HIS271Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: New England Colonies, Opchanacanough, Squanto
Document Summary
England"s first colonies: virginia vs. massachusetts bay: motivations for colonization. Economic desire: source of england"s economy relied on commerce, selling goods such as cloth in the market. (1500s) Population pressures: between 1500-1650 population grew drastically: jamestown (virginia & the chesapeake) Group of private investors sought out and received a royal charter from queen elizabeth 1 to build the colony. First years of colonies were rocky, high death tolls. Had to due with dealing with new climate/native diseases, however saved by powhaten (algonquian) Werowance: chief of american indian tribe in colonial virginia and maryland. 1619, powhaten died, brother opechancanough took over as chief of algonquian tribe. Virginia massacre (1622), assault launched by opechancanough, killed over 300 people. Europeans discovered they could cultivate tobacco which the natives knew about. Tobacco boom-> sold rapidly, resulted in virginia becoming a royal colony; colonists realized this source of profit and took action. Two types of colonies, privatized colony and royal colony.
