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Home , 1600s (decade)

Why did settlers from first come to ?

The first Mricans were brought to the Virginia by a Dutch ship in 1619. The Mricans amazed the English with their farming abilities.

Looking at Key Terms .Virginia House of Burgesses. Mayflower Compact .

Looking at Key Words .indentured servant: a .self-government: the person who agreed to work power to rule oneself for a set time without pay .compact: an agreement in exchange for transporta- tion to a new land Just five years after Columbus's first White wanted to find the island right voyage, an English ship led by John away, but a storm blew up. One ship was Cabot reached North America. However, leaking badly, and the crew refused to it would be another hundred years sail. White took the other ship, but they before the English began to settle in the could not find Croatoan island. They Americas. What took so long? were forced to return to England. No England at the time was not as rich or other sign of the colonywas ever found. powerful a country as Spain. However, To this day, no one knows what in 1588, the English navy smashed a became of the "lost colony" of Roanoke. much larger Spanish fleet in a battle Were the settlers killed? Did they fought just off the coast of England. starve to death? Their fate is still a This battle ended Spain's control of the mystery. It was an unlucky start for the North Atlantic Ocean. It allowed English in North America. England to begin planting in North America. Jamestown In 1606, a group of English merchants received permission from King James I to set up a colony in North America. These merchants hoped Why was there a great conflz:ct between to find riches to rival the Aztec empire democracy and slavery in the Southern in Mexico. colonies? In 1606, three ships carry- John White stood on the deck of his ing about 100 men and boys sailed for a ship staring into the night. "Hello," he part of North America they called shouted toward shore. There was no Virginia. The settlers arrived at the answer. He shouted again into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in night, but again there was no answer. 1607. They traveled 60 miles (96 kilo- White was worried. Three years meters) upstream and began to build a before, in 1587, he had founded a tiny village. They named it Jamestown in settlement here at Roanoke (ROH-uh- honor of King James I. nohk), an island just off the coast of pre- The settlers of Jamestown faced hard sent-day North Carolina. Soon, the times. The village was built on swampy settlement ran low on food. White was land that spread disease. Half the set- forced to sail back to England to get tlers were nobles who were not interest- more food. Then England went to war, ed in planting crops. They only wanted and he was not able to return. Now he to search for gold. They found no gold, had come back, but there was no one to and soon all their supplies were gone. greet him. Many of them died from starvation or sickness. By spring, one half of the set- Vanished without a trace White tlers were dead. tried not to show his concern. The next Then Captain took over morning, he and his men rowed to as leader. Smith was tough. He told the shore. Something was clearly wrong. settlers they would have to work or go The settlement was abandoned. Houses hungry. Things improved briefly. But were empty. What had happened? The then Smith hurt his leg badly and had only clues were carvings on two trees- to return to England. "CRO" on one tree and "CROATOAN' With Smith gone, things again began on the other. Croatoan was the name of to fall apart. The winter of 1609-1610 an island to the south. was so terrible that the settlers called it

~~apter ~ ~1 "the starving time." Before the starving set number of years. In return, they time, there were 500 people in Jamestown. received a free trip to the colonies. When it ended, only 60 settlers were alive. There weren't enough indentured ser- vants to do all the work. The Native Raising tobacco Conditions Americans refused to work for the set- improved when a strict new governor tlers. In 1619, a Dutch ship brought 20 took over. Soon, new settlers and sup- Africans to Virginia. These first plies arrived from England. Then the Africans in the English colonies were big breakthrough came. John Rolfe dis- indentured servants. Mricans who came covered that tobacco could grow well in after them, however, were brought as the Virginia soil. Tobacco had long been slaves. Slavery would become an impor- grown by Native Americans. Mter the tant part of life in the Southern colonies Spanish conquest, it was introduced to in the years ahead. . Tobacco shipped to England made money for the settlers. Soon Self-government Settlers held tobacco was Jamestown's main crop. slaves, but they wanted more freedom for themselves. In 1619, the new gover- The beginning of slavery As nor of Virginia allowed the settlers to Jamestown grew, farmers needed more have some self-government. Self gov- workers to grow tobacco. At first, these ernment is the power to rule oneself. The workers were indentured servants. governor formed the Virginia House of Indentured servants were men and Burgesses. This group was made up of women who agreed to work for free for a English settlers elected by free white

John Smith, at the center of this picture, had a big problem. He was the leader of Jamestown. Yet many people in his colony would rather hunt for gold than make permanent houses or plant crops. How did Smith handle this problem? - 1587 1619 1635 Colonists settle The on Roanoke Virginia arrives in Island and then House of Rhode Island. II disappear. Burgesses is set up. 1675 Native Americans rise up against the colonists in 1620 "King Philip's War." 1497 The Pilgrims John Cabot lands land in in North America, Massachusetts. claiming it for 1607 1630s-1640s England. Jamestown The Great Migration brings is settled in thousands of to Virginia. M assach usetts.

