Period Two: 1607-1754

colonies established in the new world by the spanish, dutch, french, and british

how different european colonies developed and expanded

• types of organization

• corporate colonies: owned by joint-stock companies (eg. jamestown)

• royal colonies: under the authority of the king (eg. virginia)

• proprietary colonies: under the authority of individuals that were granted charters by the king (eg. maryland, pennsylvania)

• jamestown

• started by the virginia company

• given a charter by james ii in 1607

• saved by the leadership of captain john smith

• tobacco growth aided by john rolfe and pocahontas revived economy

• became the royal colony of virginia

• shitty ass land

• plymouth

• started for religious separatists

• pilgrims arrived on the mayflower

• received help from indigenous peoples

• notable figures: captain miles standish, governor william bradford

• massachusetts bay

• formed by puritans who received a charter from the mass. bay company

• puritans were persecuted by king charles i so they fled to the mbcs in 1630 with john winthrop in the great migration

• mercantilism

• ultimate goal: making money for mother country

• lots of smuggling

• british indifference as long as they continue to make $

• important documents/organizations

• house of burgesses

• elected legislative body of virginia → first form of representative government in the united states

• bicameral

• mayflower compact

• first governing document of plymouth colony

• act of toleration

• act of parliament giving freedom to nonconformists → freedom [for protestants] to worship publicly

• new england confederation

• union for mutual safety: mass bay, plymouth, connecticut, new haven

• met to write constitution in boston

• the dominion of new england

• administrative union of new england + mid-atlantic colonies

• the navigation acts

• ensure that colonies provide resources to mother england

• prevents trade with dutch, spanish

• dominion of new england governed by edmund andros

transatlantic trade

• columbian exchange → established atlantic slave trade

• created due to perceived racial superiority, lack of indentured servants, indigenous peoples were more difficult to enslave, european need for goods

• impacts: more land needed (conflicts with indigenous peoples), resistance of enslaved peoples (eg. revolts, running away, wasting time)

interactions between native americans and europeans

• bacon's rebellion

• uprising of western farmers v. virginia → colonial (british) gvmt did nothing to protect settlers against indigenous attacks

• one of the first instances of colonial resistance towards britain

• king philip's war

• ie. metacom's war

• occurred bc the english threatened indigenous sovereignty as a result of british encroachment on their lands → created a dependency on britain for resources

slavery in the british colonies: see transatlantic trade section

colonial society and culture

• enlightenment (aka "age of reason")

• intellectual movement encouraging reason + science > blind faith

• benjamin franklin: printer, publisher, scientist; embodied enlightenment ideals in british atlantic

• founding of georgia

• rationalism, empiricism, progressivism, cosmopolitanism

• the great awakening

• religious revival movement

• renewed dedication to christianity after traveling preachers spread news of salvation from sin

• george whitefield → traveled country, preached to anyone (including indigenous people, enslaved people)

• the zenger case

• establishment of freedom of the press

• early colonial resistance

• self government - lack of parliamentary representation - enlightenment - dif. views of liberty - religious independence/diversity - perceived corruption in british gvmt