Chapter 4 - English Colonization

Elizabeth I

• Daughter of Henry VIII + Anne Boleyn
• Took advantage of New World discoveries
• Became Queen of England in 1558
• ^^After ending conflict over religion, Elizabeth unified England + strengthened the military^^
• When she refused to marry Philip II of Spain, war broke out
• Died in 1603

Francis Drake

• Pirate + celebrated sea captain
• Sailed the Golden Hind to Spanish empire + plundered Spanish ports
• Circumnavigated the globe from 1577-1580
• Returned with a ship filled with gold + spices from West Indies
• Defeated Spanish Armada in naval war in 1588

Sir Walter Raleigh

• Fought Irish + Spanish
• 1578 - Established colonies in Virginia (failed)
• ^^Published Discourse Concerning Western Planting, which provided rationale for English colonization of the New World^^
• After attempting to attack the Spanish, he was beheaded by James I

Primogeniture

• Property of English nobleman is passed to 1st-born son
• Stabilized English land holdings + politics
• Other sons didn’t have anything to do (because they had no land)
• Huge tracts of available land in colonial America
• Because of widespread refusal to do manual labor, Jamestown nearly collapsed

Charter

• ^^British gov’t permits settlement of English colonies^^
• English colonists have equal rights to Englishmen to England

Joint-Stock Companies

• 1602 - Chartered by English gov’t
• When citizens purchase stock in companies, they receive a share in profits
  • This minimized risk to companies
• Companies made risky decisions based on search for profit
• Greater autonomy

Spanish Armada

• Defeated by England in 1588
• England earned long-time supremacy of seas
• ^^With greater nautical freedom, England was able to extend + defend shipping, boosting their economy^^

Powhatan Wars

• Colonist encroachment into Native American territory led to war between Virginians + Native Americans led by Chief Powhatan
• 1614 - When Pocahontas + John Rolfe married, the 1st war was ended
• 2nd war broke out in 1644

Virginia

• 1607 - 1st permanent English settlement
• ^^1619 - John Rolfe cultivates hybrid tobacco + establishes cash-crop agriculture (which would eventually become the basis of the Southern economy)^^
• Ruled by the House of Burgesses
• African slavery
• Became royal colony governed by William Berkeley in 1642

Lord De la Warr

• Governor + captain of Virginia
• 1610 - Under his powerful rule, Jamestown was saved from ruin
• Gave private property to Virginians
• Sowed seeds of American Dream + capitalism

House of Burgesses

• ^^1619 - 1st representative assembly established in Virginia to protect property + rights^^
• Burgs (villages in Virginia) + burgesses (elected representatives)
• Declaration of Independence stated that powers of legislation are incapable of annihilation
• Shared power w/ legislation (balance of powers)

Indentured Servitude

• Because of a population boom + failed wool market in England, poor Englishmen looked for opportunity in America
• Servants received a free voyage to America BUT had to provide 4-7 years of service
• Servants often did not survive + had stingy masters

Chattel Slavery

• Begins in Virginia in 1619
• ^^African-American legal status equal to cattle (“property”)^^
• Removed all human rights
• Slaves subject to cruelty

Plymouth Colony

• 1620 - Founded in Cape Cod, Massachusetts by Separatists
• Mayflower Compact
• Prioritized integrity + faith
• Eventually absorbed by Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Governed by William Bradford

New England Wars

• ^^Colonists faced major conflicts with Native Americans^^
• 1637 - Pequot War (Puritans in Connecticut vs. Pequots)
• 1675 - King Philip’s War (Colonists vs. King Philip/Metacom)

Mayflower Compact

• 1st written constitution
• Covered laws on gov’t, civil body politic, fair laws, obedience + mutual support
• ^^Because the colonists weren’t governed by the English constitution, they wanted a tangible social contract, leading to the creation of the Mayflower Compact^^

Massachusetts Bay Colony

• 1629 - Massachusetts Bay Company founds Puritan colony
• The Great Migration was when Puritans came to America fleeing religious persecution
• Formed families + church congregations
• 1636 - Harvard University is founded to educate ministers
• The General Court was a colonial legislature similar to House of Burgesses

Anne Hutchinson

• ^^Because she taught forbidden heretical doctrines, she was placed on trial for heresy^^
• She believed there was no need to manifest grace through obedience + everyone receives divine revelation
• She was banished in 1638 + lived in Rhode Island
• American religious liberty

Roger Williams

• Advocated separation of church and state
• 1643 - Founded Rhode Island (which gave complete religious tolerance to all citizens)
• Father of Baptist churches

Maryland

• Founded by Lord Baltimore in 1632
• Refuge for Roman Catholics
• ^^1649 - Act of Toleration is passed to give all Christians freedom of worship^^
• Thriving shipping center + strong economy

John Locke

• Believed that gov’t is required to provide life, liberty, property + balance of powers
• Influenced many Founding Fathers
• 1670 - Wrote Fundamental Constitution for Carolina (set standards of utopian planning)
• Ideas on distribution of land + easy citizenship standards + religious freedom

William Penn

• ^^1677 - Founded 1st colony in West Jersey^^
• Quakerism
• Humanitarian + libertarian principles
• Believed in peaceful relations w/ Native Americans
• Pennsylvania’s thriving economy embodied the “American legacy”

Blue Laws

• Pennsylvania
• Restrictions against vice
• No theater, gambling, revelry
• Enforced Sabbath + prohibition

Pennsylvania

• 1681 - William Penn receives separate charter
• Diverse society + large colonial city (Philadelphia)
• ^^Its diversified economy included grain farming, basic manufacturing, shipping^^
• The Mason-Dixon Line was a symbolic border b/w North + South
• Western expansion led to clashes b/w colonists + Native Americans
• Because they refused to support violence, the Penn family lost control of colony

BIG PICTURE

• Started w/ disorganization + failure BUT great societal vitality

• Near disaster → Stable economy + self-gov’t

• English colonies contributed legacies

• Labor shortage → Indentured servitude + chattel slavery

• Defeat of Spanish Armada (1588) + viable colonies (1607) - England can create world empire

• New Amsterdam

  • Established trade + thriving merchant class
  • Difficult to attract permanent settlers → Welcoming environment

• Jesuits

  • Established by Ignatius Loyola during Counter-Reformation
  • Wanted to convert Native Americans in New France to Roman Catholicism

• Sir Walter Raleigh

  • Founded + named area of exploration “Virginia” (The Virgin Queen)
  • Settlement on Roanoke Island failed (disappeared without a trace) but paved way for settlement of Jamestown

• Mississippi River

  • Provided water, soil, trade routes → Encouraged expansion across continent

• Hudson Bay Company

  • Lucrative fur trade for British
  • De facto gov’t structure

• Why did the Treaty of Tordesillas become obsolete?

  • Waning power of Spain and Portugal
  • Increasing power + exploration of Britain + France

• What encouraged European exploration in the 15th century?

  • Age of Nationalism + emergence of powerful monarchs
  • Could only stay powerful w/ wealthy economies

• Why did British exploration lag behind Spain’s?

  • Britain was consumed in religious warfare
  • British victory against Spanish Armada began British exploration