Exploration and English Colonization

Who was King James I and what role did he play in colonization?

King of England (1603–1625); gave charter for Jamestown, supported colonization.

What was Jamestown and why is it important?

First permanent English settlement (1607); struggled early but survived with tobacco.

Who was John Rolfe and why is he important?

Introduced tobacco to Jamestown, making it profitable and stable.

What role did Queen Elizabeth I play in colonization?

Supported explorers like Raleigh (Roanoke); laid groundwork for future colonization.

Who was Roger Williams and what did he believe?

Puritan minister; believed in religious freedom & separation of church/state; founded Rhode Island.

Who was Cecil Calvert and what colony did he found?

Founded Maryland as a safe haven for Catholics; promoted religious tolerance.

Who was John Winthrop

Puritan leader; wanted Massachusetts to be a “city upon a hill” as a religious model.

What did Henry Hudson explore and for whom?

English explorer for the Dutch; explored Hudson River, leading to New Amsterdam.

Who was William Penn

Founded Pennsylvania; promoted religious freedom, good relations with Natives, and tolerance.

Mercantilisim

The belief that colonies exist to make their mother country rich by sending raw materials and buying finished goods.

House of Burgesses

The first elected assembly in the English colonies, in Virginia (1619)

Pilgrims

Separatists who left England for religious freedom and founded Plymouth in 1620.

Pequot War

A violent war between New England colonists and the Pequot tribe (1630s), leading to the tribe’s destruction.

Holy Experiment

William Penn’s idea for Pennsylvania as a colony with religious freedom, peace, and equality

Parliament

England’s lawmaking body (like Congress) that made decisions for the colonies too.

Powhatan

A Native American group near Jamestown; sometimes traded with colonists, but also fought wars with them.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement Pilgrims made in 1620 to govern themselves by majority rule.

King Philip’s War

A 1670s conflict between New England colonists and Native tribes led by Metacom (“King Philip”), very destructive.

Quakers

A Christian group who believed in equality, the “inner light,” and peace.

Pacifism

The belief in avoiding war and violence; Quakers practiced this.

Indentured servants

People who worked without pay for several years in exchange for passage to America.

Salutary Neglect

England’s policy of not strictly enforcing laws in the colonies, which let them practice self-government.

"Inner Light"

A Quaker belief that every person has God’s spirit inside them to guide them.

Three main reasons for exploring the New World

• God — spread Christianity (missionary aims).

• Gold (and glory) — search for wealth, prestige, national rivalry.

• Gold (economic) — find new trade routes, resources, land for plantations and commerce (often phrased as “God, glory, and gold”).

Areas claimed by European powers

• Spanish: Large parts of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, most of South America, much of the American Southwest and Florida — plus vast colonial empires and missions.

• French: Canada (New France), the St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes region, and much of the Mississippi Valley (Louisiana).

• English: Atlantic coast colonies in eastern North America (New England through the Chesapeake and Southern colonies), plus some Caribbean islands.

Mayflower Compact as a foundation for U.S. government

• Early social contract: agreement to form a government and follow majority rule for the good of the colony.

• Introduced ideas of consent of the governed, self-government, and law by compact — concepts that influenced later American political thought.

Differences in colonial approaches to Native Americans (Virginia, Massachusetts Bay, Pennsylvania)

• Virginia: Expansionist and often hostile; conflict over land (Powhatan Wars).

• Massachusetts Bay: Initial cooperation in some cases but grew to competition and violent conflict (Pequot War, King Philip’s War) as settlements expanded.

• Pennsylvania (William Penn): Generally more peaceful and treaty-based; Penn promoted fair purchases of land and peaceful relations (though tensions still occurred).

Triangular Trade (system explained)

• Europe → Africa: manufactured goods, guns, textiles exchanged for enslaved people.

• Africa → Americas (Middle Passage): enslaved Africans transported under brutal conditions.

• Americas → Europe: colonial products (sugar, tobacco, rice, molasses) shipped back to Europe.
  This triangle connected economies and fueled the Atlantic slave trade.

Why England–colonies relationship was mutually beneficial by 1700

• For England: colonies provided raw materials, markets for English goods, strategic ports, and wealth (taxes, trade profits).

• For colonists: access to English markets, military protection, manufactured goods, capital and legal status under the empire.

• Both profited from Atlantic trade, though friction existed over controls and rights.

How Salutary Neglect planted seeds of independence

• Britain loosely enforced trade laws and political control for much of the 17th–early 18th centuries, letting colonial assemblies run many internal affairs.

• Colonists developed local self-government, economic practices, and political institutions.

• When Britain later tried to tighten control (mid-1700s onward), colonists resisted because they had grown accustomed to autonomy — contributing to revolutionary sentiment.

Difference between Salutary Neglect and the Mayflower compact

• Salutary Neglect = England ignoring the colonies → colonies get freedom by accident.

• Mayflower Compact = Colonists choosing to govern themselves → self-government by design.

Corporate Colony

A colony started by a company that got a charter to make money for investors.

Royal Colony

A colony directly controlled by the king of England.

Proprietary colony

A Proprietary Colony was a colony that the King gave to one person or a small group of people (called proprietors).

Proclamation Act (1763)

Colonists couldn’t move west past the Appalachian Mountains after the French and Indian War.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

Ended the French and Indian War → Britain got most of France’s land in North America.

Sugar Act (1764)

Tax on sugar and molasses to raise money for Britain.

Stamp Act (1765)

Tax on paper goods (like newspapers, legal papers, cards).

Townshend Acts (1767)

Taxes on imported goods like glass, paint, paper, and tea.

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers shot and killed 5 colonists during a protest in Boston.