The English Colonies

Chapter 4 Sections 1-4

The New England Colonies Sec 1

• Massachusetts• Puritans- Individuals that left England seeking a reformed Church of

England. (The Pilgrims were Separatist)• John Winthrop- Under persecution by Charles I he leads his settlers to the

New World to found the Massachusetts Bay Colony• Massachusetts Bay Colony- The settlers elect John Winthrop their 1st

Governor, He establishes a pattern for settlement.• 1. Build Shelter 2. Clear Land 3. Plant Crops• Originally the right to vote was limited to stockholders ( those who paid

for the journey). Eventually, we open up to all male church members.

Mass. Cont.

• The General Court• Representative government of the Mass. Bay Colony. Only male church

members could run. (Would that work today?)• The organization of the colony leas to success.• The Great Migration- In an 11 year span (1629-1640) 20,000 English

citizens move to the Mass. Bay Colony

Connecticut

• Thomas Hooker• Will lead 100 Puritan settlers out of Mass. Bay Colony. • They leave to escape the power of the governor and the General Court• Ended up settling along what is today the Connecticut River, they named

their settlement Hartford.• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut - (1st Constitution)• Create a similar government to Mass. • Differences- 1. All male property owners can vote. 2. The representative

portion of the government is stronger than the governor.• 1662 There are 13 towns along the river and England issues a charter

creating the colony of Connecticut.

Rhode Island

• Roger Williams• Another angry puritan leaves Mass. to found his own colony.• He is thrown out of Massachusetts for preaching toleration- the

acceptance of all religions.• After he is expelled he lives with the Indians for the winter. He is actually

able to purchase land from them to found his colony.• Rhode Island wins popularity contest!!!!!!!!!!!• 1. All white males can vote• 2. Worship any religion you like• 3. No other requirements

R.I. Cont.

• Trouble with the Natives• After a few years the population of R.I. Begins to encroach on the Indians,

fighting break out and the Wapanoag attack the settlement.• Success In New England.

– Farming, Hunting, Syrup, Lumber, Shipbuilding, Fishing, and Whaling

The Middle Colonies Sec 2

• New Netherlands is Sold!!!!!!• The colony has some success under Dutch rule- Fur Trading, Port City of

New Amsterdam.• In order to encourage agriculture the Dutch begin giving away huge tracts

of land to PATROONS- people who agreed to settle at least 50 new European families on the land. There is no regulation on the Patroons.

• PROBLEM- The patroon is allowed to charge as much as he wants for land. Because of this most people choose to live in the city of New Amsterdam.

• The colony allows religious freedom

New Neth. Cont.

• Conflict with England• The British colonies do not appreciate the Dutch presence in their New

World.• The fighting begins between Charles II and his army versus the people of

New Amsterdam. England wins and sells it to his brother, the... Duke of York ( Bet you can’t guess what he names it?)

New Jersey

• The Duke of York decides to give a portion of his colony to two of his friends. Sir Carteret and Lord Berkeley.

• The two friends will act as proprietors- They will run the land as if they were the owners, but give all profits to the actual owner.

• Proprietary Colony- Land that was given, by a king or queen, to a person to run as they chose.

• 1702 New Jersey becomes a royal colony- under the control of the the sovereign king or queen.

Pennsylvania

• William Penn• Penn is a close friend of King Charles II, he asks for land in the New World

to pay off a debt that Charles’ father owed Penn’s father.• This is a great deal for Charles II. William Penn is a Quaker, and the

Quakers are despised in England. He gets the chance to help a friend while also getting rid of a problem.

• Quakers• Believe that all people are equal. No social class or deference to the more

wealthy.• No need to bow or make shows of respect. Treat all people the same way.• The Quakers do not believe in war. This does not go over well in England.

Quakers cont.• Allows Penn to form a proprietary colony. Calls it Pennsylvania.• Penn makes allies with the Natives. He requires his people to buy their

land from the natives.• The equal standing of all people makes the new colony very popular.• The southern portion is far away from the main settlements. These

southern settlers ask Penn to form their own colony. He allows them to form Delaware.

