relief from their debts.
Indentured Servitude
However, eventually most plantation labor came to be filled by the
forcible importation of Africans. While some Africans worked as
indentured servants, earned their freedom, and lived as free
citizens during the Colonial Era this was by and large not the case.
Indentured Servitude
The “Middle Passage” served as the nickname for the passage
where the slaves were forced to live under sickening conditions
until they were sold into bondage in the colonies.
Colonial Comparisons
Reasons for Settlement
New England Colonies: Escape Religious Persecution
Middle Colonies: Established as a result of England taking over
nations’ colonies.
Southern Colonies: Economic Opportunity (Jamestown)
Political Structure
New England Colonies: Representative bodies elected by church
members (colony-wide); town meetings (local) practiced direct
democracy
Middle Colonies: Representative bodies chosen by eligible voters
(men with property
Southern Colonies: Representative bodies controlled by wealthy
land owners and influenced by British
Colonial Comparisons
Social Structure
New England Colonies: Families settle, Church centered
towns; orderly & organized settlement connect with
roads.
Middle Colonies: Major port towns (New York &
Philadelphia) with outlying small communities to
support small scale farmers; some roads, river
transport used as well
Southern Colonies: Men predominate; high death rate,
plantations, few towns connected by poor roads &
waterways
Colonial Comparisons
Economic Structure
All believed in private property & free enterprise
New England Colonies: Diverse – lumbering, shipbuilding, fishing,
subsistence farming (eventually, manufacturing); indentured servants
and slaves legal, but not as widely used as in South.
Middle Colonies: Subsistence farming, Shipbuilding, Commercial centers,
seaports and trade; labor mostly independent farmers – few slaves,
but legal
Southern Colonies: Cash crops (tobacco, rice, indigo) with subsistence
farming, fur trapping, & trade on frontier; indentured servants initially
& slaves as main labor force
Colonial Comparisons
Religious Structure
New England Colonies: Puritan
(exception – Rhode Island – established by Roger Williams
as a haven of true freedom of religion – accepted other
protestant denominations, Jews & nonbelievers
Middle Colonies: New York – Dutch Protestants & French
Huguenots; New Jersey – Presbyterians; Pennsylvania –
Quakers Middle Colonies most religiously tolerant
Southern Colonies: Anglican (exception – Maryland –
established for Catholics)