Lecture on English Colonization in North America

Focus on English Colonies

• English colonies along the Atlantic seaboard became the United States of America.
• Focus on three representative colonies:
  • Virginia (Southern colonies)
  • Massachusetts (New England colonies)
  • Pennsylvania (Middle colonies)

The Colony of Virginia

Founding of Jamestown (1607)

• Economic Undertaking: Unlike religious-centered colonies like Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
• Pull Factor: Wealth and economic opportunity attracted colonists.
• Historical Background:
  • British interest in the Chesapeake Bay traced back to the 1500s.
  • Failed settlement at Roanoke.
  • James I's economic venture in 1603 leading to a successful colony.

Virginia Company of London

• Chartered by Sir Thomas Smith (1604)
  • Joint-stock company; investors bore full liability.
  • Mercantilist regulation by the crown.
• Expedition
  • Three ships: Susan Constant, Godspeed, Discovery set sail in 1606.
  • Initial settlers faced hardship, high mortality.

Early Struggles and John Smith

• Location Issues: Poor settlement location, water quality, mosquitoes, Native American conflicts.
• Leadership of John Smith
  • Enforced military discipline to focus on survival over profit.
  • Strained relationships with both colonists and Native Americans.
  • Controversial relationship with Pocahontas, no historical evidence of a romantic affair.

Tobacco Cultivation (1617)

• Introduction by John Rolfe
  • Tobacco became a key economic driver.
  • Shipment to London initiated economic growth.
• Consequences of Tobacco:
  1. Revenue stream for the Virginia Company.
  2. Rise of a powerful planter class demanding governance input.
  3. Labor needs leading to indentured servitude and early African labor.
  4. Land conflicts with Powhatan Confederation.

Governance and the House of Burgesses

• Governor: Appointed by the company, later royal appointee.
• House of Burgesses (1618)
  • First representative body in North American colonies.
  • Planters had legislative input, although governor retained veto power.

Labor Systems

• Headright System: Land grants to bolster labor migration.
• Indentured Servitude: Contract laborers with significant challenges.
• Transition to African Labor: Early Africans likely indentured, shifting to slavery by 1650s.

Powhatan Uprising and Fallout (1622)

• Rising Tensions: Land cultivation infringing Powhatan lands.
• Leadership Change: After Powhatan’s death, Opachankano led resistance.
• Economic Impact: Company faced bankruptcy, leading to royal intervention in 1624.

Conclusion

• Virginia's Transformation: From a failed economic venture to a royal colony.
• Continuation of Governance: House of Burgesses persisted as a democratic institution.

Next Lecture

• Focus on the colonies of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.