Farming and Expansion

• Farming• The farmers in Pennsylvania are able to grow far more than they can use

or consume.• The begin selling wheat, barley, and rye as cash crops- crops that are

raised to be sold rather than consumed.• Expansion• After the founding of Philadelphia the expansion is father west, and

usually done by groups other than the Quakers.• Scottish, German, and Irish settlers begin clearing the land and

establishing farming communities in central Pennsylvania, and the eastern slope of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Southern Colonies Sec 3

• Maryland• Sir George Calvert and Lord Baltimore ask and receive land for a Catholic

colony.• Catholics are despised in England and Charles wants them gone.• Sir Calvert dies before the can leave. His son Cecil Calvert Lord Baltimore

finishes his father’s vision.• The group settles the northern portion of the Chesapeake Bay. N. of VA. S.

of PA• Plan to fish the Bay and grow tobacco. They found St. Mary’s away from

any swamp or marsh land.• Proprietary Colony- Calvert establishes a governor and a ruling council.

MD. Cont. and Virginia

• Religion- MD. Allows all religions except Jews. 1649 Act of Toleration-Everyone welcome.

• Virginia • Land is at a premium. Settlers begin just taking Native American land.• This naturally leads to conflicts. Settlers ask the governor to intervene, he

declines• Bacon’s Rebellion (No Hogs were harmed in this rebellion)• 1676- Nathaniel Bacon leads a group of planters into battle against the

Natives. • He then leads them on to Jamestown (capitol) which he burns down.

VA. Cont. • After the torching of Jamestown Bacon dies. His rebellion dies with him.• The governor hangs 23 of Bacon’s supporters, but the land stealing

continues.• Royal Colony- Colony run by a governor selected by the royal family.

The Carolinas

• Northern- Small tobacco farms usually famed by poorer families

• Southern- Large land grants given to noble families. Great city of Charles Town eventually shortened to Charleston

• Rice- The swamps make rice a cash crop that sustains the colony until is splits in 1712

Georgia

• James Oglethorpe• Reformer who decides to ask for a colony to take debtors to. Debtors

were jailed in England for their inability to pay their bills.• Oglethorpe even pays for some people to make the trip.• The Oglethorpe Rules• 1. No farms larger than 50 Acres 2. No slaves• The Spanish and Creek Indians had both already claimed Georgia, but the

three groups were able to exist peacefully.

The South Grows Up

• Plantations- Large farms for Tobacco, Rice, and later cotton.• Most plantations were along rivers or tidal plains to gain easy access

to transportation.• Plantation meant a lifestyle of wealth and style. Most people do not

live on them.

• Backcountry- Opposite of the plantation. People were poor worked the land without slaves. Made just enough to survive.

• Slavery- The slaves make the plantation run. They work the field and end up knowing more about agriculture than the whites of the plantation

• Middle Passage- Passage to new world from Africa, these are the worst conditions imaginable.

Mercantilism Sec 4• Economic theory that all wealth is based on the possession of gold.• Europe is involved in exploration and colonization because they believe it

will increase the amount of gold that they have.• The best way to acquire gold besides finding it in the ground is to have a...

• Positive Trade BalancePositive Trade Balance• Exports - Imports = Profit > 0• Negative Trade BalanceNegative Trade Balance• Exports - Imports = Profit < 0 or a loss• (Imports are goods brought in from another country. Exports are

goods sold to other countries.

Navigation Acts

• In 1650 Parliament passes a law regulating the trade in the new English colonies.

• Only English ships may carry colonial goods.• Only England may buy colonial goods• No CompetitionNo Competition • This is great for England, but bad for the

colonies. Why????

Triangular Trade

• Check this out!!!!!!!!!!• 1st leg - From the New World to Europe with raw

materials. Ex. sugar cane and molasses• 2nd leg - From Europe to West Africa with finished

goods. Ex. gun powder, molasses, and rum.• 3rd leg - From West Africa to the New World with

African slaves.

Illegal Trade

• The Navigation Acts made England the only legal carrier of goods from the colonies, but…

• Some became very rich running illegal goods like rum and molasses out of the New World to other European countries.

• Black Market

Colonial Government

• Each colony had a bicameral legislature• Upper and lower houses• Most Christian, land owning men, over the

age of 21 could vote.

Glorious Revolution

• 1688 Parliament overthrows James II and replaces him with William and Mary.

• 1689 Parliament passes the English Bill of Rights. (We copy this idea later)

• Focus on human rights and personal property.• Important new law! A leader cannot raise taxes

or declare law without Parliament’s approval.