Early English Interest in the AMericas

England slow to act in the Americas

� Early exploration, some fishing

� English distracted by Reformation

� �Protestants� break with Roman Catholic Church, starting w/Martin Luther in Germany

Reformation in England:� Mid-1500s

� England becomes Protestant when Henry VIII makes himself head of �Church of England� (Anglican Church)

� �Followers of John Calvin think changes not enough

� Known in England as �Puritans�

� Believed:

� Humans born evil since �fall� in Garden of Eden

� Salvation from �grace� alone (not works)

� Bible, not any church, the final authority

� Simple churches, ministers not priests

� Only the �elect� to be full church members

� The �elect� should reform the world

� Tolerated by Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

France also divided, but Stays Catholic

English turn again to the Americas

� Later 1500s

� Copying (& stealing from) Spanish

� Failed colonizing expeditions incl. Walter Raleigh�s at Roanoke (1585-90)

� Failures & expense � Elizabeth losing interest

� Interest revives under her successor, James I

Virginia Colony

� Founded as for-profit investment by �joint stock� company of merchants (Virginia Company)

� Many settlers inspired by Spanish (hoped for quick riches based on Indian labor)

� Other settlers company employees w/few �wilderness� skills

� Jamestown founded 1607

� Just before French found �Quebec� to north

� Early years disastrous

� Survived in short term because of:

� Stricter discipline from John Smith

� Help from Powhatan Confederation tribes

� Survived in long term because of tobacco (which requires lots of work)

Immigration to Virginia encouraged by:

� Inflation + population explosion in England

� Headright system (50 acres/paid passage)

� Indentured servitude (working off debt from voyage)

� Most servants young, male farmers

� Tough: but in early days, chances OK if survived

� Most immigrants were indentured in 1600s

� English gov�t didn�t restrict immigration (unlike Spain)

� Creation of Partly-Representative Government

� 1619:� House of Burgesses established as part of legislature, to be elected by adult white male property-owners; 1^st European estabvlished representative legislature in America

� Survived VA�s conversion to royal gov�t in 1625

� Church of England then �established�

Maryland

� 1632:� English King Charles I gives northern Chesapeake to �proprietor� Lord Baltimore, who founds Colony as refuge for Catholics

� Many Protestants also immigrate (straining colony�s official policy of toleration)�

� Like VA, soon a tobacco colony w/representative assembly its inhabitants see as their right