The First English Settlements

AP US History Unit 1The First English SettlementsJamestown ColonySpanish influence extended from Chesapeake Bay to southern tip of South America1585 Sir Walter Raleigh made first attempt at colony; failedNamed colony Virginia after Elizabeth (Virgin Queen)1587 founded colony at Roanoke Island, NCColony was gone when he returned (Lost Colony)Only evidence was word Croatan carved into postJamestown ColonyProtestant Reformation, defeat of Spanish Armada led to decline of SpainIndustrial Revolution required more resources for manufacturingJoint-stock companies allowed investors to pool moneyCharter was granted which governed new colonyGuaranteed rights for all peopleJamestown Colony1606 King James I grants charter to Virginia Company of London Hope to find gold Sea passage to Asia through New World1607 landed near Chesapeake Bay, founded Jamestown

Jamestown ColonyLocation was poor, hot, mosquito infestedSettled by aristocrats who didnt know how to farm or huntMost died from disease and hungerSpent time looking for gold instead of foodSome help from local IndiansPowhatan tribe provided food Jamestown ColonyLeadership was lacking; John Smith sent to save the dayHe that will not work, shall not eatLater kidnapped by Powhatan Winter 1609-1610: starving time60 of original 400 colonists still aliveForbidden from leaving by governor De La WarrJohn Rolfe plants tobacco, saves colonyJamestown ColonyTobacco first commodity crop, provided wealthRequired large labor source1619 Dutch ship delivered 20 African slavesStill relied heavily on mostly white labor force of indentured servants unti l1650Women arrived in 1619 to establish a self-sustaining colony

Plymouth Colony1558-1603 growing religious tensions in EnglandRadical Protestants believed the Anglican Church was still too much like the Catholic ChurchWanted to purify AnglicanismPuritans embraced John Calvin & predestinationKing James I pressured Puritans to conformPlymouth Colony1606 Puritans severed ties with Church of EnglandSet out for New World, Pilgrims set sail on Mayflower Missed Virginia due to storm; settled in MassachusettsEstablished Mayflower Compact to govern Plymouth BayWilliam Bradford became governor and established the colonyPlymouth ColonyLanded in early winter, over half died Squanto: English speaking Indian introduced colonists to Wampanoag tribeShowed Pilgrims where to fish and huntBasis for ThanksgivingGrew slowly based on fur, fish, lumber trade