colonies

New England

Population: 360,000

Colonies: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut

Largest City: Boston

Demographics: Mostly villages, and small farming communities

Mostly settled by Puritan refugees

Carrying trade dominated economy

Middle Colonies

Population: 300,000

Colonies: Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware

Largest City: Philadelphia 2nd largest city in British Empire

Demographics: Farming communities with larger towns (Philadelphia, and New York)

New York: Settled by Dutch–various ethnic groups

Philadelphia: Settled by the Quakers and William Penn

Proprietary colony

Too cold to grow wheat

Slavery was most commonly used in cities

Chesapeake Colonies

Population 370,000

Colonies: Virginia, Maryland

Largest cities: No major cities

Demographics: Population is spread out on plantations and farms. 40% are slaves

Virginia: Settled by old Royalists Cavaliers set up old school gentry system (indentured servants)

Maryland: Catholics and supporters of William and Mary

Shaped by tobacco

Many societies sacrificed part of their community life to meet demands of the crop

Led to indentured servants being needed

Poor conditions led to demographic disaster

Indentured servants weren’t as effective as African slaves however

Plymouth Colony

Formed by Scrooby separatists who saw themselves as Pilgrims and led by William Bradford

Mayflower Compact

Saved by an Indian named Squanto

Helped them plant crops which fed the colonists

Purchased land rather than taking it

Carolinas

Population: 200,000

Colonies: North and South Carolina, and Georgia

Demographics: Farms and plantations. Rice is the dominant crop. Slaves make up 60% of population.

Esp. South Carolina settled by the sons and relations of West Indies Sugar Plantation owners (Slavery)

Georgia Colony

Forbade representative government

Initially owned by James Oglethorpe until being returned to the King

First attempts at colonization

Roanoke colony

Economic change and turmoil in England prompted colonization

Caused by:

Church of England which led to the Puritans who sought to purify the church

Parliament caused civil war between Puritans led by Cromwell and loyalists by Charles I

Led to the commonwealth government during a period called the Restoration

Called the Glorious Revolution

Entrepreneurs and joint-stock companies allowed settlers to voyage to America

Jamestown

Entered Chesapeake Bay

Named after James I

Tensions with Native Americans that turned to bloodshed after Smith left

Led by John Smith

“No work, no food” policy

Led to “Starving Time” (Winter 1609=1610)

Only 60 of over 200 colonists survived this winter

Stockholders saw no profits which led to them classifying Chesapeake as having no value economically

John Rolfe changed this by altering focus of colony to planting tobacco

By doing some planting of his own, he realizes he can cultivate a sweeter strain of tobacco that becomes popular in England

Tobacco led to plantation-style plots

Plantations initially worked by indentured servants but later African slaves

Indentured servants received an indenture contract

However contracts were often unable to be read by servants

Virginia Company switched to head right system which granted colonists deeds of land ownership

Company later created the House of Burgesses which gave landowners some political control

This resulted in even deeper encroachment upon Native territory which prompted Good Friday, a Powhatan attack that killed a quarter of colonists

Virginia

First explored by Sir Walter Raleigh

He reports back to Queen Elizabeth who the colony is named after

Roanoke (The Lost Colony)

Forgotten about for three years because of the war with the Spanish

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

Lost because of a storm

Ships were too small for English channel

Fleet went from 100 ships to 10

Makes England the new dominant seapower

Just the word Croatan which is the name of an island in that area

After Roanoke, England leaves America alone for a bit

Queen Elizabeth dies without a child, leaving James I as king

James I signs a peace treaty with Spain

End the Tuder dynasty and begins the Stuart dynasty

Virginia Company (founded 1606)

Joint stock colony

Also known as corporate or charter colonies

Charter granted to a corporation that seeks to make a profit

Other types

Crown colonies

Run by a royally-appointed governor

Ex: New England

All colonies become crown colonies eventually

Proprietary Colony

Proprietors own the colony

Has the authority to draw up a plan of government

First twenty slaves arrive in Virginia in 1619

Later become 40% of population

Created the Tidewater Planter Culture

Structure of indentured servants and slaves as serfs and landowners as the aristocrats

Only landowners could vote and run for office

4 of the first 6 presidents belonged to this lifestyle

Bacon’s Rebellion (Frontier settlers vs. Tidewater planters)

Class warfare

Caused Virginia to limit amount of indentured servants and bring in more African slaves

Multiple wars between Powhattan and English settlers

1622 Indian Massacre

347 English settlers killed

Revokes Virginia’s charter, making them a crown colony

Maryland

Envisioned as a safe haven for Catholic colonists

Cecilius Calvert established the colony and colonists immediately began planting tobacco as a staple crop

Gave all colonists religious toleration but then was appealed by Cromwell leading to anti-Catholic persecution

After Glorious Revolution, John Coode led the Protestant Association

Massachusetts Bay

John Winthrop

Attracted many religious settlers in what is called the Great Migration

No demographic disasters led to an abnormality in the colonies: grandparents

Not intended to be egalitarian

Government enforced biblical law

Drove out people perceived to be heretic

Religious persecution led to colonists creating other colonies outside of Massachusetts

Indian suppression by the colonists led to the Pequot War which was spearheaded by Metacomet

By 1691, suffrage was granted to males who met a property requirement

New York

Originally New Amsterdam and ruled by the Dutch until an English nonviolent takeover

Grew rapidly, becoming a religious refuge to French Protestants, Quakers, and Scottish Presbyterians

Trade flourished

English, Dutch, and German merchants fought for control of New York trade

Leisler’s Rebellion caused representative assembly

Pennsylvania

Quakers purchased part of Jersey from proprietors

Most known of these proprietors was William Penn

Refuge for Quakers

Quakers: Christian-protestant denomination that originated in England in the 1600’s; Religious Society of Friends

Founder: George Fox

Lived during the English Civil War which led him to change his beliefs

Believe in the Inner Light

A bit of the divine in every human soul

Caused the belief that every human being is valuable

Called Quakers because they moved and danced during church services

Key Quaker Beliefs

God is love

Light of God is in everybody

People who let their life be guided by God will have a full relationship with him

Everyone can have a relationship with God

Redemption is to be experienced now

Meetings weren’t centered on a minister

Practiced social activism

Antislavery

Prison Reform

Pacifism

Treated indigenous populations with dignity

Guaranteed freedom of worship

Democratic

Chosen by landowners

Economy grew rapidly

Booming agriculture from good soil

BWI Colonies;

Slaves outnumbered not enslaved 4:1

Made slaveowners paranoid which caNew England