Colonial American Development Notes

Overview of English Colonial Development

• Think about it: Colonial American development involved contrasting experiences of Massachusetts/New England colonies and Virginia/Southern colonies. In England before colonization, major forces included: the Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588) $1588$, population increases, development of joint-stock companies (shareholders), religious conflicts, and periods of weak monarchs, civil wars, and revolutions.
• The Thirteen Colonies were commonly grouped as:
  • New England Colonies: Maine (part of Massachusetts), New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut
  • Middle Colonies: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware
  • Chesapeake Colonies: Maryland, Virginia
  • Southern Colonies: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
• English colonies existed under several governance models:
  1. Charters
  2. Corporate colony - granted a charter to stockholders (e.g., Virginia)
  3. Proprietary Colony - granted to an individual or group (e.g., Maryland, Pennsylvania)
  4. Royal Colony - under direct control of the monarch (e.g., New Hampshire)
• By the later period, 8 of the 13 colonies became royal colonies, including Virginia and Massachusetts.

The First English Attempts and Early Colonies

• Sir Walter Raleigh and the Roanoke venture:
  • Roanoke (1587) – the colony left a cryptic message ("HHHHH" carved into a tree); nearby tribe referenced as well. The likely scenario was severe famine and disease; the colonists possibly relocated to live with Native Americans to survive.
• Jamestown (founded 1607):
  • Established by the Virginia Company of London at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Failures and challenges included swampy, disease-prone locations (dysentery, malaria);
  • Settlers included many gentlemen unaccustomed to physical work and others who were gold-seeking adventurers; Native trading and food sources collapsed when conflicts erupted.
  • John Smith imposed discipline: “He that will not work shall not eat.”
  • The “Starving Time” (1609–1610) saw extreme deprivation; cannibalism reportedly occurred (e.g., cannibalism of leather shoes).
  • Powhatan and the Virginia Indians played a key role in initial food sources and trade; later conflicts strained relations.
  • John Rolfe introduced a new tobacco variety that would become profitable in Europe.
• Pilgrims and Separatists:
  • Separatists sought religious reform outside the Church of England and were persecuted by King James I.
  • Fewer than half of the 100 passengers were Separatists; the voyage carried both religious dissenters and others with economic motives.
  • The Mayflower carried Separatists and others to the New World; weather and navigation problems altered the intended destination; they established Plymouth in 1620 after deciding to settle there rather than continuing to Virginia.
  • The Separatists’ move included a move from Holland to Virginia in pursuit of religious freedom.

New England Foundations (1630s)

• Massachusetts Bay Colony and Puritans (1630):
  • Puritans believed the Church of England could be reformed and sought to purify it; persecution increased when Charles I ascended the throne in 1625.
  • Puritans gained a royal charter for Massachusetts by the Bay Company; John Winthrop became the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  • The Great Migration occurred as roughly 1500 English settlers moved to New England due to English civil strife.
  • The colony’s leadership promoted the idea of a “City on a Hill” – a model society.
• Rhode Island – Providence Plantations (1636):
  • Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts in 1631 due to his belief in the rights of conscience; founded Providence in 1636 with a policy of religious liberty.
  • Williams respected Native American land rights and paid for land use; government allowed Catholics, Quakers, and Jews to worship freely; founded one of the first Baptist churches in America.
• Anne Hutchinson and Portsmouth (1638):
  • Hutchinson challenged Puritan authorities with anti-nomianism—the belief that faith alone sufficed for salvation.
  • Founded Portsmouth in 1638.
• Connecticut:
  • Hartford (1637/1636): Thomas Hooker led Puritans from the Boston area to establish Hartford in the Connecticut River Valley; drafted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (first written constitution in American history).
  • New Haven (1638): Established by John Davenport in 1637.
• New Hampshire (1679):
  • Last colony founded in the Northeast; relationships with Native Americans included various rules on land use and trade; Indians could trade land, but had restrictions and penalties for offenses.

Middle Colonies

• Development and geography:
  • New York: originally New Amsterdam; transferred to the Duke of York (James II) in 1664; Charles II consolidated crown holdings to close the gap between New England and the Chesapeake. The Dutch colony was surrendered under pressure and renamed New York.
  • New Jersey: split from New York in 1702 and became two royal colonies.
• Pennsylvania:
  • Settled by Quakers; founded by William Penn (1681) as a religious refuge and a “Holy Experiment” with liberal political ideas and economic success.
  • Government featured a representative assembly elected by landowners and a written constitution, with guaranteed freedom of worship and immigration.
• Delaware (1702):
  • Initially part of New Sweden and then New Netherland; later came under Penn’s influence; became a separate colony in 1702.
• Economics in the Middle Colonies:
  • Known as the “Bread Basket” due to wheat and corn production; gradual shift toward manufacturing and trade.
• Mason–Dixon Line:
  • Surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to resolve a border dispute among Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; remains a demarcation line in contemporary U.S. borders.

