Crash Course US History: Early English Colonization

Introduction

• Host: John Green
• Focus on the founding of the United States by the English and the myth of religious freedom.

Early English Settlements

Virginia

• First permanent English colony: Jamestown, Virginia, 1607.
• Named for Queen Elizabeth’s chastity.
• Founded by the Virginia Company to make money, not for religious freedom.
• Jamestown was initially unsuccessful due to lack of farming skills among settlers.
  • High mortality rate due to starvation, known as "The Starving Time."
  • Survival rate was only 20% initially.

Headright System

• Introduced in 1618 to encourage colonization.
• Gave 50 acres of land for each person a settler paid to bring over.
• Led to creation of large estates worked by indentured servants.

Introduction of Slavery

• First African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619.

Tobacco Industry

• Tobacco cultivation led to economic success.
• By 1624, Virginia produced over 200,000 pounds of tobacco.
• Structured Virginian society with a small class of wealthy landowners.

Maryland

• Second Chesapeake Colony, founded in 1632.
• A proprietorship under Cecilius Calvert.
• Catholics were welcome; operated under a feudal model.

New England Colonies

Massachusetts

• Better known for its religious settlers: the Pilgrims and Puritans.
• Pilgrims sought to separate completely from the Church of England.
  • Founded Plymouth Colony in 1620.
  • Introduced the Mayflower Compact as the first written framework for government in the US.

Puritans and Society

• Massachusetts Bay Colony founded in 1630 by Puritans.
• Large degree of self-governance.
• Social unity and religious mission prioritized over individual needs.
• John Winthrop's "A Model of Christian Charity" emphasized collective good.

Religious Intolerance

• Despite seeking religious freedom, Puritans were intolerant of other beliefs.
• Roger Williams and Ann Hutchinson were banished for their religious views.

Education

• Puritans emphasized literacy for reading the Bible.
• Parents were required to teach children to read.

Summary

• Early colonization was more about economic gain than religious freedom.
• Pilgrims and Puritans' influence on American mythology.
• The complexity of American founding, including indigenous and Spanish influence.

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• Episode credits: Stan Muller (Producer/Director), Meredith Danko (Script Supervisor), Danica Johnson (Associate Producer)
• Written by Raoul Meyer and John Green himself.