THE COLONIAL ERAEarly British Colonies

English Settle at Jamestown• Led by John Smith, a group of British settlers reached

America in 1607 to establish an English colony• There had been an earlier attempt by the British to

establish a colony in America but all of the colonists disappeared (Roanoke)

• John Smith and the colonists he led, landed at Chesapeake Bay in VA and built a settlement called Jamestown

• John Smith and the other colonists were part of the Virginia Company – a joint stock company

• The purpose of their colony was to turn a profit for the company and its investors

English Settle Jamestown• As Jamestown was funded by a joint-stock company, the

original colonists hoped to turn a quick profit• They combed the earth searching for gold and other

precious metals, and failed to establish farms• Soon, the first colonists were on the brink of starvation

and suffering from disease• John Smith led the colonists out of this by forcing them to

farm and securing help from local Indian tribes• Smith’s leadership, along with fresh colonists from Europe

preserved the colony• The discovery of tobacco, shared by the Indians, allowed

the colony to become profitable

Tobacco, Labor and Land• Tobacco was highly profitable for the colonists, but was

labor intensive• Because of the new opportunities in America, many British

were looking for a way to reach the New World• Due to both of these issues the use of indentured

servants became popular• Indentured servants had their trip to America paid for

along with their room and board• In return, they would work off their debt (usually 4 - 7

years)

Tobacco, Labor and Land• As more and more indentured servants paid off their debt and

earned their freedom, a form of class conflict emerged.• Many former indentured servants and some slaves became

increasingly upset with their lack of political voice and protection from the colonial governments

• In Virginia, Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion of mostly former indentured servants and slaves against the governor

• The rebellion was put down, but contributed to the growth of slavery

• It became clear that indentured servants were much more difficult to manage after gaining their freedom – a problem that didn’t exist with African slaves.

Tobacco, Labor and Land• Due to tobacco’s profitability and the growing number of

colonists, land space soon became an issue• As colonists began to spread out for more farm land,

Native Americans became increasingly hostile towards them.

• As the British colonists encountered Native Americans, they sought to drive them out.

• The British did not cohabitate with the Natives (unlike the Spanish) – Their goal was to always drive them further away.

Puritans and “New England”• The Puritans are a religious group that formed out of the

Protestant Reformation.• Puritans living in England became frustrated with Catholic

traditions practiced in the Church of England, they also faced persecution for their beliefs

• In 1620, one group of Puritans (Pilgrims) migrated to America and founded the Plymouth Colony

• The Plymouth Colony was the second permanent English colony in North America

Puritans and “New England”• After the first group of Puritans found success with the

Plymouth colony, other Puritans looked to come to America.

• In 1630, a group of Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled in Boston, MA

• The colonists of Massachusetts Bay were led by John Winthrop, a preacher.

• They believed they had a covenant (agreement) with God to create a moral society and that their city should be one that all other model themselves after.

• In a fiery sermon to his followers, John Winthrop said, “We shall be as a City upon a Hill; the eyes of all people are on us.”

Dissent among the Puritans• There were some Puritans who had separate religious

views from the main group.• One such person was Roger Williams, he believed that

land should be purchased from the Indians and that people should be allowed to worship freely.

• The Puritans tried to deport him back to England, but he fled.

• He moved south and bought some land from an Indian group, he named this new settlement Providence (RI)

• In his colony, Williams guaranteed religious freedom and separation of church and state

Early Representative Government• After settling Jamestown, the Virginia colony grew to

include 11 districts.• The need for some form of government in the Virginia

colony became necessary• In 1619, each of the 11 districts sent two citizens

(burgesses) to Jamestown and formed the House of Burgesses

• The House of Burgesses had the authority to raise taxes and pass legislation (laws) – the English governor could veto

• The House of Burgesses was the FIRST representative body in colonial America

Early Representative Government• In Massachusetts, the Puritans also adopted a form of

democratic government in their colony• Prior to landing at Plymouth, the colonists about the ship

they were traveling on, the Mayflower, signed a compact (an agreement).

• This document is known as the Mayflower Compact and it provided a basis for self government in the new colony.

• As a colony they would create “just and equal laws…for the general good of the colony.”

House of Burgesses

Signing the Mayflower Compact