READING A TIMELINE Note "King Philip's War" in 1675. Now look at the timeline on page44. What similar event happenedto the Spanish about the sametime? males in each town. This was an impor- to America for religious freedom. They tant first step toward self-government. were simple, religious people who were This first step toward self-government used to hard work. In the 1600s,England and the introduction of slavery happened did not have religious freedom. The in the same year, 1619. Freedom and Pilgrims were forced to leave England slavery were two ideas that could not becausethey refused to follow the Church exist together. For the next 250 years, of England. In 1620, the Pilgrims were Americans would try to deal with the given permission to settle in Virginia. conflict between freedom and slavery. They sailed on a tiny ship, the Mayflower, on , 1620. A storm blew the Mayflower north. Instead of landing in Virginia, they landed off the coast of present-dayMassachusetts.

The Mayflower Compact Before leaving their ship, Pilgrim men signed an agreement to obey whatever laws their officers made. In the Mayflower Compact, Pilgrim men agreed to elect Why did the Pilgrims and the Puritans leaders and obey the laws that the lead- cometo live in New England? ers made. A compact is an agreement. Like the Virginia House of Burgesses, Other English settlers were not like the this compact was an important step settlers of Jamestown. The Pilgrims came toward democracy.

~ ~~a~ter ~ aJ This famous painting show Puritans going to church on a snowy Sunday morning. The Puritans had a very strong faith in "pure" religion. This got them into trouble with the king of England. It led them to come to North America.

Help from Squanto The Pilgrims the start of the holiday that is held every built a sturdy settlement on a spot they year at the end of . called Plymouth (PLIHM-uhth). Still, they faced many problems. The winter Massachusetts Bay Meanwhile, a was cold, and they had little food. Almost second English settlement was being half of the people who had made the trip built near Plymouth. It was called the on the Mayflower died before spring. Massachusetts Bay Colony. This Others were too sick to do any work. colony was founded by people who called Then one morning a tall themselves "Puritans." They took this Native American walked into the vil- name because they wanted to "purify" lage. His name was Samoset. He sur- the Church of England. When the king prised the colonists by speaking to them punished them for criticizing the in English. He said he wanted to help church, the Puritans decided to go to the Pilgrims. A few days later, he North America. There they set up a reli- returned with a Native American gious colony based on their beliefs. named Squanto (SKWAHN-toh). Salem, the Puritan's first town, was Squanto told the Pilgrims he had founded in 1628. Boston was begun in learned English when he was kid- 1630. Many Puritans came to napped by an English sea captain. Massachusetts during the 1630s and Squanto shared his food with the starv- 1640s. By 1643, there were 16,000 peo- ing Pilgrims. He also taught them ple living in the colony. Native American ways of growing corn, The Puritans believed strongly in edu- hunting for animals, and fishing. cation. In 1647, the Puritans passed one With the help of Squanto and other of the most important laws in American Native Americans, the Pilgrims began to history. Towns with more than 50 families thrive. In the fall, they asked Squanto had to set up a school that was paid for by and about 90 other Native Americans to taxes. This was the beginning of the pub- a feast. That first "Thanksgiving" was lic school system in the United States. The Puritans also believed strongly in Some left to find religious freedom. deD1ocracy. In a deD1ocracy, people are Others left to find more or better land. free to govern theD1selves. However, the A group followed Thomas Hooker south Puritans did not believe in religious into the valley of the Connecticut River. freedoD1. All people who lived in their Settlers later joined together to form settleD1ents had to follow Puritan rules. the Connecticut colony. Another group People who did not follow the rules were headed north and settled New punished or driven out of the colony. Hampshire. Others pushed into pre- sent-day where they fished and The founding of Rhode Island carried on a busy trade. By 1650, set- One young minister who disagreed with tlers were pushing out allover the the Puritans was Roger Williams. region they called "New England." Williams felt that all people should be able to worship in their own way. He also Wars with Native Americans disagreed with the Puritans' harsh treat- Wherever the colonists went, they found ment of Native Americans. When Native Americans already living there. Williams spoke out against Puritan lead- A few of these Native Americans ers, they drove him out of the colony. Williams fled south with his followers in 1635. He made friends with the local Reading a Chart. When did the great growth of the African American population in the South first Native Americans and decided to start a begin?Why did growth fall behind in the North? settlement. He called the settlement Providence. Providence was the first American town to guarantee religious freedom to all its people. A few years later, Williams was joined by Anne Hutchinson. She had also been driven out of Massachusetts for her reli- gious beliefs. Hutchinson and Williams founded a new colony called Rhode Island. Rhode Island welcomed colonists of every religion.

