Classifying the Colonies
Rohan Panaparambil
JAMESTOWN
1. First permanent British North American colony - marked the beginning of successful attempts at colonizing North America by the British.
2. Founded in 1607 - this year can be considered the inception of the United States.
3. Swampy location and teemed with mosquitoes - this affected the population and development of the colony.
4. Low life expectancy, only stayed populated because of large immigration - shows that the British were really committed to keeping this colony alive.
5. Settlers were too focused on gold that they didn't do anything else that was productive - this affected the quality of life and the economy of the colony.
6. John Smith tried to organize them, but when he left to England, the colony endured the Starving Times - he is considered the first savior of Jamestown, and it shows how Jamestown lacked proper leadership.
6. John Rolfe eventually saved Jamestown by discovering tobacco, which ultimately led to the plantation system - the plantation system had future implications in labor, which can be as far-reaching as the Civil War.
7. Settlers under the Virginia Charter were granted the same rights as British citizens - this idea was important during the revolutionary unrest in the colonies.
8. House of Burgesses - was the first form of government in the colonies.
9. Eventually the charter was revoked and Virginia became a royal colony - this showed how the colonists were infuriated when their rights were taken away.
10. The headright system promoted indentured servitude and brought over many low class Englishmen - this had a dramatic effect on the demographic makeup of the Jamestown colony.
MASSACHUSETTS BAY
1. Formed by Puritans who wanted religious freedom and chartered by the Massachusetts Bay Company - the beliefs of the Puritan faith affected the development of the colony.
2. Higher life expectancy than Jamestown - this was due to a more favorable climate, and ultimately results in Mass. Bay becoming bigger than Jamestown.
3. Immigration consisted of entire families - since colonists here were looking to avoid religious persecution, they moved as a family.
4. Towns were built around a common area, and had grazing land around - this organization is very unique to New England, and is still very commonly found today.
5. John Winthrop was the first governor, and said that they were a city upon a hill - he challenged the colonists to act with good morals and as an example for others.
6. Public education - Puritan schools began as a way of ensuring that children could read biblical verses, but the public education system is a very large program today.
7. Engaged in fur trading and shipbuilding - since these are their primary economic resources, they didn't need plantations or slavery.
8. Banished Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, who went and settled in Rhode Island - the religious conflicts that Mass. Bay was involed in affected the growth of other colonies.
9. Later was merged with Plymouth to become the Province of Massachusetts Bay - due to the immigration of families and the favorable conditions, this colony became very large, and began to conglomerate with other surrounding colonies.
10. Freemen could vote, but they had to associate with the Puritan church - there was religious bias involved in the government which caused dissenters to create the idea of separation of church and state, a fundamental principle of our modern government.
PENNSYLVANIA
1. Founded by William Penn - his Quaker beilefs influenced the development of the colony.
2. Created as a haven for Quakers - their beliefs were quite unusual compared to other Christians, and they wanted to avoid persecution, which made its way into the US Bill of Rights.
3. Maintained good relations with Indians - this was due to the pacifist nature of Quakers, and also affected the growth of the colony.
4. Did not have slavery - another characteristic affected by Quaker beliefs, which plays a big role in US History up to the Civil War.
5. The Charter of Privileges gave rights to all monotheists - Pennsylvania was known to have toleration of religion to a great extent.
6. Proprietary colony - the power was concentrated into a few individuals.
7. Government consisted of a governor, proprietor, and bicameral legislature - the bicameral legislature is the basis for the modern Congress, and was the first of its kind in the colonies.
8. Produced corn, wheat, and livestock - known as a breadbasket colony, which didn't necessitate indentured servitude or slavery.
9. Exported large amounts of iron ore - this was a significant export as it allowed them to make certain goods and sell it back to England, along with the raw ore, which has implications in the later Industrial Revolution that originates from England.
10. Landscape is characterized by large farms, not plantations - the religious and economic factors favored this type of land ownership.
MARYLAND
1. Founded by Lord Baltimore - as a wealthy individual, he will run the colony differently from other colonies.
2. Proprietary colony - similar to Pennsylvania, the power is concentrated into very few.
3. Tobacco was the main crop - since Maryland developed very similarly to Virginia, they shared this crop in common.
4. Used feudal system - this system was used in the Middle Ages in Europe, and it was implemented in Maryland to help manage the crops.
5. Was a haven for Catholics who were alienated by the Anglican church - after the Protestant Reformation, most Englishmen converted to Anglicanism, but not all did, and the Catholic minority in England sought religious freedom.
6. Signed the Toleration Act - this was the first act of religious toleration in the colonies, even though it only extended this privilege to all Christians. It was signed to protect Catholics and other faiths who were opposed by Anglicans.
7. Lord Baltimore had full control of the colony and had the colonists pledge allegiance to him rather than the King of England - this shows a particular example of how the gentry status of Lord Baltimore affected his management of the colonies. Also, this planted the seeds of revolution in the Marylanders.
8. They used the plantation system - which has significant impact on the land, the labor, and the future of the colony, especially during the Civil War.
9. In 1689, the Puritans, who were now a majority, rebelled against the proprietary government in the Protestant Revolution of 1689 - this ended Maryland's small attempts towards religious tolerance and caused the Baltimores to lose control of their colony.
10. Also had indentured servitude and slavery, similar to Virginia - these labor systems play a huge role in the Civil War and in the ecosystem of the plantation.
GEORGIA
1. Founded by Oglethorpe - as a reformer, he brought some liberal ideas to the colony of Georgia.
2. It was the last of the original thirteen colonies - this illustrates the progression of British colonization in North America, and how the colonies were designed to serve the Mother country.
3. Was intended to be a buffer colony between the British colonies and Spanish Florida - the Spanish were always a threat to the British colonies due to their largely superpower status at the time.
4. Britain compensated Georgia for their defense related expenditures - this shows that England had some motivation for helping Georgia, which will be explained later.
5. Avoided slavery - this is one of Oglethorpe's methods for the ultimate plan of Georgia.
6. Haven for debtors - Oglethorpe wanted to create a society for debtors that were in prison in England. England considered Georgia as an opportunity to purge impurities from their society, which is the reason for the friendly relations.
7. Savannah became a very cosmopolitan society - though Oglethorpe supposedly wanted debtors, he was actually looking for the "worthy poor," a lower class made up of relatively skilled workers. Together they flourished in the Georgian society.
8. Tolerant to all religions except Catholicism - as a buffer state, Georgia did not permit Catholics due to the border with Spanish Florida, which was Catholic.
9. Oglethorpe imposed very strict laws such as the prohibition of alcohol - he wanted to create a sophisticated society composed of the "worthy poor," so he created restrictions to help the society move along as he desired.
10. Mainly consisted of smallholdings rather than plantations - Oglethorpe wanted to have an army of proud farmers along the border of the British colonies and Spanish Florida, rather than large plantations, as he felt that the former would be more effective at defending the border from attacks.