American Colonization and Settlement History

Virginia Company

• A private business organization established to fund the colonization of the Americas.
• Shareholders included merchants, aristocrats, and members of Parliament.
• Sponsored the founding of Jamestown in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in the U.S.

Roanoke

• Founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 off the North Carolina coast.
• The first settlement was abandoned in 1586; the second settlement mysteriously disappeared by 1590.

A Discourse Concerning Western Planting

• Written by Richard Hakluyt in 1584.
• Presented 23 reasons for Queen Elizabeth I to support American colonization, highlighting the need to protect land and people from Spanish tyranny.

Enclosure Movement

• Took place in the 16th and 17th centuries in England.
• Landlords evicted small farmers and enclosed common lands, pushing poor inhabitants into poverty.

Indentured Servant

• Individuals who contracted to work for 5-7 years in exchange for passage to America.
• Constituted about two-thirds of English settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries.

John Smith

• A leader of the Jamestown settlement who enforced strict labor policies.
• His autocratic leadership style caused friction with settlers; he returned to England following a 1609 gunpowder explosion.

Headright System

• Established in 1618 after early Jamestown struggles highlighted the need for marketable crops.
• Granted 50 acres of land to settlers who paid their own passage and employed laborers.

House of Burgesses

• The first elected assembly in colonial America, established in 1618 and convened in 1619.
• Voting was limited to landowners, and decisions could be nullified by the Virginia Company.

Uprising of 1622

• Led by Opechancanough, Powhatan's brother, against the Virginia colonists.
• Resulted in the deaths of a quarter of the settler population, with subsequent retaliation against Native villages.

Tobacco

• Became the primary cash crop for Virginia, replacing gold as the key to economic survival.
• Increased demand for labor, contributing to the rise of slavery and social stratification.

Dower Rights

• Legal provision ensuring that a married woman received one-third of her husband's property upon his death.

Puritanism

• A religious reform movement from the Church of England in the late 16th century.

John Winthrop

• Governor of Massachusetts, noted for distinguishing between "natural" liberty (to do evil) and "moral" liberty (to do good).

Moral Liberty

• The concept of liberty aligned with doing what is morally right.

Pilgrims

• The first group of Puritans to emigrate to America, known as Separatists.

Mayflower Compact

• The first written framework of government in the United States, established by Pilgrims in 1620.

Great Migration

• Between 1629 and 1642, approximately 21,000 Puritans migrated to Massachusetts.

Captivity Narratives

• Accounts of individuals captured by perceived "uncivilized" enemies, highlighting tensions between cultures.

The Sovereignty and Goodness of God

• A book by Mary Rowlandson detailing her experiences during captivity, illustrating her resolve to return to a Christian society.

Pequot War

• Conflict in 1637 triggered by the killing of a colonial trader by the Pequot tribe.
• Resulted in the massacre of over 500 inhabitants of the Pequot's main village at Mystic.

Halfway Covenant

• Introduced in 1662 to increase church membership by allowing partial church enrollment for the grandchildren of original Great Migration settlers.

English Freedom

• Concept asserting that the king was subject to the law and all individuals were entitled to security of person and property.

Act Concerning Religion

• Instituted in 1649, guaranteeing religious freedom to all Christians in Maryland.

Early English Settlers' Challenges

• Faced diseases, food shortages, high mortality rates, and leadership changes, especially in tobacco production.

English Civil War Impact on Colonies

• Created divisions between loyalists of the English Parliament and colonies seeking self-governance.

Distinctiveness of New England Settlement

• Emerged from a religious movement (Puritanism) that emphasized a different social order compared to other colonies.

Sources of Discord in Early New England

• Stemmed from religious controversies and complex relations with Native Americans, often exacerbated by language barriers.

Jamestown Establishment

• Founded in 1607, marking the dawn of permanent English settlement in the New World.

Reasons for Colonization

• Driven by national glory, imperial aspirations, religious missions, and profit motives.

Anti-Catholicism in England

• Fueled by foreign invasion attempts, reports of Spanish atrocities, writings of Bartolomé de las Casas, and the Pope's refusal to annul Henry VIII’s marriage.

England's Views of the New World

• Seen as an opportunity for laboring classes to gain economic independence.

Migration from England (1607-1700)

• Over 500,000 individuals emigrated to America during this period.

Tobacco Colonies Demand for Labor

• Virginia and Maryland became notable for their reliance on cheap labor for tobacco production.

Different Approaches to Native Americans

• English settlers aimed to displace Native Americans, while Spanish methods involved marriage and labor organization.

England's Interactions with Native Americans

• Involved trade, failed Christianization attempts, forced treaties, and contributed to recurrent warfare and epidemics.

Justification for Land Appropriation

• Based on the premise that Native Americans did not cultivate or improve the land.

Powhatan

• An influential Indian leader in Virginia, known as Pocahontas's father.

Changes in Indian Practices

• European metal goods transformed Native farming, hunting, and cooking methods.

Native American Population in Jamestown

• Estimated between 15,000 and 25,000 upon the English settlers' arrival.

John Rolfe's Contribution

• Introduced the cultivation of tobacco from the West Indies, which became Virginia's economic foundation.

Social Status Shift Post-Tobacco

• Wealthy planters gained upper social status; former indentured servants moved to middle status, while many remained landless.

Female Sole

• Refers to women who had independent legal identities, especially in the absence of a husband.

Maryland Colony

• Established in 1632 as the second Chesapeake colony; offered refuge for persecuted Catholics under Cecilius Calvert's authority.

Congregationalists

• Puritans who believed that both the church and nation were failing to uphold their religious ideals.

John Calvin's Beliefs

• Divided the world into the elect and the damned, associating prosperity with divine favor and idleness with damnation.

Plymouth Colony

• Established between 1620 and 1691 as a settlement for Puritans.

New England Population Growth by 1700

• The white population had significantly outnumbered that of Chesapeake and the West Indies, totaling 91,000.

English Freedoms Secured

• Included habeas corpus, the right to confront one’s accuser, and trial by jury.

Start of the English Civil War

• Broke out in 1642, marking a significant conflict in English history.

Expansion of the English Empire in America

• Mid-17th century saw intensified European interest in American colonies as sources of wealth through mercantilism and careful regulation of trade.