British Colonization in North America

Introduction

• Focus on the development of distinct societies in British colonies.

• Comparison of different regions: Chesapeake, New England, Southern Atlantic Coast, and Middle Colonies.

Chesapeake Colonies

• Jamestown Establishment (1607)

  • First British colony in North America.

  • Funded by a joint-stock company, allowing investors to share financial risks.

• Initial Struggles

  • Colonists focused on finding gold and building military forts.

  • Famine and disease led to high mortality rates; cannibalism reported.

• Tobacco Cultivation

  • John Rolfe introduced tobacco in 1612, which became a profitable cash crop.

  • Labor primarily provided by indentured servants who worked for seven years to pay off passage.

• Conflict with Native Americans

  • Increased land demand for tobacco led to encroachment on Native lands.

  • Tensions escalated, resulting in violent retaliations from Native Americans.

• Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

  • Led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor William Berkeley's neglect of frontier farmers.

  • Resulted in a shift from indentured servitude to African slavery due to fears of further uprisings.

New England Colonies

• Settlement by Pilgrims (1620)

  • Primarily for economic reasons, not just religious freedom.

  • Migrated as family groups to establish a society rather than seeking profit.

• Societal Development

  • Initial hardships due to disease, but eventually established a thriving agricultural and commercial economy.

Southern Atlantic Coast and British West Indies

• Colonization in the Caribbean (1620s)

  • Establishment of colonies on islands like Barbados and Nevis.

  • Tobacco was initially the main crop, later replaced by sugarcane.

• Labor Demand

  • Sugar production required intensive labor, leading to a spike in demand for African enslaved people.

  • By 1660, the majority of Barbados' population was enslaved Africans, leading to harsh slave codes.

• South Carolina's Replication

  • South Carolina colonists modeled their society after the British West Indies, adopting similar labor practices.

Middle Colonies

• Geography and Economy

  • New York and New Jersey developed an export economy based on cereal crops.

  • Diverse population with emerging class inequalities.

• Pennsylvania

  • Founded by William Penn, a Quaker advocating for religious freedom.

  • Expansion through negotiation with Native Americans, contrasting with other colonies.

Governance Across Colonies

• Democratic Systems

  • Distance from Britain allowed colonies to develop self-governing systems.

• Examples of Governance

  • Virginia: House of Burgesses, a representative assembly for taxation and law-making.

  • New England: Mayflower Compact, organizing government akin to a self-governing church.

  • Middle and Southern colonies had representative bodies dominated by elite classes.

Conclusion

• British colonies, while all under British rule, developed into distinct societies with unique economic, social, and governance structures.

• Understanding these differences is crucial for AP US