Chapter2

ThePlantingofEnglishAmerica

1500–1733

I.England’sImperialStirrings

• Inthe1500sEnglandmadefeebleeffortstodevelopoverseascolonies.

• Inthe1530sHenryVIIIbrokewiththeRomanCatholicChurch,launchingtheEnglishProtestantReformation.

• In1558Henry’sdaughter,theProtestantElizabethI,becamequeenandestablishedProtestantisminEngland.

I.England’sImperialStirrings(cont.)

• CatholicIrelandsoughtCatholicSpain’shelptothrowoffthenewProtestantEnglishqueen.

• Spanishaidamountedtolittle,andinthe1570s–1580sElizabeth’stroopscrushedtheIrishuprising.

• Englishsoldiersdevelopedasneeringcontemptforthe“savage”natives,anattitudetheytooktotheNewWorld.

II.ElizabethEnergizesEngland

• In1577Englishsemipiratical“seadogs”underSirFrancisDrakecircumnavigatedtheglobe.

• ThefirstEnglishattemptatcolonizationwasoffthecoastofNewfoundland.

• In1585SirWalterRaleighlandedonNorthCarolina’sRoanokeIsland.

• VirginiawasnamedinhonorofElizabeth,the“VirginQueen.”

II.ElizabethEnergizesEngland(cont.)

• In1588EnglanddefeatedtheSpanishArmada,markingtheendofSpain’simperialdreams.

• Aftervictory,theEnglishstartedtobecomemastersoftheworldoceans—withimportantconsequencesfortheAmericanpeople.

• Englandhadstrongnationalcharacteristics.

Table 2.1 p26

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III.EnglandontheEveofEmpire

• Englandexperiencedstrongeconomicandsocialchangesanda“surpluspopulation.”

• Lawsofprimogenituremeantthatonlyeldestsonswereeligibletoinheritlandedestates.

• Bytheearly1600s,thejoint-stockcompanywasperfected.

• PeacewithSpainprovidedtheopportunityforEnglishcolonization.

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IV.EnglandPlantstheJamestownSeedling

• 1603:JamesIbecamekingofEngland.• 1606:VirginiaCompanyofLondonreceivedachartertosettleintheNewWorld.

• Thischarterissignificant;guaranteedsettlersthesamerightsasEnglishmen.

• OnMay24,1607,theVirginiacolonyofJamestownwasfounded(seeMap2.1).

• JohnSmithwaskeytothecolony’ssurvival.

Map 2.1 p29

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V.CulturalClashesintheChesapeake

• In1607ChieftainPowhatandominatedtheJamesRiverarea.

• In1610LordDeLaWarrarrivedfromEnglandwithorderstodealwiththeIndians.

• In1614theFirstAnglo-PowhatanWarended,sealedbyPocahontas’smarriagetocolonistJohnRolfe—thefirstknowninterracialunioninVirginia.

V.CulturalClashesintheChesapeake(cont.)

• SecondAnglo-PowhatanWar(1644)wasIndians’lastattempttodislodgeVirginians.

• ThePowhatans’misfortunewasthethreeDs:disease,disorganization,anddisposability.

• “Powhatan’sConfederacy”lackedunitytoopposethedisciplinedwhites.

• ThePowhatansservednoeconomicfunctionforcolonists.

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VI.TheIndians’NewWorld

• Indigenouspeople’sdestinieshadchanged.• Theshockoflarge-scaleEuropeancolonizationdisruptedNativeAmericanlife.

• Horses,diseases,trade,andtheexpandingAtlanticeconomytransformedIndianlife.

• AnewmiddlegroundcompelledbothEuropeansandNativeAmericanstoaccommodateeachother.

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VII.Virginia:ChildofTobacco• In1612JohnRolfeperfectedtobaccoculture.• Virginia’sprosperitywasbuiltonthis“bewitchingweed,”butKingNicotinedepletedthesoil.

• Besidesland,tobaccorequiredlotsoflabor.• In1619aDutchwarshiplandedatJamestownandsoldsometwentyAfricans,plantingtheseedsofNorthAmericanslavery.

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VII.Virginia:ChildofTobacco (cont.)

• In1619representativeself-governmentwasborninprimitiveVirginia.

• TheHouseofBurgesseswasanassemblyorminiatureparliamentintheNewWorld.

