13 American ColoniesMs. LamblyU.S. I

England, Spain, and France claim land because of the natural geography that exists in the new world.

Reasons not to colonize:

oEnglish government had little $$$ and had found no gold or other wealth

oSpain had already claimed America (upheld by pope). Spain and England were both Catholic countries and allies against France

Reasons to colonize:

oReligion- Protestant reformation divides Europe (accused Church of corruption). John Calvin believed that neither kings nor bishops should control the Church and that congregations should choose their own leaders. Catholic church in England becomes the Anglican church with King as head.

-Puritans- people who wanted to purify the church of England

oEconomics-Wealthy nobles and estate owners switched to sheep farms and evicted poor tenants in the enclosure movement.

To Colonize or not to colonize, that is the question!

Lost colony of Roanoke - 1585 and 1587 Settlers carved “CRO” into post, possibly referring to the Croatoan – a Native American group who lived nearby

Jamestown – 1606 group of English investors petitioned king for a charter

Joint-stock company -pooled the $$$ of many investors

1608-200 new settlers, only 53 alive at the end of the yearWinter of 1609-1610 “starving time” Colonists ate dogs, rats, snakes, toadstools, and horsehides. A few settlers even engaged in cannibalism, digging up corpses from graves and eating them! John Smith and Pocahontas – Powhatan relationsThe 1st Assembly government 2 representatives from each of the colony’s 10 towns. Virginia House of Burgesses

Headrights system- new settlers who bought a share in the company or paid passage were granted 50 acres of land

Early English Colonies

Maryland is founded by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic who wanted to found a colony where Catholics could freely practice their religion. Catholics accepted neither the king as head of the Church or the authority of Anglican bishops and priests and were therefore viewed as traitors. Maryland was England’s first proprietary colony, in which the owner could govern the colony any way they wished. 20 Catholic gentleman and 200 servants and artisans who were mostly Protestant

These colonies had more flexible social structures and began to develop a middle class of skilled artisans, entrepreneurs (business owners), and small farmers.

Pilgrim- one who undertakes a pilgrimage to a place of some religious or historic significance.

Pilgrims (Puritans from Anglican church) arrived in America in 1620 with 102 passengers on a 65 day trip. Most of the food ran out, many passengers became ill, and one died.

The Mayflower Compact that the Pilgrims signed in 1620 is the first example of many colonial plans for self government. The Pilgrim leaders knew they needed rules to govern themselves if they were going to survive the new colony they were about to form. The Mayflower Compact was based on majority rule; they agreed to choose their leaders and make their own laws which they would agree to follow.

Plymouth Colony – Massachusetts

New England

Environment:

Northern Eastern Woodlands

Very short growing season

Long cold winters

Large forests

On the Atlantic Ocean

Products:

oSubsistence farming

oTimber and ship building Supplies (rope, masts, tar)

oDried fish

oRum and other manufactured trade goods

oRaised cattle and hogs for export

People:

oPuritans and Pilgrims who believed in working hard and following strict rules.

oMerchants, Manufacturers, and Lawyers.

New EnglandGovernment

o Self-Governing Charters

o Town Meetingso The Mayflower

Compact (1614)

o The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1637)

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Connecticut Rhode Island

Characteristics of Early Exploration and

Settlementso New England was settled by Puritans seeking freedom from religious persecution in Europe

o Formed a “Covenant Community” based on the Mayflower Compact and Puritan religious beliefs and were often intolerant of those not sharing their religion

o They sought economic opportunity and practiced direct democracy through town meetings

o New England’s colonial society was based on religious standing.

o The Puritans grew increasingly intolerant of dissenters who challenged the Puritan’s belief in the connection between religion and government.

o Rhode Island was founded by dissenters fleeing persecution by Puritans in Massachusetts – Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson

Middle ColoniesEnvironment:

o Lower Eastern Woodlands

o Medium growing season and cold winters.

o Many lakes and rivers for transportation.

Products:

o Called the “Bread Colonies”

o Farmed Wheat, Oat, Barley and Rye.

o Made homespun products.

o Traded very little.

