02. The Chesapeake Colonies

02. The Chesapeake Colonies • Purpose: To gain an understanding of the English colonies in the Chesapeake region (Virginia and Maryland), specifically: • Founding and problems of survival • Relations with Native Americans • Economic, political and social development • Timeframe: The 17th century, especially: 1607-1690 The Chesapeake Colonies

1.1 A New Colonial Venture: Jamestown • In 1603, King James I ascended the throne of England, the first Stuart monarch. • In 1606, James I granted overlapping land grants in Virginia to two joint-stock companies, the Virginia company of London and the Virginia company of Plymouth. • The Virginia company of London in 1607 established a colony called Jamestown in modern-day Virginia. • The goal was to make economic profit for the company and the colonists. • Bad hygienic conditions, especially with the water supply, led to various illnesses The Chesapeake Colonies

1.2 Jamestown: John Smith in Charge • John Smith took over the colony‘s leadership in 1608, imposing military discipline and improving conditions. • In a second „starving time“, 400 of 500 settlers died. • After 1610, new settlers arrived and military rule was reinstated. • John Smith also left the most comprehensive account of early Jamestown experience. • John Smith’s diplomacy and displays of military power played an important role in this early phase of cooperation with the local Indians, the Algonquins. John Smith (1580-1631) The Chesapeake Colonies

1.3 The Powhatan Confederacy and Pocahontas • Powhatan, a powerful Algonquin leader sought to unite local Indians in a powerful confederacy when the English arrived. • As English settlements expanded, the Powhatan confederacy crumbled after three Anglo-Powhatan Wars (between 1610 and 1646). The survivors submitted to English rule. • Pocahontas was Powhatan’s daughter. • During the first Anglo-Powhatan war the settlers kidnapped her • She married the settler John Rolfe and converted to Christianity. • She became the basis of a myth that celebrated harmony between English settlers and Native Americans. The Chesapeake Colonies

2.1 Bacon’s Rebellion • In 1676, due to economic crisis and violent incidents, poorer settlers wished to displace or exterminate Indians in Virginia to gain access to cheap land. • Nathaniel Bacon, a recent wealthy immigrant, became their leader. • When Governor William Berkeley ordered Bacon to stop, he and his men burned down Jamestown, and looted the plantations of Berkeley’s allies. • Native Americans ceased to be a power in Virginia. Nathaniel Bacon (1646-1676), 18th century painting The Chesapeake Colonies

2.2 Virginia’s Economy: Tobacco • John Rolfe pioneered the cultivation of tobacco. By 1619, Virginia exported large quantities of tobacco to England. • Tobacco smoking became fashionable in Europe. • The crop shaped Virginia‘s way of life. • Tobacco depleted the soil rapidly and made rapid expansion necessary. • Tobacco cultivation was labor intensive, creating a high demand for laborers. The Headright system was developed. • After the mid-1660s, tobacco prices fell and remained low for 50 years. The Chesapeake Colonies

2.3 The Headright System • The Virginia Company adopted the Headright System in 1617. • Every settler who paid for his own passage received a 50 acres land grant. • For financing the passage of others, an investor also received 50 acres per settler. • Tobacco cultivation and the Headright System also led to a dispersed settlement pattern with few towns. • The system encouraged the transfer of landless laborers who became indentured servants. Settlement Pattern in Virginia,1620-1660 The Chesapeake Colonies

2.4 Indentured Servants • Indentured servants were single young men and women for whom an investor paid the cost of passage to America. In return, they agreed to work for a fixed term, usually seven years. • Their contracts could be bought and sold. • Servants who finished their term received some land, clothing, and tools – the so called “freedom dues.” • After 1660, indentured servants were increasingly replaced by African slaves. However, the practice endured for much of the 18th century. Indenture The Chesapeake Colonies

2.5 Virginia’s Politics: Representative Government • The Virginia House of Burgesses, established in 1619, was the first institution of representative government in America • All landholding men could vote • In 1624 king James I revoked the Virginia Company’s Charter and turned Virginia into a royal colony, but the colony cold hold the assembly • The Virginia House of Burgesses (the colonial Assembly) held the power of taxation • In the 1650s, the Assembly split into two chambers: the elected House and the appointed Governor’s Council. • This early separation of powers became the model of government for colonial America – and beyond. Virginia State Capitol, 18th centuryIn 1699, Virgina’s capital moved to Williamsburg. The Chesapeake Colonies

2.6 Social life and religion in Virginia • After 1660 new groups of immigrants, mostly English merchants gained power. Their children became a native-born elite * First most settlers were single men; before 1650 only one third of them could marry. Women re-married soon after widowhood. Family relations were complex. • By 1720, the majority of Virginians were native-born. • The established religion in Virginia was the Church of England. • While there never was a bishop of Virginia, the church was organized into vestries and parishes. • Religion played a much smaller role in Virginia than in New England. William Byrd (1674-1744)Virginian politician, writer, and intellectual The Chesapeake Colonies

3.1 Maryland After the dissolution of the Virginia company, King Charles I used parts of the charter’s territory to reward his political allies. • The first such grant went to Cecilius Calvert (Lord Baltimore), a Catholic. • He intended to create a haven for English Catholics, who lacked religious freedom and political privilege in England. • But he did not formally make Catholicism the established religion. • In 1634, the first settlers landed in the new colony, called Maryland, but Protestants formed the majority of settlers. • Maryland became like Virginia, a land of tobacco-growing plantations. Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore The Chesapeake Colonies

3.2 Religious Conflict in Maryland • Parallel to the Civil War in England in early 1640s, conflicts between Catholics and Protestants arose. • To protect the Catholic minority, the Assembly passed the Act for Religious Toleration in 1649, the first such law in America. • The Protestant majority repealed the act and ousted the Protestant but pro-toleration governor, who raised an army. He was defeated. • Resistance to Catholic influence remained high in Maryland. Act for Religious Toleration, 1649 The Chesapeake Colonies

Conclusion • Virginia, the earliest successful English colonial venture in America, was founded as a commercial enterprise. • Early on, the colony experienced a horrific death toll and nearly failed. • The influx of more immigrants saved the colony, and the cultivation of tobacco made it economically viable. • After an initial phase of cooperation, conflict with local Native Americans eventually led to the Indians’ defeat and displacement. • Maryland was founded with an idealistic purpose, but soon became a tobacco-growing plantation colony like Virginia. • Conflicts between Catholics and Protestants influenced colonial life in Maryland in the 17th century. The Chesapeake Colonies

House of Burgesses Colonial assembly of Virginia, established 1619 by the Virginia company of London. The first institution of representative government in English North America. All male landholders could vote. The House of Burgesses survived the transformation of Virginia into a royal colony. In the 1650s it became a bicameral institution with an elected House and an appointed Council. The House of Burgesses was an important model for representative government for colonial America and beyond. Sample Keyword The Chesapeake Colonies

02. The Chesapeake Colonies