JamestownBad times between 1607 & 1608.Few people left could farmCaptain John Smith was turned to for helpGood relations with PowhatansReturned to England in 1609 after an injuryRelations with Powhatans deterioratedMilitary rule and more recruitsHeadrights (50 acres) for anyone able to pay their own wayIndentured servitude for the rest1619: Representative government1622: Problems

Systematic corruptionHigh death rates

Most died within 3 yrsPoor relations with natives

Nemanttenew, Native shaman who urged resistance to EnglishNemanttenew killed by settlers; Indians launch attack that kills ¼ of pop.Anglo-Powhatan War (1622-1632)

Starvation tactic upon Powhatans1624: Charter revoked, royal colony established

Decline of natives1600: 1250001675: 10000Fur trade depletes the beaver supplyNatives go into debt, pay back with landTowns begin to expandLand quality depletedSome turn to ChristianityMetacom’s War

Known as King PhilipWell armedTide turned when Mohawks and Christianized Indians turned against himReduced indian population by 40%Many Indians now put on reservations

Economics and gender1662: Half-Way covenantPeople began moving away from town centersExample of Salem:

Equal society replaced with unequal one when port became prosperousWitch trials

The New England of the 17th century would see people much less willing to allow society to restrict their economic and personal freedoms

Chesapeake SocietyState and Church in Virginia

1628: Virginia royal colony gets a legislatureHouse of burgesses and Governors council

Local government made up of county-courtsJustice of the peaceSouth of N. England the county-court system, appointed by royal governors, was the preferred system

Virginia’s First FamiliesProblems in creating an English style aristocracyMiddle class began to take overMerchants and growers could pass on their power to create the first families

Maryland1632: Royal grant to Lord BaltimoreRefuge for English Catholics1634: 200 settlers arrivedFew Catholics ended up coming to MarylandMany independent landowners made up the populationSome religious problems over time1649: Religious Toleration Act (first toleration act passed in America)Situation devolves into that of civil war by 16551658: Lord Baltimore takes over again

TobaccoTobacco becomes a way of lifeTobacco prices crash in 1629 to 3% of earlier levels

Mortality, Gender, KinshipTerrible gender ratiosLife expectancy: 48 male, 54 femaleWidows had more property rights than in EnglandMany step parents/children due to high death ratesPopulation of Chesapeake only 85000 in 1700 while New England had 91000 by 1700

Tobacco’s TroublesIndentured servants increased gap between rich and poorServants had little chance outside of servitude

No money to buy landVirginia had no laws guaranteeing land for freed servantsTobacco prices fell, and upward mobility fell to near zero

Large landowners could take the fall in tobacco pricesRents, loans, shopkeeping, gov’t fees, etc.

These poor formed a bitter underclassBacon’s Rebellion

1674: Nathaniel Bacon immigrated to VirginiaKnew Gov. William Berkeley, and was appointed to the councilTensions flared between natives and English settlersJune, 1675: Dispute between Doeg Indians and a Virginia farmer escalated to force.

In pursuing the Doegs, militia from Virginia and Maryland attacked and killed 14 friendly Susquehannocks and executed 5 leaders at a peace conferenceWar was inevitable nowGov. Berkeley suggested building a barrier to forts to protect the frontierSettlers wanted the less costly option of simply exterminating the nativesApril – June 1676: Bacon sets out to hunt down Indians. Finds only friendly ones. Kills them anywayBacon received permission to indiscriminantly attack natives and take their landBerkeley calls Bacon backBacon’s men rebelled and marched on JamestownJamestown is burnedColony saved when Bacon dies of Dysentary in late 1676

SlaveryChesapeake began moving to slavery even before it became obvious that servitude was not going to workBegan in 3 stages

1619 – 1640: Not every black was assumed to be a slaveSome blacks were freed, and even owned land and other slaves1640-1660: Many blacks treated as slaves, and children inherited that status1660 onward: Colonies officially recognize the status of slave. Status is lifelong, inheritable, and a racial status

By 1705, strict slave codes defined a slave’s place in society1700: Slaves are 22% of the populationSlavery replaces indentured servitude

Becomes harder to import servantsEngland’s population declines More jobs at higher pay available in England

Slavery helped to mend the social tensions between whites. Now poor whites saw commonalities between them and richer whites

Spread of Slavery: Caribbean and CarolinaSugar and Slaves

Caribbean colonies primarily set up to harvest Tobacco1640s sees move to SugarMuch more labor needed for sugar than tobaccoSlaves used to fill extra demand for labor

Slavery had died out in England after the 11th century, but colonists copied the Spanish1713: Slaves were 80% of the population of West Indies

CarolinaFirst of the Restoration colonies1650s: Settlers had set up illegal outposts in area between Virginia and Spanish Florida1663: King Charles II sets up Carolina colony50 acres of land offered for every person brought into the colonyJohn Locke served as secretary to Anthony Ashley Cooper, head of Carolina colonyPolitical power and social rank should accurately reflect settlers’ landed wealth3 tiered nobility that would hold 2/5s of the landCouncil of nobles would make lawsManorial courts would dispense justiceUntil 1680s, few settlers cared about these laws and the pseudofeudalismRice became the staple crop

Rice planters took over societyCarolina began to look much like West IndiesSlaves used as labor sourceMany Africans had cultivated rice beforeMany Africans had a partial immunity to Malaria, common to CarolinasBy 1720 slaves were 2/3 of the population

As black populations increased, the situation became worse as laws were put in place to harden slavery1711: Indians destroy New Bern, a settlement of 700 Swiss immigrants1713: Northern Carolina enlisted the help of S. Carolina’s well armed Indians and destroyed 20% of their native population1719: Carolinians overthrow proprietary rule1729: Crown creates N. Carolina and S. Carolina as royal colonies

GeorgiaFounded in 1733Built in order to be a buffer zone between English colonies and Spanish/French onesReceived monetary subsidies from English governmentNamed to honor King George IIFounded by philanthropists hoping to provide a haven for people imprisoned by debtHoped to be free of slavery tooRuled by James Oglethorpe

Plantation Colonies

Maryland, Virginia, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, and Georgia all built around exporting cash cropsFormed around plantationsGrowth of cities retarded by spread out populaceAll permitted some religious tolerationSoil Butchery forced them to be somewhat expansionary