Southern Colonies and Maryland

• Maryland (1634):
  • The first proprietary colony, created by wealthy Catholics seeking freedom from persecution; governed by Lord Baltimore.
  • Act of Toleration (1649) granted religious freedom to all Catholics and included provisions that called for death of anyone denying the divinity of Jesus; led to civil strife and later disenfranchisement of Catholics in elections to Maryland’s assembly.
• Virginia (1607):
  • Began with Jamestown; adoption of early political and economic systems; House of Burgesses established in 1619, representing colonial self-government.
• The Carolinas (1663):
  • Granted as a reward to eight noble proprietors who helped Charles II gain the throne; in 1729 North Carolina and South Carolina were formed as separate royal colonies.
  • North Carolina: tobacco as a major crop.
  • South Carolina: rice, indigo, and naval stores as major exports.
• Georgia (1732/1733):
  • The last of the 13 colonies to be chartered; established as a royal/proprietary colony by James Oglethorpe and a group of philanthropists.
  • Functioned as a defensive buffer against Spanish Florida and as a debtor (“trustee”) colony; later became a royal colony.
• Virginia specifics:
  • Headright system: $ext{Headright} = 50 ext{ acres}$ awarded to each paying immigrant or plantation owner who paid for an immigrant’s passage.
  • Labor shortages led to the expansion of indentured servitude and slavery; the House of Burgesses was established in 1619 as an early form of self-government.

Common Thread: Self-Government and Political Development

• A core thread across colonies was the desire for self-government and local autonomy.
• The First Legislative Assembly in the colonies occurred in Virginia (House of Burgesses, 1619).
• Key political practices and conflicts:
  • Limited self-government with elected bicameral legislatures, governors, and local governments.
  • Voting was generally restricted to adult male property owners or educated men.
  • Freedom of expression and law: the John Peter Zenger trial (1735) established jury nullification and freedom of the press in defense of truth against libel.
• New England politics included:
  • Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) – considered the first written constitution in America.
  • The New England Confederation (1643–1684) – defense alliance among Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven.
  • King Philip’s War (Metacom, 1675–1676) – conflict between Native tribes and colonists; the New England Confederation defeated the Wampanoag alliance.
  • Dominion of New England (1686–1689) – imperial consolidation by King James II: included New Jersey and New York, ruled by Governor Edmund Andros; dissolved after the Glorious Revolution.

Colonial Society and Culture

• Becoming American: a blend of pragmatism and English cultural dominance; regional differences in habit and lifestyle (folkways).
• Social structure:
  • Wealthy landowners
  • Merchants
  • Small farmers
  • Craftspeople
  • Slaves
• Opportunity and mobility:
  • Relative social mobility; less rigid hereditary constraints than in Europe.
• Gender roles:
  • Men: patriarchy; landowners and laborers.
  • Women: expected to be submissive; domestic duties; limited or no political rights.
• The Arts:
  • Architecture: meetinghouses/churches; English-style urban architecture; frontier log cabins.
  • Literature: newspapers; sermons; political essays; non-fiction; notable works like Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac.
• Education:
  • Generally limited to wealthy males; women learned domestic chores; higher education often for ministry.
  • New England: education emphasized; towns with 50+ families required primary schools; 100+ required grammar schools.
  • Middle Colonies: private and church-based education.
  • Southern Colonies: education limited due to agricultural focus.
• Settlement and migration patterns:
  • Population grew from roughly $2.5 imes 10^5$ in 1701 to about $2.5 imes 10^6$ by 1775; driven by a mix of religion, economic opportunity, political turmoil in Europe, and new land availability.
• Ethnic and religious groups:
  • Europeans: English, Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch), Scottish, Irish, Dutch, Swedish.
  • Africans: forced migration and slavery; significant population growth through high birth rates and forced labor.

Colonial Slavery and Labor Systems

• Early labor systems:
  • Indentured servitude was common in early colonial period.
  • Slavery became increasingly integrated due to wage pressures in England and labor shortages in the colonies, providing a dependable force for plantation economies.
• Slave revolts and reactions:
  • Stono Rebellion/Cato Rebellion (1739): slaves raided a gun shop and attempted to flee to Florida; ~20 white people killed; suppressed by local militia.
  • New York Conspiracy (1741): alleged plot by poor whites and blacks; hundreds executed.
• Slave laws:
  • Stringent statutes aimed at controlling enslaved populations and limiting freedom.

