Southern Colonies

When and why was the South settled by the English?

In 1606, James I granted charters for the Virginia Company of London (London and Plymouth branches). Motives included profit, passage to Asia, and converting Native Americans to Christianity.

When was Jamestown founded, and why was its location chosen?

April 1607; chosen on a peninsula of the James River for defense, though the area had malaria.

Who provided effective leadership in Jamestown?

John Smith initially, later John Rolfe, who introduced tobacco crops, making the colony profitable.

How did tobacco impact Jamestown

Tobacco became the main cash crop:

Who founded Maryland and why?

Lord Baltimore (George Calvert) founded it as a refuge for English Catholics. St. Mary’s City was the first settlement. Maryland had a representative government similar to Virginia.

What was special about the Province of Carolina?

Chartered in 1663, had a representative assembly, largely Protestant, settled by French Huguenots and West Indian planters. Economy based on cash crops, with slavery introduced by settlers.

Why was Georgia founded?

Chartered in 1732 by Gen. James Oglethorpe as a buffer colony against Spanish Florida and as a debtor colony for English criminals and convicts.

What challenges did settlers face in the South?

Malaria and yellow fever lowered life expectancy, making family and settlement building difficult. Climate and soil favored tobacco farming.

What was the Headright System?

Land grants (about 50 acres) given to the “head” of a family to encourage worker importation; could receive up to 1,000 acres.

What caused Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676?

Poor freemen frustrated by lack of land and Indian attacks. Nathaniel Bacon led former indentured servants to burn Jamestown, but Governor Berkeley crushed it. Landowners began relying more on slave labor.

How did slavery develop in the Southern Colonies?

After 1698, when the Royal African Company lost its charter, colonists profited from the slave trade. Laws were made to separate servants’ vs. slaves’ rights.

When did the first Africans arrive, and what happened after?

About 2,000 Africans arrived in 1619. Slaves were initially expensive for poor colonists, but by the 1680s, fewer English servants led to more reliance on African slaves.