• JamesIgrewincreasinglyhostiletoVirginia.• In1624herevokedthecompany’scharterandVirginiabecamearoyalcolony.

VIII.Maryland:CatholicHaven

• 1634:Maryland,2ndplantationcolony,wasfoundedbyLordBaltimorepartlyasarefugeforCatholics.

• ResentmentbetweenCatholicsandProtestantsflaredintoopenrebellion.

• TheBaltimorefamilyforatimelostitsproprietaryrights,butthecolonyprospered.

• AsinVirginia,indenturedservantsinitiallyprovidedlaborforthetobaccoeconomy.

VIII.Maryland:CatholicHaven (cont.)

• LordBaltimorepermittedunusualfreedomofworshipattheoutset.

• In1649thelocalassemblypassedthefamedActofTolerationguaranteeingtolerationtoallChristians.

• However,itdecreedthedeathpenaltyforJewsandatheists,whodeniedthedivinityofJesus.

IX.TheWestIndies:WayStationtoMainlandAmerica

• EnglandsecuredclaimstoseveralWestIndianislands,includingJamaicain1655.

• Theireconomywasbasedonsugar.• Haddifferentrequirementsthantobacco.• ManyenslavedAfricanswereimportedtoworkthesugarplantations.

• Blackslaveseventuallyoutnumberedwhitesettlers.

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IX.TheWestIndies:WayStationtoMainlandAmerica(cont.)

• 1661:Barbadosslavecodedefinedslaves’legalstatusandtheirmasters’prerogatives.

• ProfitablesugarplantationscrowdedoutmostotherformsofCaribbeanagriculture.

• 1670:DisplacedsettlersfromBarbadosarrivedinCarolinawiththeirslaves.

• 1696:CarolinaadoptedtheBarbadosslavecode,whicheventuallyshapedslavelawsthroughoutthemainland.

X.ColonizingtheCarolinas

• Inthe1640scivilwarconvulsedEngland.• After1660empirebuildingresumedduringtheRestorationperiod(seeTable2.2).

• In1670Carolinawascreated,anditformedcloselinkswiththeEnglishWestIndies.

• Riceemergedasitsprincipalexportcrop.• CharlesTownwasbusiestseaportinSouth;CarolinasurvivedSpanishandIndianattacks.

Table 2.2 p35

XI.TheEmergenceofNorthCarolina

• NorthCarolinahasbeencalled“thequintessenceofVirginia’sdiscontent.”

• “Squatters”(newcomerswithoutlegalrightstothesoil)raisedcropsonsmallfarms.

• Distinctivetraitsdeveloped.• In1712NorthCarolinaofficiallyseparatedfromSouthCarolina(seeMap2.2).

Map 2.2 p36

XI.TheEmergenceofNorthCarolina(cont.)

• NorthCarolinasharedwithtinyRhodeIslandseveraldistinctions:–Mostdemocratic–Mostindependent-minded– LeastaristocraticoforiginalthirteenEnglishcolonies

XI.TheEmergenceofNorthCarolina(cont.)

• RelationsbetweenIndiansandEuropeanswerebloody:– 1711–1713:TuscaroraWar.– Displaced,theTuscaroraslaterbecametheSixthNationoftheIroquoisConfederacy.

– AfterwarwiththeYamaseeIndiansinSouthCarolina(1715–1716),mostcoastaltribesweredevastated.

• Buttribesintheinteriorremainedstrong.

XII.Late-ComingGeorgia:TheBufferColony

• In1733GeorgiawasfoundedasabuffertoprotecttheCarolinas.

• ItwasnamedinhonorofKingGeorgeIIofEngland.

• Launchedbyagroupofphilanthropists,itwouldalsoserveasahavenfordebtors.

• Georgiawascalled“theCharityColony.”

XII.Late-ComingGeorgia:TheBufferColony(cont.)

• Georgiafounderswantednoslavery.• JamesOglethorpe,akeyfounder,helpedensurethecolony’ssurvival.

• Savannah,likeCharleston,becameamelting-potcommunity.

• JohnWesleyservedasamissionary.• Georgiagrewmoreslowlythanothercolonies.

XIII.ThePlantationColonies

• England’ssouthernmainlandcoloniesshared:– Devotiontoexportingagriculturalproducts,mainlytobaccoandrice

– Slavery– Slowgrowthofcities– Religioustoleration– Atendencytoexpand

Map 2.3 p38

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