Lecture Notes: England's Southern Colonies in America

Overview of Southern Colonies

• Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
• Establishment: Virginia was the first (1607) and Georgia the last of the 13 colonies
• Economy: Depended heavily on slavery for economic success
• Cultural Influence: Colonists brought language, customs, religions, and racial beliefs, adapting them to the new American context
• Governance: Adapted laws and governance, contributing to the cultural foundation of the United States

Virginia

• Foundation: 1607 by the Virginia Company of London
• Initial Goals: Search for gold and a new route to Asia
• Jamestown:
  • Settlement built with daub and wattle technique
  • Initial hardships: swampy land, disease, starvation
  • Leadership of Captain John Smith: bought corn from Native Americans, learned hunting techniques
  • Pocahontas' story and her marriage to John Rolfe
  • Tobacco Economy: Developed by John Rolfe, became a major export
  • House of Burgesses (1619): Start of representative government
  • Slavery: First African slaves sold in 1619, leading to a powerful class of plantation owners

Maryland

• Foundation: 1632, proprietary colony
• Proprietor: Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore), a Catholic
• Religious Dynamics:
  • Catholic privilege led to tensions
  • 1649 Religious Toleration Act: First step towards religious freedom
• Indentured Servants: Provided cheap labor, later many started own farms

North Carolina

• Early Attempts: Roanoke Island, first English attempt at colonization (1584)
• Mystery of Roanoke: Colony disappeared with cryptic "CRO" message
• Development: Settled by former indentured servants and tobacco farmers
• Exports: Tobacco, furs, forest products
• Governance: Transition from proprietorship to royal colony

South Carolina

• Foundation: 1663, Charleston became a major city
• Economy: Rice and indigo as major exports
• Slavery: Large plantations led to a wealthy, powerful upper class

Georgia

• Foundation: 1732, last English colony
• Initial Vision: Humanitarian aims by trustees led by James Oglethorpe
  • No large plantations, slavery, or rum
• Problems: Colony did not prosper under initial rules
• War with Spain: Fort Frederica and battles with Spanish
• Changes: Eventually allowed plantations, slavery, and modified governance, becoming similar to other southern colonies

True/False Questions

1. Virginia was founded by men seeking religious freedom: False
2. Cotton was the main export of the Virginia colony: False
3. The first proprietor of Maryland was a Catholic: True
4. Indentured servants provided cheap labor in Maryland: True
5. The first tries at colonizing Roanoke Island failed: True
6. North Carolina's assembly met at Tyron Palace: True
7. South and North Carolina were once a single colony: True
8. Rice was raised on the big slave plantations of South Carolina: True
9. Georgia was the last English colony founded in America: True
10. James Oglethorpe was one of the trustees of the Georgia colony: True