How did the New England coloniesgrow from roots in Massachusetts?

Other groups of colonists left Massachusetts to found new colonies. became Christians. However, most did to tame their environment. They set up not want to convert. They found them- towns, built churches, and opened selves being pushed off their land. As shops. They grew crops in the rocky New England grew, so did tensions. soil. By the early 1700s, New England In 1675, the Native American leader was the center of shipbuilding and Metacom (MEH-tuh-kahm) launched a trade in the British colonies. New war to regain lost lands. Metacom, England boats reached ports allover called King Philip by the settlers, united the world. Foreign goods were unloaded many Native American groups to fight on docks in Boston, Providence, and against the settlers. The war, which they other towns. called King Philip's War, lasted three Democracy took root in the New years. Both sides slaughtered their ene- England colonies. Each New England mies. In the end, Metacom was defeated town held regular meetings. Adult and killed. Thousands of other Native white men who held property in the Americans were also killed. Many who towns were allowed to vote on town survived were pushed west or north into issues. These town meetings are still . Native Americans would no held in some New England towns today. longer block the growth of the New When the time came for independence England colonies. for the colonies, New England would By 1700, there were four British be ready. colonies in New England. They were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Maine was part of Massachusetts. was part of New York.

The growth of democracy All over New England, settlers were trying How were the Middle and Southern colonies different from the New England Colonies?

An old engravingshows the first womensettlers landing in Jamestown. For women from 'sslums, life on the American frontier was a test of courage.

Looking at Key Terms .Middle Colonies. Southern Colonies. Quakers .Act of Toleration

Looking at Key Words .synagogues: Jewish .cash crops: crops raised places of worship for sale rather than for a .toleration: allowing other farmer's personal use people to practice their own .indigo: a plant that can be beliefs and customs made into a blue dye .debt: money that peopleowe. .spirituals: religious songs .debtors: people who can- developed by enslaved not pay their bills. Mrican Americans

..jIEI~J3 F When a colonist from Maryland visit- Other people were welcome to settle in ed the colony of New York in 1744, he New Netherlands. In 1654, 23 Dutch was surprised at how few people could Jews came to live in New . speak English. "I heard nothing but They were the first Jewish people to Dutch spoken all the way," he com- settle in North America. Other Jews plained. A few years later, Benjamin would come to Rhode Island and other Franklin wrote how English-speaking colonies and build places of worship and German-speaking colonists in called synagogues. Pennsylvania did not communicate well: "Few of the English settlers under- Settlers from In 1638, a stand the German language. The two small group of colonists from Sweden groups do not talk to each other." settled in present-day Delaware and The people who lived in the British southern New Jersey. They called their colonies south of New England were colony New Sweden. The Swedes built very diverse. Their diversity affected the first log cabins in North America. the way they lived. Sometimes, it Many settlers who came after them caused problems. copied these homes. The Swedes were few in number, and their colony was soon taken over by the Dutch. People~ome to the Mi~~le~olonies from MI The Dutch, however, would not stay in power much longer. In 1664, English ~ver Europe. warships easily seized New Amsterdam. ~y did peoplefrom different countries in The invasion was led by the Duke of Europecome to the English colonies? York. After his victory, the duke renamed the colony New York. Fort By 1733, there were 13 English Orange became Albany. Many Dutch colonies in North America. Only four of people stayed on in New York, despite them were in New England. The rest the new rulers. were located south of New England in The Duke of York then gave part of two regions, the Middle Colonies and the land to two nobles who were his the Southern Colonies. friends. The land was a reward for their The Middle Colonies were New York, loyalty and support. This land became Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New today's state of New Jersey. Jersey. The Middle Colonies had a milder climate than the New England William Penn In 1681 and 1682, Colonies. The soil was also more fertile. William Penn received grants of land from the English king. These lands now The Dutch in New Netherlands make up the states of Pennsylvania and In 1623, three years after the Pilgrims Delaware. Penn came from a wealthy arrived, Dutch traders built a fort along family. As a young man, he joined a reli- the . They called it Fort gious group in England called the Orange. The next year, the Dutch set- Quakers (KWAYK-uhrz). The Quakers tled New Amsterdam at the southern believed in living simply and at peace tip of Manhattan Island. The Dutch with all peoples. bought the island from the local Native Penn set up the colony of Pennsylvania Americans for a few dollars in trinkets. in 1681. Pennsylvania means "Penn's The Dutch called their colony New Woods" in Latin. He paid the Delaware, a Netherlands after their homeland. Native American nation, for their land