People:oPeople from: England, the Netherlands, France, Germany and others

oPuritans, Quakers, Anglicans, Catholics, and Jews

Economic Characteristics

of the Colonial Periodo The Middle Colonies of New York, New

Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware developed economies based on shipbuilding, small-scale farming, and trading.

o Cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore began to grow as seaports and commercial centers.

o The Middle Colonies were home to multiple religious groups, including the Quakers in Pennsylvania and Catholics in Maryland, who generally believed in religious tolerance.

Middle ColoniesGovernment

o Proprietary Charters

o Religious Freedom and Tolerance

o Freedom of the Press

o Strong Courts

New York

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Delaware

Southern

Colonies

People:

o Anglicans

o English Plantation Owners, Indentured Servants, Transported Criminals, and Slaves.

Environment:

oAtlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains

oLong growing season and fertile land

oWarm for most of the year

Products:

oFarmed Tobacco, Rice, Indigo, and Cotton

oTraded “cash crops” that were farmed on Plantations

oPurchase manufactured goods

Southern ColoniesGovernment

o Joint-Stock and Proprietary Charters

o The House of Burgesses

o Colonies run for the profit of the Joint-Stock Company or Proprietors

Maryland

Virginia

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

Southern Colonieso Virginia and the other Southern colonies were

settled by people seeking economic opportunities.

o The Virginia “Cavaliers” were English nobility who received large land grants in eastern Virginia from the King of England.

Virginia and the other Southern colonies developed economies in the eastern coastal lowlands based on large plantations that grew “cash crops” such as tobacco, rice, and indigo for export to Europe.

Farther inland, however, in the mountains and valleys of the Appalachian foothills, the economy was based on small-scale subsistence farming, hunting, and trading.

Social Characteristicsof the Colonies

o Virginia and the Southern colonies had a social structure based on family status and the ownership of land.

o Large landowners in the eastern lowlands dominated colonial government and society and maintained an allegiance to the Church of England and closer social ties to England than in the other colonies.

The Development of Indentured Servitude

and Slaveryo Europeans brought measles, mumps, chicken pox, and typhus. Some Native American groups suffered a 90% population loss after European contact. This catastrophe reduced the labor supply available to Europeans, who then turned to enslaving Africans.

o The growth of a plantation-based agricultural economy in the hot, humid coastal lowlands of the Southern Colonies required cheap labor on a large scale.

o Some of the labor needs, especially in Virginia, were met by indentured servants, who were often poor persons from Scotland, England, or Ireland who agreed to work on plantations for a period of time in return for their passage from Europe or relief from debts.

Introduction of Slavery

o Most plantation labor needs eventually came to be filled by the forcible importation of Africans.

o While some Africans worked as indentured servants, earned their freedom, and lived as free citizens during the Colonial Era, over time larger and larger numbers of enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the Southern Colonies in what came to be known as the “Middle Passage”o Prisoners were crammed into the ships’ filthy

holds for more than a month, could hardly sit or stand, and were given minimal food and drink. Africans who died or became sick were thrown overboard. Those who refused to eat were whipped.

Life in Colonial America

Colonial cities

o Some cities had cobblestone streets lit by oil lamps. Ships from foreign ports were in the harbors. People enjoyed reading mail from relatives and English newspapers and magazines.

o Many cities had libraries, bookshops, and impressive public buildings.

o Places where colonists could see plays and hear concerts

o Markets to shop for produce or European luxury goods

o Schools that taught music, dancing, drawing, and painting in addition to traditional classes

o City life for women: no hard farm work, but still had household tasks to perform. Prosperous women had more time for reading and writing.

o Men and women spent many hours writing letters to friends and family.

Life in Colonial Economies

o Popular culture

o Quilting bees and barn raisings were examples of work in sociable ways.

o Northern colonists went ice-skating and sledding in winter.

o Horse racing and hunting

o Visiting neighbors was favorite pastime

o Social events: dancing, listening to music

o Communications

o Printers printed and distributed newspapers, books, advertisements, and political announcements.