Lecture 3: Colonial Experiments in the Seventeenth Century
I England and New World Colonization
A.
B.
Religious and Political Tensions in Seventeenth-Century England
1.
Between 1603 and 1688, the English people lived through intense
religious conflict, economic upheavals and dislocations, civil war,
and the removal of two kings from their thrones.
2.
While Elizabeth I had ignored the Puritans, James I and
Charles I harassed them and actively squelched demands for
religious reform.
a.
Believing in absolutism, the Stuart kings underestimated
the determination of Parliamentary leaders to have a
commanding voice in matters of finance, religious reform,
and foreign policy.
b.
James I ruled from 1601-1625. His son Charles I took
over in 1625 and constantly quarreled with parliament.
c.
In 1640, civil war erupted, pitting Stuart loyalists against
political and religious dissenters represented in the House
of Commons.
1.
In 1649 the parliament succeeded in beheading
Charles I.
2.
For almost a dozen years, the nation was a
commonwealth where Oliver Cromwell ruled for
almost a decade as Lord Protector.
3.
By 1660, after Cromwell’s death the Stuart kings
were invited to retake the throne, ushering in the
Restoration Era.
3.
The 1688 Glorious Revolution ushered in the Protestant rule of
William III and Mary II.
Colonizer and Colonies
1.
In the midst of these dramatic events, wealthy men found ways to
finance risky colonizing ventures, members of religious sects
established communities in America, and impoverished men and
women decided to seek their fortunes in the New World.
2.
Entrepreneurs provided the critical ingredient for empire building.
a.
Joint-stock companies took the lead in planting English
colonies in the New World.
b.
Later, the monarch granted great tracts of land to establish
proprietary colonies.
c.
Finally, the rulers themselves took charge of royal colonies.
3.
The colonists in these English settlements thought of themselves as
residents of four distinct regions.
a.
The Chesapeake
b.
New England
c.
The Middle Colonies
d.
II.
The Lower South
Settling the Chesapeake
A. The planting of Jamestown
1.
Under James I, the Virginia Company established Jamestown,
named in honor of the king, in 1607.
a.
The colony’s first several years were marked by severe
problems. Jamestown became a quagmire of bad fortune.
b.
Captain John Smith took control and imposed military
order and forced labor to save Jamestown.
2.
Tobacco proved to be the colony’s salvation.
a.
Tobacco provided an avenue for money but nothing
could help this struggling colony form disaster.
b.
1609-1610 was known as “starving time” where the
colonists resorted to cannibalism.
c.
Later in 1610 martial law was enforced and settlers were
forced to work.
d.
The headright system brought more settlers to Virginia.
e.
In 1618, the House of Burgesses was created to give the
planters an active decision making role in the colony’s civil
government.
3.
Expansion led to conflict with Native Americans.
a.
King James revoked the Company’s charter and made
Virginia a royal colony partly for this reason.
b.
1619-1623 became a dismal and hard times. Jamestown
was a male laden, disease ridden area subject to constant
Indian attacks.
B.
Maryland: A Catholic Refuge
1.
The Calvert family under Sir George Calvert (Lord Baltimore)
hoped to create a haven for Catholics in Maryland.
a.
They envisioned a colony for Catholic refuge of large
landowners and tenant farmers.
b.
Charles I granted Baltimore’s son Cecilius a charter to
establish the colony, Baltimore died during the
negotiations.
c.
The colony however only drew mostly Protestants of
limited means who persecuted the Catholics.
2.
The colony quickly came to resemble Virginia.
a.
A headright system attracted new settlers; tobacco became
the economic mainstay.
b.
Virginians reacted with hostility, fearing the new colony as
a competitor.
c.
So violence not toleration of religion and competition
became the norm in Maryland and Virginia.
C.
D.
E.
III.
Colonists at War in Maryland
1.
Civil war broke out in England in the 1640s and religious warfare
also erupted in Maryland.
a.
Calvert tried to prevent it by issuing a Toleration Act.
b.
Oliver Cromwell repealed Calvert’s Toleration Act and
took Maryland away from the Calvert family in 1654.
2.
In Maryland, violence ensued after the Glorious Revolution.
a.
John Coode led the Protestants in rebellion against
Maryland’s proprietor and obtained a royal charter for the
colony.
Troubles on the Chesapeake
1.
Conflict between wealthy planters and newcomers, and between
eastern inhabitants and residents of the backcountry, split Virginia.
a.
Nathaniel Bacon became the leader of those living in the
backcountry. Bacon’s rebellion.
2.
War between backcountry inhabitants and Indians led to rebellion
against the government.
a.
Governor Berkeley refused to assist the westerners.
b.
Bacon and his men, joined by members of the lower
classes, marched against the capital (Jamestown).
c.
Bacon’s sudden death doomed the rebellion.
Colonial Chesapeake Life
1.
The rhythms of life in the Chesapeake region revolved around
tobacco.
a.
Planters moved frequently and did not create many
communal institutions.
b.
Until the 1680s, much of the population consisted of
indentured male servants working in the tobacco fields.
c.
As the English economy improved, planters were forced
to turn to the purchase of African slaves.
