The Planting of English America The American Pageant Chapter 2 The Planting of English America The American Pageant
North American Settlements Spanish establish Santa Fe 1610. French establish Quebec in 1608. English establish Jamestown in 1607.
Jamestown Virginia company of London received a charter form King James I. Charter guaranteed same rights of Englishman as at home. Sight was on the James River John Smith kept the colony going. Rule “He who shall not work shall not eat” Rights of Englishmen would extend to the other colonies as well. Feeling that even far away they deserved the same rights of an englishmen. Sight was easy to defend but mosquitio infested. People more concerned looking for riches than survival of the colony. John Smith and the mock execution.
Jamestown Continued… Starvation was a constant problem What kept the colony going was a constant supply of capital John Rolfe becomes father of Tobacco industry. Demand for Tobacco is created in European markets. Virginia begins to prosper. Of the 8,000 people brought to Virginia 1200 survived. Big reasons was a business supply Tobacco gives the company a reason to continue and prosper.
Representative Government London company authorize an Assembly in 1619. “House of Burgess” House of Burgess is the first representatve government set up in North America
Maryland Founded in 1634. Lord Baltimore: Catholic family. Looking for financial profits and religious refugee for Catholics Large estates=Catholic relatives. Backcountry settlers=Protestant. Problems!!! Tobacco main crop. Permitted Freedom of Worship. Pass the Act of Toleration=Catholic supported. Why? In England at the time Catholics seeking wedlock could not legally be married by a Catholic priest. *Estates were modeled after the houses found in England aristocracy. Catholics were losing their hold on the Maryland colony the Act of Toleration protected their rights in the Colony. Note the Act of Toleration did not protect Jews or Atheists who could get the death penalty for denying the divinity of Jesus.
West Indies England gains control after Spain is weakened. Main Crop is Sugar. Rich man’s crop. High need for land/labor to produce the crop. Slaves became crucial. By 1700 black slaves outnumber whites by 4-1. How do Whites control a large population of resistant workers. Barbados slave codes of 1661. Right to inflict severe punishments for minor offenses. West Indies soon become crowded no new lands for children to run. Where to? Spain overstretched its boundaries and distracted by the Dutch rebellions in provinces. Only the wealthy growers with enough capital could produce significant amounts of sugar. *Barbados slave codes allowed for extensive whippings, slitting their ears and even death by the master without liability.
Carolinas West Indies colonist begin to move to Carolinas. Formally created in 1670. Hope to grow food supplies to feed the West Indies. Began by trying to enslave Native Americans and sell them as slaves elsewhere. Relationship between Carolinas and Natives was brutal. Rice became the chief export crop. African slaves again become the main source of labor. Why? 2nd sons and relatives have strike out on their own to find something better. * King Charles II gives the land to 8 nobles of his favor. *African slaves were well adapted to working in rice fields in Africa already and were also very resistance to the mosquito disease of Malaria.
North Carolina Poor man’s Virginia. People forced out of Virginia and became squatters to the South. Considered one of the most democratic of the colonies and considered independent minded. Developed a strong resistance to authority.
Georgia Last of the Colonies founded in 1733. A buffer between Spanish and the other English colonies. Only colony to receive monetary subsidies from the British Gov’t. Philanthropists were determined to give debtors a place to start fresh. James Oglethorpe-Good leadership and mortgaging his own fortune.
Plantation Colonies Name the 5: Committed to exporting commercial agriculture. (Tobacco and Rice) Slavery was found in all plantation colonies. Lots of land in the hands of a few.(Aristocratic) Scattering of plantations slowed growth of cities and made churches and schools tough to create. All permitted some religious tolerance to some degree. Expansionary. Crops they grew=more land leading to more conflict with Native Americans Maryland, Virginia, North/South Carolina, and Georgia. *Slavery only found in Georgia after 1750 reforms.