Download The English colonies

The English
Colonies
U.S. History Chapter 3
Exploration and Colonization
• The Exploration and
Colonization era was a major
historical period in American
history.
• Early explorers came to the
“New World” were looking
for a Northwest Passage in
order to find a shorter water
route to Asia.
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settlements
• Early colonists built their
settlements near bodies
of water
• European rulers sought
to colonize North
America to expand their
power with riches from
the “New World.”
Europeans and Native Americans
The result of the
encounter between
Europeans and native
Americans was that new
diseases were spread to
the Native American
populations.
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1
settlements
• The first permanent English
settlements were located on
the Atlantic coast.
• Both Jamestown and New
Amsterdam were located
near the coastline.
• Natural harbors contributed
to growth of trade
Colonies
• Jamestown was founded
in 1607
• Georgia was a place for
imprisoned debtors and
convicts
Colonies
Geography was the
primary cause of
economic differences
among the colonies in
North America.
Colonies
• Higher population
densities were near ports
and rivers
• Lower population
densities were in regions
of fertile soil
Colonies
• Southern colonies had the
best soil and climate for largescale agriculture; tobacco,
rice, and indigo were cash
crops
• New England colonies had the
most water resources
• The Dutch settled in New York
primarily for economic gains
Religion in the colonies
• Religion played an
important part in the
lives of early colonists
• Maryland was to
Catholics as Pennsylvania
was to Quakers.
Colonies and the Slave Trade
• The transatlantic slave
trade began when
plantation in the West
Indies needed labor.
• The need for agricultural
workers in the tobacco
fields of colonial Virginia
led to the use of slaves
from Africa.
Representative Government
• The Mayflower Compact and
the Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut are most closely
associated with steps toward
colonial self-government
• The Mayflower Compact
provided a basis for selfgovernment in the Plymouth
Colony.
Representative Government
• The Mayflower Compact and
the Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut laid the
foundation for the growth of
representative government in
Colonial America.
• The Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut was a written
constitution and is considered
the first in the colonies.
Representative Government
In both the Mayflower
Compact and the
Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut, colonists
agreed to establish a
community and obey its
laws.
Representative Government
• The Virginia House of
Burgesses’
representatives were
elected by the people.
• However, neither slave
nor free blacks were
allowed to have the
power of the vote.
Major Colonial Settlements
• Jamestown in Virginia
• Philadelphia in
Pennsylvania
• Boston in
Massachusetts