English Settlements

Causes of English Settlements

• The establishment of a strong English ruler – Queen Elizabeth I

• The defeat of the Spanish Armada

• The creation of joint stock companies

• Overpopulation of England• Primogeniture

JamestownA. Virginia Co. of London – Joint Stock Co –

several investors – wanted to make money.

B. Charter of the Virginia Co. – settlers had the same rights as Englishmen

C. Terrible location for a settlement. Many settlers died due to malaria.

D. Poorly run until John Smith came inE. From 400 to 60 by the end of the

“Starving Time”.

Chesapeake Bay

Geographic/environmental problems??

High Mortality RatesThe “Starving Time”:

1607: 104 colonistsBy spring, 1608: 38 survived1609: 300 more immigrantsBy spring, 1610: 60 survivedSurvivors leave Jametown, only to be met by Lord De La Warr and his supply ship. He imposes military rule % the colony survives. 1610 – 1624: 10,000 immigrants1624 population: 1,200Adult life expectancy: 40 yearsDeath of children before age 5: 80%

Interactions with Native Americans

• Chief Powhatan rule over the small tribes in the Chesapeake region.

• Pocahontas (Later Lady Rebecca) “saves” John Smith.• Tense relationship with the Indians.• Lord De La Warr went on the offensive against the

Native Americans1610 -1014.• John Rolf and Pocahontas marry & there is a truce b/w

settlers and Powhatans• 1622 Native Americans massacre many settlers in and

around Jamestown.

The 1622 uprising left 347 colonists dead. From here on out, the colonist declared all out war with the Native Americans.

Reasons for English hostility of the Local Natives

• Could not be used as slaves because:– Died easily from European disease– Could easily escape and go back to their tribe

• Even with the Powhatan Confederacy, the tribes were not well organized.

• They natives served no economic function (nothing of value to trade).

• They had land that settlers wanted.

• Peace Treaty of 1646 Removed the Powhatans from their

original land. Formally separated Indian and

English settlement areas!

John RolfeWhat finally made the

colony prosperous??

The bewitching weed!!

The Virginia Economy:

In 1612 Rolfe found the gold that the settlers had been seeking. It made their colony into one filled with plantations, small farms and the need for many farm laborers.

Tobacco Prices 1618 -1710

Indentured Servants• Many Englishmen couldn’t afford their own passage.• Colonists paid for their passage in return they would

work for their “master” for 5-7 years while they learned a skill

• After that time, the indentured servant became free and his master usually gave him a small amount of money to get his life started.

• 1610-1614: only 1 in 10 outlived their indentured contracts!

• Headright System: Each Virginian got 50 acres for each person whose

passage they paid.

First Slaves? 1619

Virginia House of Burgesses: 1619

The first elected governing body in North America. Still, however, The Virginia Co. was doing a lousy job of running the colony. The first ever elected body was created to improve the colony. By 1624, though, the King had dissolved the Virginia Co. The King would run the colony for now on. Now it was a Royal Colony.

1676: Bacon’s Rebellion

Bacon’s Rebellion: causes

• The Gov. of Virginia and the House of Burgesses catered to only the rich plantation owners. By 1670, if you owned no land you could not vote!

• Indians and small farmers had sporadic, yet violent, conflicts. Nothing was done to stop these violent attacks.

• Nathaniel Bacon, a small farmer, raised an unauthorized force to drive out the Indians.

• Gov. Berkley issued orders for Bacon to be arrested.

The Effects

• The upper class society still regarded the lower class with disdain. The colony would be run by English officials and they would do what was best for the plantation owners and cavaliers.

• Indentured servants were deemed untrustworthy. More and more slaves began to replace indentured servants.

17c Populationin the Chesapeake

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

1607 1630 1650 1670 1690

WhiteBlack

WHY this large increase in black popul.??

Slavery Takes Hold

English Tobacco Label

The Atlantic Slave Trade

Goods Traded with Africa

The “Middle Passage”

Beginning in 1662 “Slave Codes” Made blacks [and their children]

property, or chattel for life of white masters.

In some colonies, it was a crime to teach a slave to read or write.

Conversion to Christianity did not qualify the slave for freedom.

Colonial Slavery

Maryland

A royal charter wasgranted to GeorgeCalvert, Lord Baltimore,in 1632.A proprietary colony created in 1634.A healthier locationthan Jamestown.

Tobacco would be the main crop.

His plan was to govern as an absentee proprietor in a feudal relationship.

Huge tracts of land granted to his Catholic relatives.

The Settlement of Maryland

Colonization of Maryland

Colonists only willing to come to MD if they received land.Colonists who did come received modest farms dispersed around the Chesapeake area.

Catholic land barons surrounded by mostly Protestant small farmers.

Conflict between barons and farmers led to Baltimore losing proprietary rights at the end of the 17c.

In the late 1600s, black slaves began to be imported.

A Haven for Catholics

Baltimore permitted high degree of freedom of worship in order to prevent repeat of persecution of Catholics by Protestants.

High number of Protestants threatened because of overwhelming rights given to Catholics.

Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 Supported by the Catholics in MD. Guaranteed toleration to all CHRISTIANS. Decreed death to those who denied the

divinity of Jesus [like Jews, atheists, etc.]. In one way, it was less tolerant than

before the law was passed!!

A Haven for Catholics

MD Toleration Act, 1649

British Colonial Settlements by 1660