Transcript The Planting of English North America 1500-1733

The Planting of English North America
1500-1733
Colonial Update!
• The Spanish were at
Santa Fe in 1610
• The French were at
Quebec in 1608
• The English were in
Jamestown, Virginia in
1607
England’s Imperial Stirrings
• King Henry VIII broke
with the Roman
Catholic Church in the
1530’s, launching the
English Protestant
Reformation and
intensifying the rivalry
with Catholic Spain
Elizabeth Energizes England
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Elizabeth ascends the throne in 1558
and presides over a period of general
domestic tranquility. She prefers
(with the exception of the Irish
Rebellion) to stay out of military
conflict. However she does not
discourage individuals from
embarking on voyages of discovery or
plunder.
Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the
world in 1580, captured a Spanish
treasure ship and brought home
profits of 4600% to investors
(including the queen)
In 1588, the English managed to hold
off the Spanish Armada’s efforts to
invade England. This victory began
England’s bid for naval dominance in
the Atlantic Ocean.
England on the Eve of Empire
• Economic Depression
hit England in the late
1500’s causing much
suffering and
dislocation. Many,
looking for a new home,
sought refuge in the
New World.
England Plants the Jamestown
Seedling 1607
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In 1606, the Virginia Company of London,
a joint stock company received a charter
from James I for a settlement in the New
World. Three ships left England and
arrived in America; the Susan Constant,
Godspeed and the Discovery. The
company landed on May 24, 1607. The
site was in Chesapeake Bay on a piece of
land connected to the mainland by a
narrow causeway or isthmus. Early
settlement efforts were difficult due to
lack of experience and discipline. Many
settlers starved in the winter of 16071608.
In 1608, Captain John Smith took over the
settlement: “You work, you eat”.
By 1610 after the ”starving Winter 16091610”, only 60 settlers survived out of 400
original settlers
Cultural Clash in the Chesapeake
• Lord De La Warr reached
Jamestown in 1610 with
supplies and reinforcements.
He started the First AngloPowhatan War much of which
was about English expansion
of the colony due to the
proliferation of tobacco
plantations. Powhatan Indians
defeated again in 1644.
• By 1685 the English
considered the Powhatan to
be extinct.
Virginia: Child of Tobacco
• John Rolfe married
Pocahontas in 1614 ending
the First Powhatan War.
• In 1619, self-government
was created when the
London Company
authorized the colonists to
summon an assembly,
known as the House of
Burgesses.
• James I didn’t trust the
House of Burgesses so in
1624 he made it a royal
colony.
Virginia Child of Tobacco
• Midatlantic climate was
unsuitable for sugar.
• Native Americans taught the
settlers about agriculture: Three
Sister (Maize, Squash, Beans) and
also about tobacco.
• Tobacco became main export of
Virginia.
• It was tough on soil so it needed
to be planted in relatively fresh
virgin fields (w/o fertilizers)
• Main cause of inland expansion
by settlers and major cause for
conflict with Native Americans
• Why? Settlers demanded
exclusive access to land.
Maryland: Catholic Haven
• Maryland was formed in
1634 by Lord Baltimore as a
refuge for the Catholics who
had to escape the wrath of
English Protestants.
• As time wore on, many
chose to leave England
during the English Civil War
(1637-1649) including many
protestants. Therefore in
1649 Act of Toleration was
passed which extended
religious toleration to all
Christians.
The West Indies: Way Station to
Mainland North America
• By mid 1600’s, England had
secured several West Indian
islands (ie. Jamaica)
• Sugar was by far the most
important crop.
• Millions of African slaves
were imported to work the
sugar plantations ultimately
outnumbering their
European masters, the
Barbados Slave Code was
instituted in 1661 denying
even the most basic human
rights to slaves..
Colonizing the Carolinas
• Civil War plagued England in the
1640’s
• Supporters of Charles II settle the
region (esp. South Carolina) along
with many former indentured
servants from Virginia.
• Carolina splits into North and
South in 1712. Different character
in each. North is less formal but
more equality minded, South is
much more aristocratic.
• Savannah and Yamasee Indians
are exterminated in raids and
wars.
• Cattle, Indigo, Rice and tobacco
are major exports.