Colonial Economics and Trade

• Mercantilism overview:
  • Colonies existed to enrich the “Mother Country” via favorable balance of trade.
• Acts of Navigation and trade restrictions:
  • Trade to pass through English ports; exports to England; imports restricted to English ships.
• Molasses Act (1733):
  • Imposed a tax to curb trade with non-British colonies.
• Triangular Trade:
  • Included the Middle Passage for enslaved Africans; trade routes connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
• Currency and money:
  • Commodity money (gold/silver) and fiat money (paper currency) existed in varying degrees.
• Transportation infrastructure:
  • Reliance on rivers, coasts, and land routes; taverns and postal services facilitated movement and communication.
• Regional economic profiles:
  • New England: shipbuilding and manufacturing; lumber; fishing and whaling; strong merchant class.
  • Middle Colonies: wheat and corn; lumber; manufacturing; robust merchant/trade sectors.
  • Southern Colonies: plantation systems (tobacco, rice, indigo) and a heavy reliance on forced labor (indentured servants and slaves).

Quick Reference: Founding Dates, Founders, and Exports

• Virginia – commercial – Founded 1607 – Founder: Virginia Company; Key Export: Tobacco; Principal figure: John Smith.
• Plymouth/Massachusetts – Religious refuge/commercial – 1620/1628 – Founder: William Bradford / Massachusetts Bay Company; Key Export: Grain, timber; Leader: John Winthrop.
• New York – commercial – 1613 (1664) – Founder: Peter Stuyvesant (Duke of York); Exports: Furs, grain.
• New Hampshire – commercial – 1623 – Founder: John Mason; Exports: Timber, naval stores.
• Rhode Island – Religious refuge – 1636 – Founder: Roger Williams; Exports: Grain.
• Connecticut – Expansion – 1635 – Founder: Thomas Hooker; Exports: Grain.
• Pennsylvania – Religious refuge – 1681 – Founder: William Penn (Quaker); Exports: Grain.
• Delaware – commercial – 1638 (1681) – Founders: Peter Minuit / William Penn; Exports: Grain.
• Maryland – Religious refuge – 1634 – Founder: Lord Baltimore; Exports: Tobacco.
• North Carolina – commercial – 1663 – Founder: Anthony Cooper; Exports: Tobacco, timber, naval stores.
• South Carolina – commercial – 1663 – Founder: Anthony Cooper; Exports: Rice, indigo, naval stores.
• Georgia – Buffer, experiment – 1733 – Founder: James Oglethorpe; Exports: Rice, timber, naval stores; Note: Becomes a royal colony later.

Connections to earlier lectures and real-world relevance:

• The push for self-government in colonial governance foreshadowed the later American Revolution and the development of representative assemblies.
• Religious pluralism and the Great Awakening contributed to the broadening of religious freedom and the development of new denominations, setting the stage for the diverse religious landscape of the United States.
• The economic framework of mercantilism and the Triangular Trade laid the groundwork for the complex Atlantic economy and colonial dependence on England.
• The geographical distribution and farming practices of the Middle and Southern colonies helped define regional cultures, social structures, and economic systems that persisted into the eighteenth century.

Key people to remember:

• John Winthrop – Founder of Massachusetts Bay Colony; “City upon a Hill”
• Roger Williams – Founded Rhode Island; religious liberty and fair treatment of Native lands
• Anne Hutchinson – Antinomian controversy leading to Portsmouth, RI
• Thomas Hooker – Hartford founder; Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
• William Penn – Quaker founder of Pennsylvania; Holy Experiment
• James Oglethorpe – Founder of Georgia; debtor colony; buffer against Spanish Florida
• John Peter Zenger – Trial establishing freedom of the press in colonial America
• Jonathan Edwards – Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God; key figure in the Great Awakening
• George Whitefield – Prominent revivalist preacher in the Great Awakening
• Nathaniel Bacon – Bacon’s Rebellion (VA, 1676) – challenged colonial governance; influenced later policies and shift toward slavery-based labor

Notes for exam focus:

• Be able to compare and contrast Massachusetts/New England with Virginia/Southern colonies in terms of governance, religion, economy, and social structure.
• Understand the different types of colonial charters and governance (charter, corporate, proprietary, royal) and give examples.
• Know key events: Roanoke mystery, Jamestown, Plymouth, Puritan leadership, King Philip’s War, Dominion of New England, Bacon’s Rebellion, Zenger case, and the Great Awakening.
• Recognize the regional economic specializations and how labor systems (indentured servitude vs. slavery) evolved.
• Recall the major acts and practices of mercantilism and navigation that shaped colonial trade.