Early 17th Century Colonial America: 1600-1633 Flashcards
WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS JAMESTOWN?
BRINKLEY 38
Founded by the London Company (later the Virginia Company) in 1607. It was the first successful English colony in North America. It wasn’t that successful though.
Who was JOHN SMITH?
Brinkley 38
He was the president of the Jamestown council and a famous adventurer. He raided the Powhatan Indians for food.
The Virginia Company was…
Bruce Brink-Lee 38, 39, 40
‘Twas the company that paid for all of those Englanders to colonize the Chesapeake. They also brought over 100 Englishwomen in 1619 and sold them to colonists for 120 bushels of tobacco apiece. The company was financed by both people back in England (called “adventurers”) and people who paid to voyage to the New World and seek their fortunes.
Tobacco
Brinkley, 39-40
Or, I should say, Cancer Leaves. Tobacco was the staple CASH CROP of the early English colonies in the Chesapeake and below. Before tobacco, the Virginia Colony was not profitable. After tobacco was introduced, the colony moved toward profitability. John Rolfe introduced it in 1612.
Fun fact, John Rolfe married Pocahontas. NOT JOHN SMITH as Disney would have you believe.
GIT YO Headright (system)
40
Headrights were 50 acre grants of land which could be acquired by new colonists. This attracted many new colonists to JAMESTOWN and greaty increased productivity.
Why was the Headright system introduced to the Virginia Colony?
The House of Burgesses
40
First elected legislature and representitive assembly of British North America. First convened in 1619 in Jamestown. Any landowner could run for office and vote.
Why did the Virginia Company create the House of Burgesses?
Servitude within False Teeth (That’s what indentured means, right?)
40
Indentured servitude was the practice of selling your labor for a paid trip to the New World . The cost was seven years of work (labor). It was popular in the colonies until 1670 when the English were like: “hmm, maybe if we just enslave a bunch of Africans and bring them to America, we could get more work done for less money”.
What was the event that led the colonists to the conlcusion above? Afterall, slavery was introduced to the Virginia colony in 1619.
Powhatan Indians
41
They were the Indians that John Smith was stealing from. No wonder they attacked Jamestown in 1622 and killed 347 white colonists…
But they lost and died, because they didn’t have GUNS.
Royal Colonoscapy, um, I mean Colony
47
Royal Colony = Colony under the King’s jurisdiction.
Like Connecticuit.
What were the other Royal Colonies and when did they become Royal? Why did they become Royal if they did not start out that way?
Proprietary Colony
42
A colony founded based on a royal land grant, to be ruled by an aristocrat. Example, the second Lord Baltimore (not to be confused with Lord Sauron) received a the land of present-day Maryland as a fief in 1632.
Charter Colony
38
Not to be confused with a Charter School, like River Middle School (ugh, River). This type of colony was one which was financed by a company (e.g. the Virginia Company or the Massachussetts Bay company). Virginia, and Massachussetts were charter colonies.
Massachussetts Bay Colony
45
A bunch of Puritans in Holland were like “James I, please let us go to the New World so we can practice Puritanism.” And he was like, “Whatever, as long as you stop annoying me and don’t cause a ruckus.” This happened in 1629.
The founders of Massachusetts Bay were not separatists. You are confusing them with the founders of the Plymouth Colony. Please fix this.
Plymouth Plantation
45
Led by William Bradford, the colony was founded at the end of 1620. It was was really poor. And it sucked. Half of them died after the first winter. It took them 20 years to pay off their debts because their financiers cheated them. Land was equally distributed amongst families though, which is kinda cool.
Incomplete. Come on, how can you leave out the original Thanksgiving!
William Bradford
45
Long lost relative of the wimpy Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. No, not really. I bet you fell for it though! Anyways he was elected governor in Plymouth. In 1621 he got the English Parliament to allow Puritan settlement, which resulted in a bunch of Puritans coming over to colonize. He paid off the colony’s debts and distributed land equally to all colonists.
John Winthrop
46
What do you know? Another English guy named John! Anyways he was the governor of Massachussetts starting in 1630. He was really pious. He ruled the colony as a theocracy. Goody Proctor claims she saw him with the Devil. Was he really? The world may never know…
I don’t see this part about Goody Proctor on page 46, can you please cite your source.
