Overview
This lecture covers the British involvement in the settlement and colonization of the Americas, focusing on key people, reasons for migration, the development of plantations, and the impact on Britain.
Early British Expansion and Settlement
- The Tudors united England, Wales, and parts of Ireland, setting the stage for overseas ambitions.
- The Stuarts united Scotland with England, forming the basis of "Britain."
- Technological advances in navigation in the 1400s enabled longer sea voyages.
- Christopher Columbus (1492) and subsequent Spanish and Portuguese colonization made other European powers eager to join overseas expansion.
- King Henry VII supported John Cabot’s expedition (1496) to find new lands—Cabot landed in present-day Canada.
English Colonization and Key Figures
- The English settled mainly along the east coast of America, known as the “13 colonies.”
- John Hawkins, a privateer, naval leader, and the first Englishman involved in the slave trade, built up the Elizabethan navy.
- Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to establish a colony at Roanoke (1584), which mysteriously disappeared.
- Sir Francis Drake was first to circumnavigate the globe, challenging Spanish dominance and seeking trade routes.
Plantation Economy and Social Impact
- By the 1600s, English settlers started plantations in America, primarily for sugar and cotton, especially in southern colonies.
- People migrated for religious freedom (Puritans, Catholics) or economic opportunities (cash crops, new fortunes for non-inheriting sons).
- Jamestown (1607) was the first successful British colony; cash crops planted included cotton, tobacco, sugar, and potatoes.
- In the Caribbean, places like Barbados (British from 1625) became major plantation and slave-based economies, especially in sugar.
Trade, Profits, and the Slave Trade
- Global trading networks developed: raw materials from America sent to Britain, processed goods sold back to colonies for profit.
- Many in Britain benefited: ship owners, port workers (Liverpool, London), factory owners (Manchester textiles), iron merchants (Ambrose Crawley), bankers, and ordinary workers (e.g., Birmingham gun makers).
- The slave trade was central to this system, involving the transport and sale of enslaved people for profits.
Decline of Piracy and Growth of Empire
- Wealth from America funded further empire-building, such as in India.
- By 1720, piracy declined as monarchs stopped authorizing it; the Royal Navy enforced anti-piracy laws.
Key Terms & Definitions
- 13 colonies — The first permanent English settlements on the east coast of America.
- Privateer — A pirate sanctioned by the monarch to attack enemy ships.
- Plantation — Large farms, mainly in America and the Caribbean, producing cash crops using enslaved labor.
- Circumnavigate — To sail all the way around the world.
- Astrolabe — Navigational tool used for determining latitude at sea.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Watch the next lecture covering the War of Independence and later American colonies.
- Review the significance of the 13 colonies and impact of plantations for exams.