British Colonies in America

Project Topics

• soil/climate/geography
• economy
• government
• religion
• labor force
• relationships with Native Americans

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Lesson 2-1: The Southern Colonies

The Big Idea

Despite a difficult beginning, �the southern colonies soon flourished.

Main Ideas

• The settlement in Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America.
• Daily life in Virginia was challenging to the colonists.
• Religious freedom and economic opportunities were motives for founding other southern colonies, including Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia.
• Farming and slavery were important to the economies of the southern colonies.

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The Southern Colonies

• Maryland
• Virginia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia

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Lesson 2-1 Vocabulary

1. Jamestown: 1st Permanent English Settlement in America.

• King James I allowed the London Company to settle in a region called Virginia.
• The first 105 colonists arrived in America on April 26, 1607.
• They settled in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.
• The colonists were not prepared to build and farm. Two-thirds died by their first winter.

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Early Jamestown Colony

https://youtube/ZXMjQWr3Z6Y

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II. Daily Life in Virginia was Challenging

• Conditions improved when leader John Smith, required colonists to work in order to receive food.
• Colonists were also given food and other help by the powerful Powhatan Confederacy of Indians.
• In 1609, 400 more settlers arrived, but after a winter of famine and disease, only 60 remained.
• The survivors called this the “starving time.”

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Check for Understanding

• What was the first permanent English colony, when was it founded, and by whom?
• What challenges did the Jamestown colonists face?
• Who helped the colonists to survive, and how?

III. Peaceful Relations with Native Americans End

• Settler John Rolfe married Pocahontas, which helped form peaceful relations with the Powhatan.
• Rolfe also introduced the cultivation of tobacco, which quickly became the colony’s most important cash crop.
• Conflict started between colonists and the Powhatan in 1622 and lasted for 20 years.
• England took control of Virginia, making it a royal colony under the authority of a governor chosen by the King

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American: The Story of Us - Jamestown & Tobacco

IV. Bacon’s Rebellion

• As the colony expanded, officials raised taxes
• Poor colonists, many former indentured servants, protested
• Disagreed with government policy promoting trade with Indians and recognizing Indian rights to land
• Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion, in 1676, attacking friendly Indians
• When the governor tried to stop him, Bacon and his followers burned Jamestown
• The rebellion ended when Bacon died of fever and his followers disbanded

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Check for Understanding

• What led Jamestown to begin to make a profit?
• Describe the relationship between the colonists and the Powhatan Indians.
• Describe Bacon’s Rebellion.

V. Maryland: A Refuge for Catholics

• English Catholics came to America to escape religious persecution.
• Maryland was founded as a refuge for Catholics by Lord Baltimore in 1634.
• The colony was successful, and many protestants began settling there as well, leading to conflict.
• The Maryland assembly passed the Toleration Act of 1649 making it illegal to restrict the rights of Christians
• Although it did not recognize the rights of non-Christians, it was the first law establishing religious tolerance in the colonies.

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VI. Labor in the Southern Colonies

Headright System

• Colonists who paid their way to the colonies received 50 acres of land and 50 more acres for each person they brought with them.
• This system allowed wealthy colonists to acquire large landholdings by paying for the passage of their servants.
• These indentured servants, repaid their debt by agreeing to work without pay for a set number of years.
• The first Africans were brought as slaves and indentured servants in 1619.
• At first, indentured servants made up the majority of the labor force in the South.

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VII. The Southern Economy

The southern colonies had warm climates, a long growing season, and fertile soil.

Their economies depended on cash crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo.

North and South Carolina

• Carolina was founded in 1663 following the success of Virginia. It was divided into North and South Carolina in 1712.
• South Carolina had large rice plantations with many slaves.
• North Carolina, being more mountainous, was less suited to large-scale plantations and instead developed around small farms.

Check for Understanding

• Why did many English Catholics come to America, and where did they settle?
• What was the Toleration Act of 1649, and why was it significant?
• How did the headright system lead to many large plantations?
• Describe the economy of the southern colonies.
• Describe the colonies of North and South Carolina.

VIIl. Slave Labor in the South

• The success of agriculture led to an increase in demand for laborers.
• Increased work, the falling price of slaves , and a shortage of indentured servants led southern planters to use more slave labor.
• Eventually slavery became the primary source of labor on southern plantations.
• Slave codes, or laws to control slaves, were passed. For example:
• Could not gather in groups
• Could not own weapons
• Could not be taught to read and write
• Could not travel without pass
• Slaves were considered property. Slavery was a lifelong condition, and any children of slaves became slaves themselves.
• The conditions of slavery were brutal

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IX. Georgia

• Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe as a refuge for debtors, or people who owe money, in 1733.
• He wanted a community of small farmers, so he outlawed slavery and limited land grants.
• Georgian landowners rejected these limits, and Georgia became a royal colony.
• Large rice plantations worked by many slaves were created, making Georgia’s economy much like its neighbor, South Carolina.

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Check for Understanding

• What conditions led to an increase in the use of slave labor?
• What are some examples of slave codes, and why were they passed?
• Describe the founding of Georgia, and how it changed from its original plan.

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