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Early British Colonies

Chapter 1Section 3

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John Smith

Joined Virginia Company

Group of merchants who intended to start a colony in North America

Landed near Chesapeake Bay in 1607

Built a fort to protect the first English settlement in North America, Jamestown

See p. 22

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Problems from the Beginning

Funding Unlike Spanish

colonies, which were funded by the Spanish rulers, English colonies were funded by joint-stock companies, who invested money to support a colony hoping to make a profit

Expected a quick return

Colonists neglected farming in hopes of finding gold or silver to satisfy the investors

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Problems from the Beginning

Consequences: Famine Diseases from drinking

contaminated water

John Smith was able to hold the colony together

Forced the colonists to farm

Formed relations with the Powhatan peoples, who helped support the colony

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Pocahontas

Only 10-12 years old at the time

Captain Smith claimed she saved his life by throwing herself onto him to save him from a beating

Unclear whether Smith was actually going to be beaten

Married John Rolfe No romantic

relationship with John Smith

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Tobacco

Eventually, the colonists learned to grow tobacco

Became a very profitable export

Needed field laborers Indentured servants

Received passage to America, food, and shelter upon arrival in exchange for 4-7 years worth of labor

Mostly from England’s lower class

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Clashes with Native Americans

Desire for more and more land led to conflict with the Native Americans

Unlike the Spanish, the English conquest over the native peoples was total and complete

They did not intermarry Colonists living on the

outskirts of the colonies constantly fought with Native Americans

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New EnglandPilgrims

A group of Puritans, known as Separatists because they wanted to separate themselves from the English church

Came to North America on the Mayflower

Founded Plymouth Colony in 1620, the second permanent English colony in North America

The Mayflower Compact Outlined the government to be

used in the colony Important landmark in the

development of American democracy

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New England

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Established by another group of Puritans in 1630 seeking religious refuge

Boston became a thriving port city

Led by Puritan Leader John Winthrop

Plymouth was eventually incorporated into the Massachusetts Bay Colony

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New EnglandPuritans

Came to America to practice their own religion

Were not tolerant of other religions

Roger Williams Disagreed with some Puritan

practices Declared English settlers had

no rightful claim to the land unless they purchased it from the natives

Argued every person should be free to worship according to his or her conscience

Founded Providence and guaranteed religious freedom

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Native American Resistance

Natives had helped colonists Provided them with land and

gave agricultural advice

Colonists began to settle more and more land

Native Americans began to fear an end to their way of life

Resented the colonists’ efforts to convert them and some of their laws

Such as no hunting or fishing on Sundays

How would you react if you were a Native American?

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King Philip’s War

Tension continued to rise for 40 years

Metacom (Wampanoag chief) Referred to as King Philip by

the English Formed an alliance with other

tribes in an attempt to wipe out the colonists

King Philip’s War begins in 1675

Natives burned outlying settlements

Colonists responded by killing many natives, even those from friendly tribes

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King Philip’s WarBrutality lasted over a year

Natives finally surrendered or fled Heavy casualties Food shortages Disease

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Middle ColoniesThe Dutch established a colony, New Netherland Thrived on fur

trading

1664 English took over the colony Renamed it New

York after the duke of York

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Middle Colonies

1660-1682 Charles II (new English king)

Gave large portions of land to William Penn

In return for a debt owed to Penn’s father

Penn establishes Pennsylvania and Delaware

Penn belonged to a Protestant sect known as the Quakers

Rejected war and promoted equality

Paid natives for any new land they acquired

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Thirteen Colonies

1600s-1700s More British colonies were established for many reasons

Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Georgia

By 1752, the Crown had begun to exercise more and more control over colonial economies and governments

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Thirteen Colonies

Existed primarily for the benefit of England

Colonies exported raw materials to England

Lumber and fur Imported manufactured

goods from England

Original 13 colonies: Represented a wide

variety of people, skills, motives, industries, resources, and agricultural products

Colonizing Country

Colony

Raw materials

Manufactured goods

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Mercantilism

European nations competed for wealth and power through mercantilismTheory of Mercantilism

A nation can increase its wealth in one of two ways:

Obtain as much gold and silver as possible

Establish a favorable balance of trade

What would be a favorable balance of trade?

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MercantilismColonies were key to this process

They provided the raw materials that could not be found in the home country

See the colonies on p. 29, answer Geography Skillbuilder

To tighten control of colonial trade, English Parliament passed the Navigation Acts in 1651

Read the Navigation Acts on p. 28

How do the acts benefit England? What about the colonies?

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Colonial Government

Governor Appointed by the Crown served as the highest authority

•Could veto laws of the Assembly

Advisory council Appointed by the Governor

Colonial Assembly elected by the landowning white males

•Raised money through taxes and initiated and passed laws

•Paid the governor’s salary

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Growing Self-Determination

Self-government Created conditions

for a potential rebellion

Desired more economic and political breathing room

Read “A Personal Voice” on p. 30

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HW

Critical Thinking #3 and #4

At least 4 sentences each

8 pts.

Movie Clip The Diversity of

Colonial Communities 24 min.