I. The Thirteen English Colonies in America

A.      Jamestown, Virginia – the first successful English colony in America (1607)

1.        Jamestown was started as an investmen by a joint-stock company called the Virginia Company.

2.        Why did Jamestown succeed?

a.        Captain John Smith and Pocahontas worked together to provide supplies to Jamestown at a time when the colony was failing.

b.       tobacco made Jamestown profitable

1)       Tobacco became the most profitable crop in America.

2)       John Rolfe – brought tobacco to Virginia from the West Indies (he also

married Pocahontas!)

c.        Jamestown was a democracy – Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

1)       The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first democratic law

making body (congress) in North America.

2)       The laws in Virginia had to be approved by the House of Burgesses.

3)       People like to live in a place where they have some “say” in the law.

4)       REMEMBER … a burgesses is an elected official

 

B.       Massachusetts - the Pilgrims and the Puritans

1.        Massachusetts was created out of two colonies

a.        Plymouth Colony – created by the Pilgrims in 1620

b.       Massachusetts Bay Colony – created by the Puritans in 1630.

 

2.        Why did the Pilgrims and Puritans come to North America?

a.        In 1517, Martin Luther started “The Reformation”; the break-up of the Catholic Church and the formation of Protestant churches.

b.       In 1534, Henry VIII separated England from the Catholic Church

c.        Henry VIII created a new church  – The Church of England

d.       Everyone was required to attend the Church of England, and pay taxes to suport the church -- or they would be jailed.

e.        The Pilgrims and Puritans (and the Quakers and English Catholics) left England

because they didn’t want to attend the Church of England.

3.        Plymouth Colony –

a.        The Pilgrims were called Separatists in England because they wanted to separate

from the Church of England

b.       The Separatists settled in present-day Massachusetts in 1620.

c.        They created a democratic government based on the Mayflower Compact

d.       Some people consider the Mayflower Compact to be the first written

       constitution in America.

4.        Massachusetts Bay Colony (Mass Bay)

a.        The Puritans created the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630.

b.       The Puritans came here to create “the perfect religious community” based on the teachings in the Bible.

1)       The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a theocracy – a government ruled by religious leaders.

2)       People who disagreed with Puritan teachings were jailed, tortured, executed or banished.

3)       Banished means to be thrown out of the colony.

c.        The Mass Bay Colony was the most successful English colony – why?

1)       The Puritans believed that hard work would be rewarded by God when

a person died – hard work leads to heaven.

2)       Puritan Work Ethic – the belief that good things will happen if you work hard; many Americans still believe that if you work hard you are more likely to have a successful life (make lots of  $$$$$!!!!).

 

5.        Rhode Island – and the creation of “Separation of Church and State”

a.        Anne Hutchinson was the wife of one of the political leaders in Mass Bay; she was banished from the colony in the 1630’s.

1)       Anne and her friends believed that they could understand

           the Bible without help from the ministers in Mass Bay.

2)       Since the laws of the Mass Bay colony were based on the Bible, Anne’s ideas were considered a threat to the laws of the colony.

3)       Anne’s family and friends were banished because they had different beliefs about the Bible than the leaders in Mass Bay.

b.       Anne and her family settled in what became Rhode Island

                                   c.    Roger Williams

                                              1)    Rhode Island was led by Roger Williams who was one of Anne’s friends

2)    Rhode Island became the first English colony to separate the church and

                                                     the government; the government can’t tell you want to believe in religious

                                                     matters.

1)       These ideas influenced the Constitution of the United States.

 

The Thirteen Colonies

Review

 

Instructions:  Use class notes, completed homework assignments, and your textbook to complete this review.

 

Vocabulary:  Provide complete definitions for each of the following terms.

 

charter                                                    joint-stock company                            burgesses

dissent                                                   persecute                                               toleration

patroon                                                  proprietary colony                               pacifist

indentured servant                              constitution                                          debtor

tenant farmer                                         mission                                                  subsistence farming

triangular trade                                     cash crop                                               diversity

Tidewater                                              backcountry                                          overseer

 

People:  Explain the importance of each individual in the formation of the English colonies in America.

 

Henry VIII                                             Captain John Smith                              Pocahontas

John Rolfe                                             Elizabeth I                                              Sir Francis Drake

Pilgrims                                                  Puritans                                                 Separatists

William Bradford                                  John Winthrop                                     Roger Williams

Anne Hutchinson                                Thomas Hooker                                    Peter Stuyvesant

Lord Baltimore II                                  James Oglethorpe                                Martin Luther

 

Main Ideas:  Answer each question in a complete sentence.

 

  1. What was the Reformation? How did the Reformation change Europe?
  2. List the 3 regions of the 13 English colonies in America.
  3. Name the first successful English Colony in North America. 
  4. Why was tobacco important to the success of Jamestown?
  5. How does a joint-stock company raise money to create and invest in a business?  How is a joint-stock company similar to a present-day corporation?
  6. What was the Virginia House of Burgesses?  Why do you think this organization helped Jamestown to be successful?
  7. How did Henry VIII change life in England?
  8. Why did the Pilgrims and Puritans come to North America?
  9. What was the name of the colony established by the Pilgrims?  In which present-day state did the Pilgrims settle?
  10. What was the Mayflower Compact?
  11. What was the name of the colony established by the Puritans?  What were the laws of the colony based on?
  12. Why were Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams banished from the Massachusetts Bay colony?
  13. In what way did Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams disagree with the Puritans concerning religion and government?  Did Thomas Hooker agree or disagree with Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams and their ideas concerning government and religion?
  14. What was the “Puritan Work Ethic”?
  15. Explain how each of the following allowed England to be successful in exploring and settling North America:  Elizabeth I, English Navy, Spanish Armada