England’s New World Experiments 1607‒1732

American StoriesTHIRD EDITIONBy: Brands •By: Brands •

Chapter 2

England’s New World Experiments1607‒1732

England’s New World Experiments, 1607‒1732

Breaking Away: Decisions to Move to AmericaWhy did the Chesapeake colonies not prosper during the earliest years of their settlement?

A “New” England in AmericaHow did differences in religion affect the founding of the New England colonies?

2.1

2.2

England’s New World Experiments, 1607‒1732

Diversity in the Middle ColoniesHow did ethnic diversity shape the development of the Middle Colonies?

Planting the Southern ColoniesHow was the founding of the Carolinas different from the founding of Georgia?

2.3

2.4

Video Series:Key Topics in U.S. History

1. Beginnings of English Colonial Societies: 1607‒1660

2. The Chesapeake3. New England4. Jamestown

Home

Profit and Piety: Competing Visions for English Settlement

• Native American attacks on settlements showed disunity• Seen differently by Chesapeake and

Puritan leaders• Causes of competition and diversity

• Different types of settlers

Home

Breaking Away: Decisions toMove to America

• The Chesapeake: Dreams of Wealth• Entrepreneurs in Virginia• Threat of Anarchy• Tobacco Saves Virginia• Time of Reckoning• Maryland: A Catholic Refuge

Home

Breaking Away: Decisions toMove to America

• Different motives for immigration• Religious • Economic• Personal• England in turmoil

Breaking Away: Decisions to Move to America

The Chesapeake: Dreamsof Wealth

• Richard Hakluyt• Colonies make great profit for investors• Free England from dependence on rival

powers for valuable commodities• Anti-Catholicism prompted English

people to challenge Spanish claims in New World• Patriotic


Entrepreneurs in Virginia• Joint-stock company

• Reduced risk for individuals by sharing costs

• Virginia Company • 1606 – King James issued first Virginia

charter• Jamestown settled in 1607• Search for instant wealth• Disease and starvation


Threat of Anarchy• John Smith imposed order

• Background• Leadership role• Seized control of ruling council - 1608

• London Company reorganized• Had received no returns on investment• 1609 - new charter


Threat of Anarchy (continued)• Continued failure for Virginia Company

• New settlers and supplies run aground • 1609‒1610 - the “starving time” • Conflict with Powhatan• By 1616, still no profit for investors


Tobacco Saves Virginia• John Rolfe introduced tobacco

• Milder than grown in West Indies• Profitable

• 1618 - Reforms of Edwin Sandys• House of Burgesses• Headright system • Urged diversification of economy


Time of Reckoning• Population did not increase

• Imbalanced sex ratio• Contagious disease killed settlers

• Indentured servants• Corrupted system• Treated poorly

• Who to blame?• Virginia Company


Maryland: A Catholic Refuge• Catholic beginnings

• Sir George Calvert – Lord Baltimore• Created sanctuary for English Catholics

• Set up aristocracy social system• Ruling class• Not successful

• Protestants seized control in 1655• “Act concerning Religion”• Did not tolerate Catholics Breaking Away: Decisions to

Move to America


Discussion Question

• Why did the Chesapeake colonies not prosper during the earliest years of settlement?


A “New” England in America

• The Puritan Migration to Massachusetts• “A City on a Hill”• Competing Truths in New England• Mobility and Division

Home


• Pilgrims• Separatists who refused to worship in the

Church of England • 1620 ‒ Plymouth founded

• Mayflower Compact• William Bradford and Squanto• 1691 – absorbed into Massachusetts Bay


The Puritan Migration to Massachusetts

• Puritans• Worked within the Church of England • Wanted to eliminate remaining vestiges of

Catholicism• John Winthrop

• Future governor• Felt time for reform running out


How Did English Colonization Transform Eastern North America?• Where did English settlers expand—and

Native Americans suffer territorial losses—in North American during this period?

• In what ways did English expansion face competition form its European rivals?

• How did the Iroquois Confederacy change over this time? A “New” England in America


“A City on a Hill”• 1630 - Puritans settled in Massachusetts

• Great Migration – 1630s• Characteristics of settlers

• Common sense of purpose• Covenant with God• Congregationalism• Town was center of Puritan life




Competing Truths in New England• General Court

• Colonial legislature• Lawes and Liberties - 1648

• Puritans lacked religious toleration• Supported own form of worship only• Roger William - extreme separatism• Anne Hutchinson - antinomianism


Mobility and Division• New Hampshire - 1677

• Separated from Massachusetts Bay• Connecticut - 1636

• Early settlements• Thomas Hooker• Fundamental Orders• 1662 - king granted a charter


Mobility and Division (continued)• New Haven - 1638

• Led by Theophilus Eaton and Reverend John Davenport

• Did not prosper - absorbed by Connecticut• Rhode Island - 1636

• Roger Williams - Providence• Toleration, but much infighting• 1663 - king granted a charter



Discussion Question

• What role did differences in religion play in the founding of the New England colonies?


Diversity in the Middle Colonies

• Anglo-Dutch Rivalry on the Hudson• Confusion in New Jersey• Quakers in America• Penn’s “Holy Experiment

Home


• Middle colonies settled for different reasons• New York – economic for Duke of York• Pennsylvania – Quaker sanctuary• New Jersey and Delaware

• Common characteristics• Heterogeneous population• Diversity impacted institutions


Anglo-Dutch Rivalry onthe Hudson

• Dutch most aggressive European traders• Largest merchant fleet• Rivalry with Spain led to New World interest

• New Netherlands• Two settlements• First settlers were employees• Diverse and not united• 1664 - English took colony Diversity in the Middle

Colonies



Confusion in New Jersey

• New Jersey split off from New York• Given to Lord Berkeley and Sir George

Carteret• Berkeley split colony • Reunited in 1702 as single royal colony


Quakers in America

• Quakers• Derogatory term – “tremble at the word of

the Lord”• Members called sect “Society of Friends”• No need for a formal ministry• Practiced humility in daily lives• Spread “truth”


Penn’s “Holy Experiment”

• William Penn – charter for Pennsylvania• Bought Delaware from New Jersey

proprietors• “Holy Experiment”

• Society run on Quaker principles• Balance of power between rich and poor• Charter of Liberties

• Promoted colony• Land sales and taxes • People poured in



Discussion Question

• How did ethnic diversity shape the development of the Middle Colonies?


Planting the Southern Colonies

• Founding the Carolinas• Founding of Georgia

Home


• Reliance on slave labor produced superficial similarity to Chesapeake• Diversity of settlers and environment

produced great divergence from Chesapeake


Founding the Carolinas

• Charter for Carolinas• Granted by Charles II in 1663

• Settlement• 1670 - first settlers arrived• Charles Town established• Political problems

• Planters• Former Barbados residents• Needed profitable crop Planting the Southern Colonies



Founding of Georgia

• 1732 - Georgia founded• James Oglethorpe’s ideas

• Strategic purpose - buffer zone• Charitable purpose• Originally rum and slaves prohibited • Landowning capped initially

• 1751 - became royal colony


Table 2.1 England’s Principal Mainland Colonies


Discussion Question

• How was the founding of the Carolinas different from that of Georgia?


Conclusion: Living with Diversity

• All colonies faced early struggle to survive • Often hostile environment• Interactions with Native Americans

• Distinct regional differences intensified and persisted throughout the colonial period • Economic and religious motives• Diversity of settlers

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England’s New World Experiments 1607‒1732