2.
English Expansion
England was a late comer to
the European Expansion
into the Americas
Early expansion attempts
were in Central and South
America with the help of
runaway slaves (Cimarrons)
Initially the English fought
against the Spanish in the
name of Freedom
Eventually they began to
focus on the unsettled North
America
3.
Due to financial issues faced by the English Crown much
of the exploration after 1585 were done by Private
individuals
The group who first attempted this expansion were
known as the West Country Men
Consisted of Francis Drake, Richard Greenville, John
Hawkins, and Walter Raleigh
They were strong English patriots/protestants who had
considerable political influence
This group was focused on profits on expansion over
anything else
The West Country Men
4.
The first English Colony was Roanoke Island in 1585
AD began by Walter Raleigh
From the start the colony was unable to sustain the
population and as a result the colony suffered
Early settlers relied heavily on the Roanoke native
Americans for survival
We do not know what happened to the first Colony
The Second attempt was more successful in 1607 lead
by the Virginia Company of London
English North America
5.
Powhatan
It is important to remember
that while Europeans viewed
all native Americans as the
same that was not the case
Jamestown was founded in
the region controlled by a
powerful chief called
Powhatan
Came to power during the
late 16th Century increasing
his domain from 6 to 30
tribes
He showed his power not
only through his military
abilities but also through his
material goods
Retained control over these
far flung tribes through
tribute and military
requirements
6.
Founded in 1607 AD in what became known as the
Chesapeake Bay in modern-day Virginia
This was a joint stock company led by Richard
Hakluyt
Was focused on doing three things in the new world
Make money for the stock holders
Deal with the over crowding of England
Bring Christianity to the Natives
The English were focused on using a mixture of
English and Native American labor
Jamestown
7.
8.
Native American
Culture
Most Native peoples had
more freedom than their
English counterparts
There were huge differences
between the Europeans and
the Native cultures
Government systems
Natives did not focus on
housing
Men and women gender
roles were “Reversed”
Native peoples always put a
large amount of importance
on leisure time
9.
English Culture
Strong and stringent hierarchy
from the king down to the poor
Work traditionally was minimal
being around 4 to 6 hours away
for much of history
During the end of the 16th century
population had gotten out of
control and jobs were scarce
As a result of the lack of jobs and
the traditional lack of work ethic
the English begin to be seen as
lazy
This becomes very obvious when
the English settled Jamestown
10.
Conflict with Powhatan
At the beginning the colonists
were obsessed with Gold and
expected the Natives to help
The initial conflict was over
food and the English resorted
to old tactics with little effect
Powhatan soon developed a
containment based policy
when dealing with Jamestown
The war remained in
stalemate form until 1613
when the famous Pocahontas
was captured
She eventually converted to
Christianity, married John
Rolfe, and changed her name
to Rebecca
This led to Powhatan
reluctantly signing a peace
with the English
