Colonial Era – English Settlement & Society (17th Century)

Exploration of the Americas – The Three G’s

  • Countries explored & colonized the Western Hemisphere primarily for the “Three G’s”:
    • God
    • Spread Christianity (both Catholic & Protestant varieties)
    • Gold
    • Accumulate wealth from natural resources (precious metals, cash crops, timber, etc.)
    • Glory
    • National prestige & bragging rights for holding the greatest quantity of territory

Mercantilism

  • Definition: Economic theory aimed at maximizing national power by ensuring \text{Exports} > \text{Imports} (income > expenses)
  • Colonial arrangement
    • Colonies supply raw materials (lumber, sugar, wool, tobacco, rice, indigo)
    • Mother country (England) supplies manufactured goods
    • Colonies exist to enrich England, not to prosper themselves
  • Navigation Acts (mid-1600s)
    • All goods in/out of North America must sail on English ships
    • Any European good heading to colonies must first pass through an English port
    • Most colonial exports could be shipped only to England
    • Goal: lock colonies into a one-way, favorable trade network & prevent competition

Trans-Atlantic / Triangular Trade

  • Leg 1 (Colonies → England): raw materials
  • Leg 2 (England → Africa): manufactured goods traded for enslaved Africans
  • Leg 3 (Africa → Colonies): enslaved people transported via the Middle Passage
    • Route characterized by overcrowding, sickness, fear, brutality
    • Mortality rate ≈ 210=20%\frac{2}{10} = 20\% of captives died en route
  • Overall slave trade (1650-1860)
    • Approx. 10–15 million Africans transported
    • Majority sent to West Indies, Central & South America; hundreds of thousands to British North America

Jamestown – First Permanent English Settlement (1607)

  • Purpose: search for gold & other valuables
  • Early struggles: disease, famine, Native attacks
  • Turnaround factors
    • Leadership of Captain John Smith (“He that will not work shall not eat”)
    • Introduction of tobacco as a lucrative cash crop

Southern Colonies

  • Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
  • Reason for founding: commercial agriculture to feed England’s mercantilist demand
  • Geography: rich soil, long growing season, warm climate
  • Economy
    • Cash crops: tobacco, rice, indigo (high-yield, labor-intensive)
    • Reliance on plantation agriculture & enslaved labor
  • Labor system
    • Expansion of tobacco & other crops → increased demand for enslaved Africans
    • Slave labor becomes staple of large-scale southern farms
  • Relations with Native Americans
    • Generally tense/conflict-ridden as colonists expanded farmland onto Native land

New England Colonies

  • Colonies: Massachusetts Bay (including Plymouth), New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut
  • Reason for founding: religious freedom for Puritans separating from the Anglican Church (Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1620)
  • Geography
    • Poor, thin, rocky soil; short growing season
    • Abundant forests & natural harbors
  • Economy
    • Shipbuilding, fishing, whaling, commercial trade
    • Subsistence farming (grow only what the family needs)
  • Relations with Native Americans
    • Early survival depended on trade/diplomacy (e.g., Squanto aiding Pilgrims)
    • Puritans viewed Natives as spiritually “lost” and sought to convert or displace them

Middle (Mid-Atlantic) Colonies

  • Colonies: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
  • Origins
    • Originally New Netherland (Dutch); captured by England in 1664 due to its strategic position between New England & the South
    • Populations already diverse → religious & ethnic pluralism
  • Geography
    • Fertile river valleys (Hudson & Delaware Rivers)
    • Excellent harbors (New York City, Philadelphia)
  • Economy
    • “Breadbasket Colonies” – large-scale production of wheat & corn
    • Strong merchant/trade centers; export of furs, cattle, iron, ships, timber
  • Relations with Native Americans
    • Generally trade-oriented & more respectful compared with other regions, though conflicts still occurred

Comparative Overview – Southern vs. New England vs. Middle

  • Motives
    • Southern: profit through agriculture
    • New England: religious reformation & community building
    • Middle: originally commercial (Dutch), later mixed economics & tolerance
  • Geography & Climate
    • Southern: fertile, long growing seasons
    • New England: rocky, short seasons, forests, seaports
    • Middle: moderate climate, rich soils, navigable rivers
  • Labor Systems
    • Southern: enslaved Africans, plantation system dominates
    • New England: family labor & apprentices, limited slavery
    • Middle: mixed—family farms, indentured servants, some slavery (urban & rural)
  • Economies
    • Southern: cash crops for export
    • New England: maritime industries, trade, small farms
    • Middle: grains, commerce, craftsmanship – economic middle-ground
  • Native Relations
    • Southern: land pressure → frequent conflict
    • New England: initial cooperation → cultural/religious friction & wars (Pequot War, King Philip’s War)
    • Middle: trade alliances, generally less violent early on

Key Numbers & Facts at a Glance

  • 1607 – Jamestown founded, first permanent English settlement
  • 1620 – Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock (Mayflower Compact)
  • Mid-1600s – Navigation Acts codify mercantilism
  • 1650-1860 – height of Atlantic slave trade; 10 – 15 million10\text{ – }15\,\text{million} people transported
  • 20\% (≈ 210\frac{2}{10}) mortality on the Middle Passage
  • 1664 – English seize New Netherland → New York