The English in North America

Before we study

• Find England on a world map.

• Find the parts of America that became colonies of England.

• How did the English people get to America?

• How long did it take?

• In 1215, England was a small, weak country with little wealth or food. They were often beaten by other nations and made into a colony.

• In 1215, there was a revolution in England. The people were very angry at the king because he sometimes took away people’s land or put them in jail for no good reason. They thought he had too much power and was using his power in a bad way.

• The people beat the King and forced him to sign a piece of paper called the Magna Carta.

• The Magna Carta limited the King’s power. It said that the King could not put anybody in jail unless they were given a fair trial with a judge and a jury. It also said that the King could not take away people’s land or property.

The Magna Carta also created the English

Parliament. The Parliament is a group of people who represent all the people of England.

They make laws and have the power to stop

the king when he is doing something bad.

Comprehension check

• What was the Magna Carta?

• Why do you think the Magna Carta important in American history?

• In 1558, England was a weak country. It had no colonies. Spain was a strong country. It was an empire. It controlled most of the Americas. The Spanish had many strong ships. They stopped other countries from coming to America.

• In 1588, Elizabeth became the new Queen of England.

Elizabeth was different. She didn’t want to get married. She wanted to control England without a king. She was a strong woman.

The Catholic Church ordered Elizabeth to marry the King of Spain, so England would become part of Spain. Elizabeth said “no”. Spain and the Catholic Church tried to assassinate her, but she survived. After that she kicked the Catholic Church out of England. She made the Church of England the main church instead of the Catholic Church.

• Elizabeth wanted to hurt Spain and get more gold for England. She told the English people to attack Spanish ships and steal their gold. The English became pirates!

In 1588, Spain attacked England.

England won!

• The Spanish ships were destroyed. Now English people could come to America too. They started settlements in North America.

Comprehension check

• How would the world be different today if Queen Elizabeth had married the King of Spain?

• How did Queen Elizabeth change the history of the world?

Why did English people want to come to America?

Some wanted religious freedom.

• Some people did not like the Church of England.

• They wanted to start a new church and live in America.

• They called themselves Pilgrims.

Some wanted to get rich.

• They were looking for gold or fur.

Some just wanted to own land.

• They wanted to be independent. They did not want to have a boss.

The first English settlement in North America was started in 1587.

• They built a town in Roanoke, Virginia.

• They came to Virginia to find gold.

The mystery of the Roanoke colony

• They mysteriously disappeared!

• We don’t know where they went to.

• They even left food and dirty dishes on the table.

The second English settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia.

• They came in 1607.• They also wanted to find gold or furs.

They didn’t know how to grow food in America.

• They were starving.• The Indians helped

them.• The Indians showed

them how to grow food and hunt.

The English learned how to grow tobacco.

They sent it to England and made a lot of money!

In 1619, the colonists started the House of Burgesses.

• The House of Burgesses was a representative government.

• Colonists voted for leaders and made their own laws.

• It was the first elected government in the English colonies.

Comprehension check

• Why did the English want to come to America?

• How did the first English settlers survive in America?

• How did the English settlers get rich in America?

• Where did the English settlers get the idea of representative government from?

In 1620, settlers came to Massachusetts on the Mayflower.

The Mayflower Compact

• Half of the people on the Mayflower were Pilgrims.

• The other half were regular English people.

• The Pilgrims wanted to have their religious freedom.

• The other people didn’t want the Pilgrims to take away their freedoms.

• Both sides agreed to make fair laws for all people.

• They wrote the Mayflower Compact—a contract promising to respect each other’s rights.

Life in America was difficult.

• The colonists did not know how to grow food in America.

• They were starving.

Thanksgiving

• The Indians helped them.• After one year, the colonists had a big party to

celebrate.• They wanted to thank God.• The party was the first Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

In 1630, the Puritans came to Massachusetts.

• The Puritans didn’t like the Church of England.

• They wanted to have a “pure” life, clean without any sin or vice.

The Puritans were very strict.

• They didn’t like people who were different.

• They did not like sinners.

• They hurt many people.

The Puritans were afraid of witches.

• They killed many people in witch hunts.

In 1632, Lord Baltimore started Maryland.

• He wanted a colony for English Catholics.

In 1644, some people left Massachusetts.

• They were not happy there.

• They wanted freedom.

• They went to Rhode Island.

• They lived with the Indians.

In 1682, the Quakers started Pennsylvania.

• The Quakers were Christians who believed in freedom and education.

• They believed in God but did not believe in religion or churches.

Quakers

• They believed in peace and love.

• They did not like war or slavery.

• They believed all people were equal.

• They lived in peace with the Iroquois Indians.

• They liked the Iroquois’s democratic government.

In 1732, the English started Georgia.

• The King took debtors out of prison and put them in Georgia.

• They wanted English people there to fight against the Spanish in Florida.

The Thirteen Colonies

Comprehension check

• How was each English colony different from the other? Compare Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia.