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
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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
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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
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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
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Charter
- ^^British gov’t permits settlement of English colonies^^
- English colonists have equal rights to Englishmen to England
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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
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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^^
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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Chattel Slavery
- Begins in Virginia in 1619
- ^^African-American legal status equal to cattle (“property”)^^
- Removed all human rights
- Slaves subject to cruelty
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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
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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)
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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^^
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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
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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
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Roger Williams
- Advocated separation of church and state
- 1643 - Founded Rhode Island (which gave complete religious tolerance to all citizens)
- Father of Baptist churches
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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
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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
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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”
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Blue Laws
- Pennsylvania
- Restrictions against vice
- No theater, gambling, revelry
- Enforced Sabbath + prohibition
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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
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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
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- 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
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