~~apler1 ~~ and treated them fairly. Penn made a than any other colony. These people and peace treaty with the Delaware that he their descendants would lead the move- kept for his lifetime. He enjoyed visiting ment against slavery in the 1800s. them and joined in their sports. They said that Penn ran and jumped like a warnor. Penn believed in toleration (tahl-uh- ray-shuhn). He allowed people to prac- tice different religions in Pennsylvania. Many new settlers came to Pennsylvania from Germany and Switzerland. They became successful farmers and built their own thriving villages. In 1688, a German Quaker group issued the first protest against slavery in North ~ther ~ettlers ~orne to the ~outhern America: "Negroes are brought here against their will. Don't these poor people ~olonies. have as much right to fight for their free- '\iVhatcolonies developed in the South? dom as you have to keep them as slaves?" The protest did no good. Still, Mricans The four Southern Colonies were in Pennsylvania managed gradually to Maryland, Virginia, Carolina, and win more rights than Mricans in other Georgia. They were settled mostly by colonies. By the middle of the 1700s, people from England. You read about Pennsylvania had more free Africans the founding of Virginia in Chapter 6.

William Penn signs a treaty with the Delaware in 1681. Penn paid for the land he used to start the colony of Pennsylvania. Throughout his life, he treated Native Americans fairly. After his death, things changed.

~~ bhapter1 1634 1664 Maryland is The English take over settled under the New Netherlands leadership of 1649 from the Dutch, _ord Baltimore. Maryland renaming it New York. passes Act of Toleration. 1733 1638 James Oglethorpe founds Georgia. 1624 Swedish settlers 1660! Dutch traders Virginia law arrive in buy Manhattan says African Illsland from present-day slaves are Delaware 1681 Native slaves for life. Americans. and New William Penn founds the Jersey. colony of Pennsylvania.

READINGA TIMELINE Whichevents on the timelinehappened in the 10 17thcentury? Which events show the Englishempire growing bigger? D

Maryland was founded by Lord Georgia, the last of the 13 colonies, Baltimore, a friend of the English king. was founded in 1733. Its founder was Lord Baltimore was Catholic in a coun- James Oglethorpe, a respected soldier. try that persecuted many Catholics. He Oglethorpe wanted to help people in wanted to set up a colony where England who had been jailed for debt Catholics could practice their religion (DEHT). Debt is money that people owe. freely. In 1649, Maryland passed an Act England had many debtors (DEHT- of Toleration. It provided religious uhrz). Debtors are people who cannot freedom for all Christians. pay their bills. In those days, debtors were thrown in jail until their families Carolina and Georgia Eight rich paid the debts. friends of King Charles II founded the Oglethorpe opened his colony of colony of Carolina in 1663. The land was Georgia to debtors and other poor people good for growing tobacco, rice, and cot- in England. He wanted to make Georgia ton. The settlers built large plantations. a colony where everyone was equal. He In 1712, Carolina split into two new did not allow slavery in Georgia. He also colonies, North and South Carolina. did not allow the sale of rum. North Carolina had a more varied econ- Some of the white settlers didn't like omy. It also had a larger number of Oglethorpe's rules. They wanted to have small farms. South Carolina had mainly slavery and big farms. In 1752, large tobacco plantations. There, slav- Oglethorpe turned the colony over to ery and huge rice farms became a way the king. Later, slavery and large farms of life. were allowed in Georgia.

