Overview
This lecture reviews the development of British colonies in North America, comparing how and why they formed distinct societies despite their shared British origins.
The Chesapeake Colonies
- Jamestown, established in 1607, was the first British North American colony, funded by a joint stock company for profit.
- The main goal was economic gain, leading settlers to seek gold and silver rather than sustainable food sources.
- John Rolfe introduced tobacco cultivation in 1612, saving the colony and creating high labor demand.
- Indentured servants, who worked under 7-year contracts to pay for their passage, supplied much of the labor.
- Expansion for tobacco led to conflicts with Native Americans, resulting in violence and Bacon’s Rebellion (1676).
- Fearful of servant uprisings, planters began importing enslaved Africans for labor.
The New England Colonies
- Settled by Pilgrims in 1620, soon followed by Puritans seeking an autonomous religious society.
- Most migrated as families, aiming to build stable communities rather than pursuing profit.
- Early settlers faced hardship but eventually established agriculturally-based economies with commerce.
- Contrary to myth, economic opportunity was a primary motive for Puritan migration, not just religious freedom.
The British West Indies & Southern Colonies
- Permanent Caribbean colonies like Barbados started in the 1620s, growing first tobacco, then lucrative sugarcane.
- Sugar production was labor-intensive, increasing demand for African enslaved workers and harsh slave codes.
- By 1660, enslaved Africans formed the majority population on some islands.
- South Carolina modeled its plantation society on the West Indies, adopting similar slave systems.
The Middle Colonies
- Colonies like New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania developed export economies based on cereal crops, aided by rivers.
- Societies were diverse but saw rising inequality, with a hierarchy from wealthy merchants to enslaved people.
- Pennsylvania, founded by William Penn, emphasized religious freedom and peaceful relations with Native Americans.
Colonial Governance & Democracy
- Physical distance from Britain led colonies to create their own forms of self-governance.
- Virginia’s House of Burgesses was a representative assembly with tax and legislative powers.
- New England’s Mayflower Compact and town meetings emphasized participatory, church-influenced governance.
- Middle and Southern colonies had representative bodies dominated by local elites.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Joint Stock Company — A business structure where investors pool money and share financial risk.
- Indentured Servant — A person working under contract for a set period to repay debts such as passage.
- Bacon’s Rebellion — 1676 uprising of frontier settlers against colonial authorities in Virginia.
- Chattel Slavery — Treating enslaved people as property with no legal rights.
- House of Burgesses — The first elected legislative assembly in colonial Virginia.
- Mayflower Compact — Agreement for self-government signed by the Pilgrims in 1620.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the differences in economy, labor systems, and social structures among the colonial regions.
- Study the impact of self-governance and emerging democratic practices.
- Prepare for unit quizzes by comparing Chesapeake, New England, Middle, and Southern colonies.