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TRANSCRIPT
England Challenges Spain
• With England’s defeat of the Spanish
Armada in 1588, other countries saw that
Spain could be beaten, and some decided
to challenge Spanish land claims.
• Many explorers from several countries
continued to search for a water route
called the NORTHWEST PASSAGE that
would take them through the American
landmass and onto Asia.
For many
years,
explorers
searched
for a
waterway
through
North
America
that would
lead to
Asia.
• Throughout the late 1500s, and into the
1600s countries like Holland, France, and
England continued their explorations,
sometimes setting up colonies. The
French were successful in establishing
colonies in Canada, and the Dutch were
actually the first Europeans to colonize
what is now New York. New York City’s
original name was New Amsterdam.
Two Early English Colonies Fail • As early as 1585,
the English tried to
establish a colony on
the east coast of
North America.
• It was located on an
island called
Roanoke off the
coast of modern-day
North Carolina.
Sir Walter Raleigh, a soldier, statesman,
and adventurer who served under Queen
Elizabeth I received permission to start a
colony. The colonists originally relied on
Native Americans for food, but when the
natives realized they were planning to stay
and use the land, the food supply was cut
off. In the following year of 1586, the
surviving colonists returned to England.
Sir Walter Raleigh
was a favorite of
Queen Elizabeth I,
who never married.
She never married,
and was known as
the “Virgin Queen”.
That is where
“Virginia” got its
name.
• In 1587, an artist named John White
convinced Raleigh to try again, with White
as the governor.
• That year, along with over 100 settlers
returned to Roanoke Island.
• In the summer, White’s daughter Elinor
gave birth to a little girl named Virginia,
the first English child born in North
America.
• In late 1587, White returned to England for
some much needed supplies, promising to
return the next year.
• However, England’s war with Spain and other
delays prevented John White from returning
until 1590.
• When John White and his crew arrived, they
found the settlement eerily quiet and
abandoned with no sign of the more than 100
men, women, and children that had been left
there.
The only clue that could be found was the
word “Croatoan” carved on a post, and “Cro”
carved on a tree. Croatoan was the name of
some friendly Indians located on a nearby
island. John White wanted to search for the
colonists, but his crew refused, as a large
storm was brewing. They were blown out to
sea and lost their anchor. Low on supplies,
they headed back to England. John White
was never able to return and look for them.
The “Lost” Colony
What Might Have Happened?
There are theories that maybe they moved
to another area, or that maybe the Spanish
found the colony and killed or enslaved
them. Some speculated that maybe they
even tried to sail back to England
themselves and didn’t make it. One of the
more accepted theories is that they joined
with some natives either by choice or force.
There is possible evidence of this.
• In 1607, another
colony called
Sagadahoc was tried
in what is now the
state of Maine.
• Fights among the
colonists (many of
them convicts),
clashes with Natives,
a harsh winter, and
food shortages, forced
the people to go back
to England.
Financing a Colony • Sir Walter Raleigh had
financed the colony at
Roanoke and lost his
investment.
• The English now tried
forming joint-stock
companies with
multiple investors.
• Investors would now
share both profits and
losses.
• Merchants organized
the Virginia Company
of London and also
the Virginia Company
of Plymouth.
• King James I granted
CHARTERS to both
companies giving
them permission to
establish colonies.
In 1607, the Virginia Company of London
financed a colonial attempt to the
Chesapeake Bay area. More than 100
colonists sailed up the James River to look
for a place to settle. They found a spot, and
named their colony Jamestown after the
king. They picked a terrible spot for the
colony. It was swampy, and many colonists
died from malaria.
The drinking water was also unclean.
Instead of spending their time building
shelters and trying to grow food, many of
the men spent valuable time looking for
gold, which was not to be found. The hot,
humid summers, and bitter winter cold took
their toll. By January of 1608, there were
only 38 colonists still alive.
Jamestown Grows • Later in 1608, a
soldier and
adventurer named
John Smith took
control.
• Smith announced,
“He that will not
work shall not eat”.
• His methods began
to work.
• He also persuaded the Powhatan tribe to trade
corn to the colonists.
• Unfortunately, in 1609 he was injured in a
gunpowder explosion and had to return to
England.
• That same year more than 800 English settlers
arrived in Jamestown.
• Unfortunately, tensions rose again with the
Natives, and they stopped trading with the
settlers and attacked them.
During a period known as the “starving
time”, the colonists ate rats, mice, and
snakes. Only 60 colonists remained when
in 1610, a new governor arrived, and things
began to get better. In 1612, a man named
John Rolfe developed a high-grade
tobacco that grew well in the area, and
became very popular in England. Tobacco
really helped save Jamestown.
The colony continued to grow, and the
Virginia Company began to let people own
their own land, and they worked even
harder. The company offered a 50-acre
land grant for each man, woman, or child
who could pay their way to the colony. The
first Africans also arrived in 1619, many of
them as slaves. Jamestown’s population
jumped to 2,000.
Indentured Servants • More workers were needed, but not everyone
could afford to pay for the passage to America.
• Some became INDENTURED SERVANTS.
• These were men and women who sold their
labor to the person who agreed to pay for their
passage to the colony.
• After working for a set number of years, they
could have their freedom and could become
farmers or take up a trade of their own.
Conflicts With the Powhatan • Cultural differences between the settlers
and Powhatan continued to worsen.
• In an effort to improve relations, John
Rolfe married Chief Powhatan’s daughter
Pocahontas in 1614.
• Things improved somewhat but there
were still tensions.
