COLONIES IN AMERICA

COLONY -- GEORGIA -- 
SAVANNAH -- EARLY 1700S

The Colonization followed the discovery of America in 1492. The so called 'New World' raised a lot of interest and curiosity. Settlers from all over Europe arrived there. The reasons were very widespread.

Some were looking for adventure. Some wanted to worship their God without prosecution. Others were hoping to get rich.

The Spaniards were the first settlers trying to colonise North America. They came from the Caribbean and South America. They settled in the 16th century in Florida and southern parts of the United States. The French established settlements in Canada and along the Mississippi River Valley.

The English settlers arrived about 100 years later. They established themselves along the eastern coast. There were also some small groups of Dutch and Swedish immigrants.

In 1607 a company of London merchants sent 100 men. They arrived and established the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia.

They had to cut down forests, grow crops and built their homes. Many settlers died of starvation and diseases. They were also attacked by the Native Americans. It is understandable because the 'white man' took their land.
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The company sent out some more men and supplies. After a while they sent out beautiful, young women to be married. Then the settlement started to flourish. John Rolfe, introduced tobacco to be grown in 1612. The settlers of Jamestown started to make a living selling tobacco to Britain.

Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, a chieftain in the area of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. When Captain Smith was dragged in front of her father; he was condemned to death by clubbing. Pocahontas begged for his life. After that she tried to keep peace between the settlers and the natives. She married the settler, John Rolfe, and they went to England. Pocahontas was represented at court. After a year she was on a voyage going back to Virginia. She contracted smallpox and died at the age of 22.

The other colony was Plymouth. 102 people set out in 1620 on the tiny ship the ‘Mayflower’; it was a gruelling voyage in cramped condition for two months. They were Puritan farmers, craftsmen and their families and called themselves 'pilgrims'. They were looking for a land were they could practise their religion without persecution. Half of them died in the first winter of starvation and cold. The Native Americans showed them how to grow maize and catch fish. They also cultivated crops like peas, beans, squashes (Marrows) and pumpkins which they learned from the Native Americans.

THE MAYFLOWER

The first settlers built their houses of wood because there was plenty, To begin with they thatched their houses and later they put shingles on the roofs. The chimneys were first built of stone and then of bricks. Whatever the colonists needed they either had to bring it over from the mother country or make it themselves.

Therefore, they made furniture, clothing, spun thread, woven cloth, made candles from fat or beeswax, tanned leather to make their own shoes. Life was very hard but they had the freedom and land to grow crops. The land was established by clearance or fighting the Native Americans for possession.

Sons of the wealthy English aristocrats settle in the south where there was fertile farmland and set up colonies. They imported black Africans to work on the land. At first they were meant to work a number of years and then they were free and given a plot of land. The white servants were treated the same.

After a while the Africans were looked at as inferior. From 1660 they were treated as slaves and they had to work - unpaid - as long as they lived. There were dreadful conditions on the ships which brought them over. Many died because of that. Then on arrival they were sold to work on sugar, tobacco, and cotton or rice plantation. This created a new aristocracy. Living easy, leisurely lives in big mansions, with fine furniture and clothes brought over from England.

In the north the land was less fertile. The climate was harsh with long hard winters. Many people were living as farmers. The others were in the fishing and trade industry. Their religion was Quakers, Puritans, and Protestants. They all led a sober hard working live.

Many settlers, especially the French in Canada, made money from furs trading; the furs were very fashionable in Europe for clothing.

By the mid 18th century the colonies were growing prosperous. Immigrants were tempted by the promise of land and hoping to establish a new life for them. Most of them came from the British Isle, Scots and Irish. Other groups came from Germany, The Netherlands and France. They tried to escape poverty, religious or political persecution.

The northern territories were called New England and were mostly like Britain. In the south the colonies were mainly black Africans on huge estates.

Town and cities sprang up but most of the people lived on their land. Stagecoaches operated on well kept dirt roads. A postal service was in operation. Newspapers kept the colonists informed of all the home and overseas affairs. School were started even so the children did their schoolwork still at home. Many children also never received any education.

At that time there were six colleges for men establishment. One was the famous Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts which copied the Emmanuel College in Cambridge, England.

British Law was establishes in all the colonies. Each colony had its own governor. He had great freedom in his actions. The colonies also had the power to pass local laws.

For many people, especially newcomers and settlers on the outskirt of the colonies, the life was tough. It hadn't change from the first settlers. It is assumed that this led to the American Revolution.

MASSACHUSETS HALL -- OLDEST SURVIVNG BUILDING AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY -- BUILT 1718-1720 -- AS A DORMITORY 

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