New England: Colonies of Dissenters
A. The Plymouth Colony “The Great Migration”
1.
Unwelcome in England, the Pilgrims and other Separatists boarded
the Mayflower to head to the New World.
2.
The Mayflower Compact granted political rights to any man
willing to remain and to abide by the laws.
3.
The settlers received crucial assistance from North American
Indians.
a.
Squanto’s assistance was indispensable to the colony’s
survival. Then al the Indians died of disease and those who
did not die were pushed into the frontier or killed.
4.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Plymouth colony grew slowly but steadily.
a.
Expansion occurred peacefully through land purchases
from the local Indians. For the price of a few beads
(wampum).
Massachusetts Bay and Its Settlers
1.
John Winthrop obtained a charter for a Puritan colony.
2.
During the 1630s, a "Great Migration" of Puritans was fueled by
religious tensions and economic distress in England.
3.
Massachusetts developed into a society of small farming villages
and small seaport towns.
4.
Puritan ministers reinforced the ideal of a white paternal hierarchy
within the family.
Government in Puritan Massachusetts
1.
The colony’s design was based on Puritan views of God’s law.
a.
There was no social equality.
b.
Political participation was restricted to saints (church
members).
c.
Personal behavior was strictly regulated.
d.
Religious dissent was not tolerated.
2.
Quakers who challenged this system could eventually be
hanged.
3.
Roger Williams preached freedom of religious belief.
a.
Banished for his views, he established Rhode Island,
where church and state were kept separate.
4.
Anne Hutchinson criticized the Massachusetts clergy.
a.
Her followers included not only women but also merchants
and artisans.
b.
She was banished for her unorthodox belief in direct
communication with God.
5.
Some Puritans left Massachusetts voluntarily.
a.
Thomas Hooker and his followers as well as other
Puritans established Connecticut.
b.
Others moved north to Maine and to the area that became
the colony of New Hampshire.
Indian Suppression
1.
War broke out with the Pequots in 1636.
a.
It was part of a struggle between Massachusetts and the
Connecticut Valley settlers over who would control
Connecticut.
b.
The war ended with the destruction of the Pequots.
2.
King Philip’s War began in 1675.
a.
Its roots lay in Puritan expansion onto Indian lands.
b.
American Indian resistance ceased permanently in New
England when the Indians lost this war.
Change and Reaction in England and New England
1.
Declining religious intensity was apparent by the 1660s.
a.
2.
3.
IV.
V.
Fewer individuals qualified for church membership and
therefore for political participation.
b.
The introduction of the Half-Way Covenant allowed the
Puritans to maintain political control.
The English crown attempted to assert greater control.
a.
Charles II revoked the Massachusetts charter.
b.
James II established the Dominion of New England, with
Sir Edmund Andros as governor.
c.
Massachusetts overthrew Andros when news of the
Glorious Revolution reached the colony.
Massachusetts became a royal colony in 1691.
a.
The new charter granted by William and Mary ended
Puritan political, religious, and social control.
b.
The Salem witchcraft episode occurred in the context of
this great change.
The Pluralism of the Middle Colonies
A. From New Amsterdam to New York
1.
A very diverse population settled in the colony, which remained
small and un-prosperous.
2.
England seized control of New Netherland from the Dutch.
a.
While the new government was liberal, the crown taxed the
colony heavily and maintained political control.
b.
By 1685, James I , now King of England, had lost interest
in the colony.
B.
William Penn’s Holy Experiment
1.
William Penn established Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers.
a.
The crown granted him a charter because of his political
loyalty, loans, and his father’s service to the king.
2.
Penn envisioned a colony built on Quaker values.
a.
These included social equality, religious toleration, genuine
political participation, and fair treatment for American
Indians.
3.
Non-Quaker immigrants moved the colony in other directions.
a.
They seized lands from the Indians.
b.
Quakers, whose religious principles included pacifism, left
political life when western farmers demanded military
action against the Indians.
The Colonies of the Lower South
A. The Carolina Colony
1.
Eight proprietors received title to Carolina from the crown.
a.
B.
They hoped to establish a society there dominated by great
landowners, small farmers, and serfs.
b.
The headright system of Virginia and Maryland quickly
replaced the original plan.
2.
The Carolinas produced cash crops for export.
3.
The southern part of Carolina became the royal colony of South
Carolina in 1719.
4.
The northern part of Carolina was settled by small farmers.
a.
Their economy centered on tobacco and naval stores.
5.
Both Carolinas eventually became royal colonies.
Georgia, the Last Colony
1.
James Oglethorpe established Georgia as a place for imprisoned
debtors to start their lives over.
2.
The intention was to create a colony of small farmers; buying and
selling land was prohibited, as was slave labor.
a.
Settlers challenged both these ideals.
3.
Georgia became a royal colony in 1752 when Oglethorpe gave up
on his project.
Conclusion: These seventeenth century colonies had really little in common other
than being loyal to a monarchy.
The settlements along the Atlantic Cost were both feudal and visionary. Nonetheless,
this diverse group of individuals would later band together to free themselves from a so
called oppressor…But even after the struggle a rift would exist between the colonies.