Overview of Early English Colonization

Feb 9, 2025

Early English Colonization

Overview

  • Focus on two main areas of English colonization:
    • Chesapeake Area: Initial English colonization efforts.
    • Puritan/New England Area: Separate development with distinct goals.

Reasons for Colonization

  • England's position against Spanish power.
  • Economic benefits and land acquisition.
  • Religious motives to stop the spread of Catholicism.
  • Utilization of idle soldiers and "wandering beggars and criminals."

Early Attempts and Settlements

Roanoke

  • First attempt at settlement; ultimately failed.
  • Settlers included families, and it was different as they intended to reach the Chesapeake area.
  • Ended in mystery with settlers disappearing with "CROATOAN" carved on a tree.

Jamestown

  • First successful English settlement (1607-08), founded by the Virginia Bay Company.
  • Goals of economic profit through cash crops.
  • Made up of mostly men, including soldiers, workers, and some farmers and noblemen.

Challenges and Development

  • Location Issues: Swampy area led to malaria and disease.
  • Survival Struggles: High mortality rates due to disease and poor sanitation.
  • Starving Time (1609-1610): Severe hardships with food leading to cannibalism.

Improvements and Success

  • Decline in death rate over time.
  • Assistance from Native Americans in terms of food and survival.
  • Introduction of individual land ownership and cash crop (tobacco) cultivation.
  • Shift to indentured servitude and the headright system.

Native American Relations

Pohatan Confederacy

  • Pohatan's leadership over 30 tribes; initially peaceful relations.
  • Tensions rose as Jamestown expanded, leading to conflicts.

Pocahontas

  • Pohatan's daughter; used as a political tool.
  • Kidnapped and married John Rolfe; converted to Christianity.
  • Taken to England as an example of "civilized" Native Americans.
  • Died young, leading to increased conflict post Pohatan's death.

Social Aspects

Tobacco Brides

  • Brought to marry settlers; had some autonomy in choice.
  • Paid in tobacco by husbands after marriage.

Indentured Servants

  • Worked for 2-7 years in exchange for passage and land.
  • Conditions worsened over time, leading to extended contracts and exploitation.

Transition and Future Issues

  • Shift from indentured servitude to African slavery due to economic pressures.
  • Ongoing conflict with Native Americans due to expansion and land disputes.

Next Topics

  • Exploration of Puritan colonization and their specific developments.
  • Detailed look at the transition to African slavery in future lectures.