Reasons for English migration:

• Religious
• Economic
• Social
• Personal

British political developments (1603-1702)

• James I (1603-1625)—Stuart
• Charles I (1625-1649)—Stuart
• Tensions with Parliament
• English Civil War (1642-1646)
• Interregnum (1649-1660)
• Execution of Charles I (1649)
• Oliver Cromwell—Lord Protector (1649-1658)

Oliver Cromwell was the Puritan leader of the English Civil War. He ruled England as "Lord Protector" until 1658.

• Restoration (1660-1688)
• Charles II (1660-1685)—Stuart
• James II (1685-1688)—Stuart

Charles II was the son of Charles I; he accepted the throne he had always claimed in 1660.

• Glorious Revolution (1688)
• Exile of James II
• William and Mary (1689-1702)

2. Virginia (see Martin, pp. 24-26, 34-37)

Chesapeake region: Virginia and Maryland

Joint-stock companies

• Many investors
• Limited liability

Virginia Charter (1606)

• Issued by James I to the Virginia Company
• Vague boundaries established
• Set sail for America in December 1606

The Virginia Company seal

Jamestown (1607)

• Location: low-lying ground, disease, thick woods, Indians; ideal location for fortress
• Colonists unprepared for settlement

Jamestown was settled about 30 miles inland along the James River.

A depiction of the three ships that carried settlers to Jamestown: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery

Captain John Smith

• Seized control in Jamestown
• Rescued by Pocahontas
• Saved colony

Captain John Smith was responsible for seeing Jamestown through its difficult early days.

Reforms of 1609

• Company in charge
• Governor appointed (Lord De La Warr)
• Stock opened to public
• Publicity campaign

"Starving Time" (1609-1610)

• Harsh winter
• Cannibalism?
• Arrival of Lord De La Warr
• Martial law declared
• No profits by 1616

Long-term solution: tobacco

• John Rolfe cultivates mild variety of tobacco
• Cash crop

Reforms of 1619—Sir Edwin Sandys

• Relaxation of martial law
• House of Burgesses
• Headright system
• Diversification of economy
• Lottery
• New settlers

Settlement, 1619-1622

• More than 3,500 new settlers sent
• Most young, single males; indentured servants
• Sex ratio: 6/1 (male/female)
• Population figures:
• 1618: 700
• 1622: 1,240

An English advertisement for indentured servants.

Responsibility for failure

• Virginia Company officials in England
• Officials in Virginia

Virginia Company declares bankruptcy

• Company dissolved by King James I (1624)
• Virginia becomes a royal colony

3. New England (see Martin, pp. 39-46)

Pilgrims

• Scrooby Manor
• Separatists
• Move to Holland (1608-1609)
• Patent from Virginia Company
• Leave for America on Mayflower (1620)
• Land in New England
• Sign Mayflower Compact (Nov. 1620)
• Plymouth Colony
• Merged with Massachusetts (1691)

The Mayflower carried the original Pilgrim separatists to Plymouth.

Puritans

• Calvinists; doctrine of pre-destination
• Non-separatists ("purify" the church from within)
• John Winthrop
• Massachusetts Bay Company; charter granted 1629
• Arrive in Massachusetts Bay, 1630
• Great Migration, 1630-1642

John Winthrop was elected governor of Massachusetts Bay twelve times.

Puritan Society

• Nuclear families
• Balanced sex ratio
• Relatively high life expectancy

Puritan Religion and Politics

• Covenant with God
• Winthrop: "city on a hill"
• Congregational churches
• Full membership in churches
• Voting rights to full members
• Democratic aspects; election of officials
• "Laws and Liberties" (1648)

Roger Williams: Puritan dissenter

• Preached extreme separatism
• Questioned validity of charter
• Banished by Puritan officials
• Established Providence Plantation (Rhode Island)

After his banishment from Massachusetts Bay, Roger Williams established Providence Plantation (after purchasing the land from Native Americans)

Anne Hutchinson: Puritan dissenter

• Claimed ministers had "lost touch" with holy spirit
• Put on trial in 1637
• Claimed "divine inspiration"
• Convicted of sedition and contempt; banished
• Moved to Rhode Island

Anne Hutchinson on trial. After her conviction for sedition, she moved the Rhode Island and later New York. The illustration is a 19th-century wood engraving by Edwin Austin Abbey.

4. The Black Experience (see Martin, pp. 49-56; Jordan, "Englishmen and Africans"; Falconbridge, "Treatment of the Slaves")

Slave trade

• 11 million Africans transported to Americas (most in Brazil and Caribbean)
• Planters’ preference for males (2/1 ratio)

A depiction of a British slave ship in the 18th century. The drawing shows the "tight packing" of the captives on each deck. According to statute, this ship was allowed to transport 454 slaves; however, it had been known to carry as many as 740 in a single voyage. Thus the crowding on board was much more severe than illustrated here.

Reasons for slavery

• Spanish model; economic motives

Justification of slavery

• Association of blacks with evil
• Possibility of Christian conversion
• Could benefit Africans

Origins of slavery in Virginia

• Status of Africans unclear initially; small population due to high prices for slaves
• End of 17^th century: African population increased greatly
• Slave codes drawn up based on skin color only