• In 1622, after settlers continued to
develop land, the natives killed hundreds.
The House of Burgesses
Some of the colonists wanted to have
more local control over their affairs,
eventually, “burgesses” or elected
representatives were allowed to meet
yearly, starting in 1619. This was the
first elected assembly in America.
In the early 1500s King Henry IIIV broke
away from the Catholic Church and formed
his own Church of England. In the early
1600s, a group of people known as
SEPARATISTS wanted to completely break
with the Church of England because they
thought it was “too Catholic”. The
PILGRIMS were a separatist group that
were especially persecuted in England.
• For awhile, the Pilgrims moved to Holland, a
country that was more accepting of them.
• After awhile, the Pilgrims became dissatisfied
with life there and approached the Virginia
Company about settling in America.
• They were given permission, and set off on the
Mayflower, but were blown off course. In
November of 1620 they landed to the north of
Virginia at a place called Plymouth, and
decided to sign the MAYFLOWER COMPACT.
• The men who signed the agreement vowed to
obey laws agreed upon for the good of all.
The Plymouth Colony • Like the settlers at
Jamestown, the
Pilgrims at Plymouth
endured a starving
time.
• That first winter, over
half of the colonists
died, mainly from
starvation and
disease.
Things Begin to Improve • The following spring,
the colonists met an
Indian named Samoset
who had learned
English from European
fisherman.
• He introduced them to
Squanto, a native who
had earlier been taken
captive, and had lived
in England.
• Squanto helped work
out differences
between the Pilgrims
and the Natives.
• He also helped teach
them ways to hunt,
fish, and plant crops.
• Trade began to grow,
and the settlers were
preparing goods to
ship back to England.
The First Thanksgiving
It was common for both English and Native
American people to have harvest
celebrations. In 1621, sometime during the
Fall, a three-day feast was held that
included both the Pilgrims and some
Natives. The meal helped symbolize how
the two groups were working together, and
that the Pilgrims were giving thanks to God
for the harvest.
The Puritans Come to Massachusetts
• Between 1630 and
1640, another
religious group
known as the
PURITANS left
England.
• Approximately
20,000 crossed the
Atlantic to America.
• Unlike the Pilgrims who just wanted to
separate themselves from the Church of
England, Puritans wanted to completely
reform or “purify” the Church.
• They received a charter to settle north of
the Plymouth Colony.
• They were better financed and better
supplied than the Pilgrims were, and
therefore, didn’t suffer as much.
The Puritans led a very strict life. The
center of their towns was the meetinghouse,
where frequent meetings were held. By
law, all Puritans in a town had to attend
church where they stressed strong beliefs in
duty to God, hard work, and honesty.
Puritans wanted everyone to read the Bible,
so laws were passed that required that all
children learn to read.
Some Puritans set
up other colonies
in places like
Connecticut and
New Hampshire.
Others, who had
disagreements
with the church left
to form their own
colonies.
• Roger Williams was a
minister who didn’t
believe in forced
church attendance.
• He also didn’t believe
in the forced taking of
land from natives.
• He was forced to
leave Massachusetts,
and started a
settlement in what is
now Rhode Island.
• Anne Hutchinson
believed a person
could worship God
without the help of a
church or minister.
• She also would hold
Bible study sessions in
her home.
• She was eventually
put on trial, and forced
to move to Rhode
Island.
The Quakers
The Quakers were a religious group who
got their name from the way they would
tremble or shake “at the word of the Lord”.
They believed that people could know God
through an “inner light”. They also
believed in treating Natives fairly.
Because of these beliefs, Quakers were
sometimes whipped, imprisoned, and
hanged. Some went to Rhode Island.
The Middle Colonies • The Middle Colonies
included New York,
New Jersey,
Delaware, and
Pennsylvania.
• Settlers included
Swedes, Dutch,
English, Germans,
and Africans.
• Protestants,
Catholics, Jews and
Quakers also came
for religious freedom.
• The Dutch originally
colonized the land
along the Hudson
River.
• Because they wanted
to grow, their leader
attacked a Swedish
settlement along the
Delaware River.
• When they became a
threat to England,
action was taken.
England didn’t want another power between
its colonies in New England and Virginia. In
1664, the king’s brother, the Duke of York
appeared in the harbor of New Amsterdam
with some warships. The colony
surrendered, and was renamed New York in
honor of the Duke. The Duke also owned
land that became the colony of New Jersey
after he gave some of the land to his
friends.
• Pennsylvania was founded by William
Penn who was a Quaker.
• He welcomed people of different religions
and ethnic groups, and also believed in
treating the Natives fairly.
• In 1704, William Penn granted the three
lower counties of Pennsylvania their own
legislative assembly. They eventually
formed their own colony of Delaware.
Does William
Penn look at
all familiar to
you?
A man named Lord
Baltimore founded the
colony of Maryland as
a refuge for England’s
persecuted Catholics.
Maryland based its
economy on tobacco
which required the
use of slaves or
indentured servants.
• The Carolinas were founded by English
colonists from the Caribbean island of
Barbados.
• They built the settlement of Charleston in
1670, and made money by cutting timber,
raising cattle and trade with the Natives.
• Slaves were imported to grow rice and
indigo, a plant that can be used to make a
blue dye.
• The Carolinas eventually split into two
separate colonies in 1729.
Georgia was
originally founded
in 1732 by a man
named James
Oglethorpe as a
refuge for debtors.
The English were
hoping it would act
as a buffer between
Spanish Florida
and French
Louisiana.