~ Reading a Chart. Royal colonies were ruled directly by a king's officer. In a pro- prietary colony, the king gave land to a wealthy person, who paid the king and ran the colonies. Were the three earliest colonies royal or proprietary?

Growing slavery By the middle of the 1600s, there were many large plantations in the Southern Colonies. How were the sections of English colonies The planters more and more turned different from one alWther? to Africans to meet their needs for labor. These Africans were not free Over the years, the New England, workers but enslaved people. Less than Middle, and Southern colonies devel- a century after the first Africans came oped in different ways. The differences as free people to Virginia, most African were mainly caused by geography. people had lost their rights. By the 1700s, most Africans in the Southern Farming and business Farming in Colonies lived according to the whip of the New England Colonies was not easy. white owners. Winters were long and the growing sea- son was short. The rocky soil was not good for farming. Most farmers could only grow enough to feed their families. 1. Why did slavery grow strong in Because few people could make a liv- the Southern Colonies? ing from farming in New England, many 2. What kind of people first settled turned to other jobs. Shipbuilding in Georgia? became an important business. Some New Englanders became fishers and

~ sailors. The fish that they caught could there were many more Catholics and be dried and sold to other colonies and to small communities of Jews. Most England. New Englanders searched the schools in the Middle Colonies were run seas for a valuable catch-whales. Whale by churches. The Quakers believed blubber, or fat, became oil for lamps. strongly in education. As a result, their Whalebone was made into buttons and schools were very good. So were schools other products. Whalebone stays helped run by other religious groups. undergarments to hold their shape. The official church of the Southern In the Middle Colonies, the soil was Colonies was the Church of England. more fertile, and the growing seasonwas Enslaved African Americans were longer. Most farms were larger than expected to attend the same church as those in New England. Some farms were the slave holders. The Mrican slaves sat large enough to hire farm laborers. The in the back and listened as white minis- largest farms were worked by enslaved ters defended slavery. Later, African Mricans. Most farms, however, were too Americans had their own ministers and small to use enslavedMricans. started their own churches. They devel- In the Middle Colonies, farmers grew oped their own religious songs, called large crops of wheat, corn, and rye. spirituals. Spirituals told about their Farms produced extra food, or cash love of God and their hopes for freedom. crops, that could be sold to other Education developed slowly in the colonies. Trade was also important in South. Even the children of plantation the Middle Colonies. Over time, manu- owners often did not go to school. facturing also became important. Plantation children had tutors or were The largest farms were in the Southern Colonies.Tobacco, rice, and indigo (IHN- Reading a Map. Name the 13 British colonies. dih-goh) were the main crops. Indigo is a What land fonn was the border on the west? Why plant that can be made into a blue dye. did it keepthe coloniesfrom growing larger? Slavery became very important to farm- ing in the South.

Religion and education The Puritans in New England had strict religious practices. As New England developed, religion continued to be very important. The Puritans believed strongly in edu- cation. They created North America's first public schools. They also founded Harvard College in 1636 as a school for ministers. It was the first college in the British colonies. Unlike New England, the Middle Colonies were home to people of many faiths and beliefs. People in the Middle Colonies were much more tolerant of different religions than people in New England were. In the Middle Colonies, sent to Europe for school.Enslaved African political freedom. They brought to Americans were not allowed to read or North America a tradition of govern- write. However, some learned anyway. ing themselves. White males who owned land could vote for members Cities In the 1700s, nine out of ten of government. English colonists lived on farms. For many years, the British However, towns were growing. People in left the colonies largely free the towns worked at making goods and to govern themselves. The colonists products needed by the colonists. Other came to think of themselves as free people sold these goods or shipped them from British control. However, in the to England for sale. middle of the 1700s, Britain decided to Out of this trade, some towns grew take tighter control of its American into large cities. The most important cities colonies. This convinced many of the were Boston, in Massachusetts, and colonists that it was time to drive the Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania. Next were British out of North America. New York City and Charleston in South Carolina.

Growing Democracy Whites in D the British colonies had more freedom 1: Why was farming difficult in New than people in most European England? nations. In the colonies, a person from 2. Which section of the colonies had a poor white family could hope to rise a strong tradition of education? to the middle class. Colonists also had