Early English Colonies, Labor Systems, and Native Relations

A set of 50 question-and-answer flashcards covering Jamestown’s early struggles, the rise of tobacco, indentured servitude, Bacon’s Rebellion, the Middle Colonies, Georgia’s founding and evolution, as well as Anglo-Native relations and the Pequot War.

What company originally founded the Jamestown settlement?

The Virginia Company.

Why did the Virginia Company decide to send additional colonists to Jamestown?

They believed more settlers would strengthen and profit the colony.

After the influx of new settlers, how many Jamestown colonists reportedly survived the crisis period?

Only 38 settlers survived.

Which two leaders concluded that Jamestown was hopeless and attempted to abandon it in 1610?

John Smith and Sir Thomas Gates.

Toward what location were the Jamestown survivors sailing before being turned back?

They were headed toward another settlement in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Which new governor’s relief fleet intercepted the departing settlers and forced them to return to Jamestown?

Lord De La Warr.

What cash crop eventually made Jamestown economically successful?

Tobacco.

By 1670, about how many pounds of tobacco were shipped annually from Jamestown?

Roughly 15 million pounds.

What labor system did early English planters rely on before widespread slavery?

Indentured servitude.

What did indentured servants receive in exchange for their labor?

Passage to America (and basic sustenance) during their contract term.

Was indentured servitude usually a lifelong condition?

No; it lasted for a fixed term, after which servants were freed.

What happened to indentured servants once their contracts expired?

They were released on their own recognizance as free people.

What legal right did indentured servants possess that enslaved Africans later did not?

They could file complaints in local courts.

Name one way masters could legally extend an indentured servant’s time of service.

By citing “bad behavior” and adding years to the contract.

What social problem emerged in Virginia as fertile land became scarce?

A growing class of landless colonists.

Who controlled most of the fertile land in seventeenth-century Virginia?

Wealthy planters and elites.

Who was governor of Virginia during the unrest that led to Bacon’s Rebellion?

Governor William Berkeley.

In what year did Bacon’s Rebellion take place?

1676.

What primary grievance fueled Bacon’s Rebellion?

Conflict over land and policies between landless settlers and wealthy planters.

What drastic action did the rebels take against the colonial capital?

They burned Jamestown.

What long-term effect did Bacon’s Rebellion have on colonial Virginia?

It resolved little but revealed deep class tensions.

List the four middle colonies discussed in the lecture.

New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

Which religious group spearheaded the settlement of Pennsylvania?

The Quakers.

Why did the Quakers establish a colony in Pennsylvania?

To secure religious freedom and escape persecution.

In what year was the colony of Georgia founded?

1732.

After which monarch was Georgia named?

King George II.

How many trustees initially governed Georgia?

Twenty-one trustees.

What strategic military purpose did Georgia serve for the British colonies?

It acted as a buffer protecting Carolina from Spanish Florida.

What social mission did Georgia’s founders hope to accomplish?

Providing refuge for England’s poor debtors and “wretched” citizens.

When did Georgia officially become a royal colony?

1754.

Around what year did Georgia’s population begin to rise significantly?

By 1763.

Name three major commodities Georgia exported once its economy improved.

Rice, timber, and beef (pork was also exported).

On what labor system did Georgia’s eventual economic success depend?

A slave-centered plantation economy.

What were “praying towns” intended to achieve among Native peoples?

To convert and assimilate Natives into English Christianity and culture.

Which Puritan dissenter argued that all religions were essentially equal?

Roger Williams.

What was the first major armed conflict between New England colonists and Native peoples mentioned in the notes?

The Pequot War.

What specific incident allegedly sparked the Pequot War?

The killing of English settlers that colonists blamed on Pequot Indians.

In what year did the Pequot War end?

1637.

What treaty formally concluded the Pequot War?

The Treaty of Hartford (1638).

What happened to the Pequot nation under the Treaty of Hartford?

It was disbanded; many men were executed and women and children sold into slavery.

To which Caribbean island were many captured Pequot women and children sent?

Barbados.

Approximately how many Pequot men were executed after the war?

About 50–60 men.

How did many English colonists interpret their victory in the Pequot War?

As a divine or “sweet” sacrifice blessed by God.

What doctrine was used to justify enslaving Native captives after conflicts?

The “Just war” doctrine.

How did most English colonists view the place of Native Americans in New England society?

They believed Natives had no place and often saw them as evil.

What occurred to Native peoples who resisted English expansion after the Pequot War?

They were forced from their lands or killed outright.

Why were many landless colonists roaming Virginia’s countryside before 1676?

They were seeking land or income because fertile areas were controlled by elites.

Besides land disputes, what factor heightened tensions leading to Bacon’s Rebellion?

Overpopulation of landless settlers and dissatisfaction with government policies.

What key difference distinguished indentured servitude from later racial slavery regarding duration?

Indentured servitude was for a set term, not for life.

Which British colony ultimately served both as a military buffer and a slave-based economy similar to South Carolina?

Georgia.

Who served as governor of Virginia during Bacon's Rebellion?

Governor William Berkeley.

In what year did Lord De La Warr intervene to prevent the abandonment of Jamestown?

1610.

Which specific Native American group faced execution and enslavement after their defeat in the Pequot War?

The Pequot nation.

What major social issue contributed to widespread discontent among Virginia's colonists before Bacon's Rebellion?

The growing class of landless colonists due to scarce fertile land.