2. American Colonies 6 - Virginia In 1606 three ships from England bound for Virginia and looking for safety from the Spanish, established a settlement in Jamestown, located sixty miles north up the James river from Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, the colonists experienced death, hunger, disease and poisoning. They were unable to survive in the cold winters, cultivate enough corn to sustain them and lacked the skills required to hunt and fish. For one year, Captain John Smith ordered the colony to work in the fields each day, but the colonists would rather search for gold which they learned when reaching home in England, was a worthless effort. The remaining colonists, who did not return to England, expected the Indians to provide for them, and when a small group forced themselves on the Indians, the natives killed them. Subsequently, the English decided to capture Powhatan, however Captain John Smith was captured instead. Pocahontas, the chief’s daughter, assisted in the release of the Captain. To keep a major war from ensuing, Powhatan used the tribe near Jamestown to harass the colonists, however the English attacked the village and cruelly killed the natives, as an example in hopes to gain more corn from other Indians. Later Pocahontas was captured, converted, and married. Eventually, Powhatan made peace with the English and Pocahontas moved to England where she died of disease at the age of 21.
3. American Colonies 6 - Virginia In the early 1600s, colonists emigrated to Virginia, if they could pay their passage, and were allowed to own and work their own property. With the help of John Rolfe, the colonists learned how to grow tobacco which thrived in the hot humid environment. Tobacco was sold to England for five to ten times the cost to produce. Therefore, the planter could make more in one year there than ten in England. Cultivation and population grew, causing a need for more land which belonged to the natives. There was no peace between the two peoples, and several attacks broke out, initiated by both sides. The Indian existence declined and more fields were expanded for tobacco crops. The English authorities decided to secure the revenue from the tobacco trade by levying a 25% customs revenue tax. In 1632 a second colony was established in Maryland and two types of colonial government, royal and proprietary, were developed. A new colony owner, Lord Baltimore wanted to provide refuge in the American colony to the Catholics in England. However, more radical Protestants, called Puritans and Quakers settled in Virginia. The expansion of Virginia and Maryland, as well as the agricultural staple, improved England’s balance of trade.
4. American Colonies 11 - Carolina In 1670 the Carolina coast natives, the Cusabo Indians had to endure raids from the Westo tribe. The Cusabo welcomed the English and defended the new colony when Charles Town was attacked. However, they were eventually destroyed by the Westo due to the alliance that was made between them and the English traders. The Westo was involved in slave-raiding, and later they were converted from to slaves and then destroyed by a group of Shawnee who were paid with guns and alcohol. Slave raiding spread to the interior. English Carolina prevailed as the leading regional power due to the gun and slave trade. The Tuscarora attacked colonial plantations, then their village was burned by traders who used Indian raiders. Then the Yamasee could not pay their debt of gun purchases to the traders, so the traders enslaved their people, the Yamasee rebelled and united other native tribes. The Iroquois and the Cherokee assisted in saving the Carolina colony. The Carolina Indians’ population decreased due to disease, alcohol and slave raiding which reduced the slave trade but opened the land up for settlement, unfortunately by runaway slaves or fugitives.
5. American Colonies 11 - Carolina In the late 1720’s a new colony was founded southwest of the Savannah River, named Georgia, in honor of King George II. A group of London social reformers called the Georgia Trustees and led by James Oglethorpe decided that this would be a good place to send the English poor so the economic situation would improve. The new colonists would own and work their farms and defend the colonial empire on this new frontier. 90% of the funding came from Parliament, making Georgia the first colony financed by British taxpayers. The labor and reformation idea was threatened by slavery, and the whites wanted to use slaves so they would not have to work hard. Georgia was the first and only British colony to reject the slave system. Smaller plantations of compact crops were instituted so slaves were not needed, however this idea from the Georgia Trustees was eventually disbanded and the plantation society was instituted which increased the growth of Georgia from South Carolina emigrants and their slaves.
