Weighted: 6-8% °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 1607-1754
Unit 2 of AP US history begins on 1607, the establishment of Jamestown (in Virginia). Jamestown is significant as it's the English's first permanent settlement in America (RIP Roanoke). However, before the timeline shifts entirely to English colonies, it's important to go over how 3 other major dominating countries (French, Spain, and the Dutch) went about American colonization and settlement. As my unit 1 posts went further into Spain and French colonization, this will be brief (hint: go to my unit 1 posts if you need a deeper review!).
Spain:
⋆ 3 G's (God, Gold, & Glory)
⋆ Implemented Encomienda and Caste System
France:
⋆ 1608 Quebec established
⋆ Fur trade
⋆ Married Natives
⋆ Mutualistic relationship, especially with Ojibwe natives for their beaver pelts
Dutch:
⋆ 1624 New Amsterdam established (modern day New York City)
⋆ Primarily interested in economic benefits; focused on commerce and trade
⋆ New Amsterdam became a major trading center for merchants, fishers, traders, ect
⋆ Did not want to be involved with Native Americans
England:
⋆ Due to things such as the Enclosure Movement and post-war debt from France, England seeked better economic opportunities and land
⋆ Some seeked religious freedom
⋆ Instead of conquering Natives, they wanted to remove them and live separately
Now back to focusing on the English, as priorly mentioned, they were not doing well economically. Therefore, Jamestown was funded by a Joint-Stock Company. A joint-stock company is a company made up of a group of shareholders. Each shareholder contributes some money to the company and receives some share of the company's profits and debts. If a company, in this instance the Virginia Charter, did bad no singular person would be impacted heavily. On the contrary, if a company did well, all shareholders would split the profits and gain economically. Although, the early years of Jamestown were not good. It was marked by disease, starvation, poor leadership, and conflict with nearby Native Americans. This period tested the strength of English's second attempt at a permanent settlement. Fortunately, the only thing that got them out of this miserable era was John Rolfe's discovery and cultivation of the innovative Tobacco plant, which ended up yielding high profits. With the success of Jamestown, other settlements began to arrive. Notably, in 1620 Plymouth (in Massachusetts) was established.
Plymouth, unlike Jamestown, was an area located further north in New England settled by a group of Pilgrims who wanted to break away from the Protestant Church of England. Through their ship, the Mayflower, pacts of families traveled across the Atlantic to escape persecution, settle land, and find better economic opportunities. Just like Jamestown, their first few years faced many similar struggles, but in the end, the colony persevered. Eventually, Plymouth would merge with the larger colony, Massachusetts Bay, led by Puritan Governor John Winthrop. Residents in Massachusetts Bay who found the colony too religiously intolerant/strict ended up settling nearby land to foster still highly religious, but more tolerant colonies in New England like Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The middle colonies, such as previously established New York and New Jersey, continued to prosper due to their thriving export-based economy. While the Dutch had originally discovered New York City, the English would end up owning it. Along the way, Quaker leader William Penn would settle Pennsylvania, a colony known for their tolerance and acceptance of most religions, race, and general peacefulness to nearby Native groups.
The last colony was the British West Indies. This colony differs as it's not usually grouped together with the other original 13 American colonies. That's because this settlement was located further off in the Caribbeans. Due to yearlong adequate weather, this colony was the most dependent on cash crop exports like tobacco and sugar cane. However, due to how labor-intensive —but in demand— sugar cane was, many enslaved African workers were sent to provide free labor there. It's important to understand the differences between black enslaved workers and white servants on the other colonies, which I'll explain more elaborately on my next post. Just remember, these black enslaved workers were considered property and began to mirror modern American slavery seen later on. It's imperative to understand each colony's similarities and differences from each other. So, below is a more in-depth analysis of each area.
New England:
→ Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut
⋆ Geography: Mountainous, rocky soil, large forests, and natural harbors, long cold winters
⋆ Economy: ship building, merchant trade, lumber, fishing
⋆ Population: Mainly families, younger people, limited servants, very religious
Middle:
→ New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware
⋆ Geography: fertile soil, rivers, moderate summers/winters
⋆ Economy: skilled trades, agriculture, *mixed economy*
⋆ Population: families, immigrants (Dutch/German/Scottish), limited servants, Quakers, highly tolerant
South:
→ Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland
⋆ Geography: fertile land, moist soil, longest summers, warm weather
⋆ Economy: agriculture, plantations, cash crops
⋆ Population: Mainly young wealthy men (planter elites), lots of poor servants accompanied by the wealthy, enslaved African workers, economically-driven
West British Indies:
→ The Caribbeans
⋆ Geography: fertile land, moist soil, longest summers, warm weather
⋆ Economy: agriculture, plantations, cash crops
⋆ Population: Enslaved African workers (at one point there were more enslaved African workers than white men), wealthy white men
Additional Terms:
⋆ Cereal crops: Staple crops like wheat, grains, and rye cultivated mainly in middle colonies
⋆ Chesapeake: The grouping of Maryland and Virginia
⋆ Anne Hutchinson: a Puritan leader formerly in Massachusetts who challenged the established religious norms of her time as a woman. She helped found Rhode Island alongside Roger Williams in order to establish less strict religious policies and the separation of church and state
──── ୨୧ ──── thanks for reading!!!
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