Unit 1 (Pre-Chapters 1 – 2)Native Americans and English Settlers

Prehistory – 1600s

• Early American History involves the new relationship between Native Americans and European explorers, resulting in European settlements in the New World.

Quick Review of Pre-Chapter 1Native American Society on the Eve of British Colonization

• How might you describe the Native American societies that existed before the arrival of Europeans? What was their life like?• What is something significant to remember about the Anasazi /

Algonkian Tribes / Iroquois Tribes?• How would you describe the relationship that developed between

American Indians and British settlers? Why?

Pre-Chapter 2: Britain in the New World

(c. 1500s – 1600s)• During the 1500s and early 1600s English settlers struggled to

establish settlements in the New World.

Britain in the New World• During the 16th century (1500s), many European nations were

interested in the New World. These nations included Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and England (Britain).• Spain was the superpower of the seas, until their “Invincible” Armada

of 130 ships was defeated by England in 1588. This marked the end of Spain’s domination of Europe and the Western Hemisphere, and the beginning of permanent English Settlement in the New World.

Early English Attempts Fail• As Spain and England competed for power, the British government, led

by Queen Elizabeth, determined it would be best to establish permanent settlements in the New World to rival Spanish settlements.• However, the earliest British attempts at settlement didn’t last• English explorer Humphrey Gilbert was the first to try in 1583, but his ship was

lost at sea on his return home• The most famous failed attempt took place around 1585 when Sir Walter

Raleigh led an expedition to Roanoke, resulting in the famous “Lost Colony”

Sir Humphrey Gilbert Sir Walter Raleigh

“The Lost Colony” at Roanoke• In 1585, Raleigh’s men settled on the small island of Roanoke off the coast of modern-day North

Carolina.

• At first relations with local Native Americans were peaceful, but it didn’t last and conflict quickly erupted.

• In 1587 Governor John White left for England to ask Raleigh for help, however, he was unable to return for 3 years due to England’s war with Spain.

• In 1590, White returned to Roanoke, but he couldn’t find any of the settlers. The settlement had been abandoned and a mysterious word had been carved on a tree, “CROATOAN”, believed to perhaps be a nearby tribe. The “Lost Colony” remains a great mystery of the colonial period.

What happened to the

settlers at Roanoke?

Joint-Stock Companies• Trying to establish settlements in the New World was risky. Therefore

British investors decided to join their money together and form Joint-Stock Companies to invest in settlements. That way if things didn’t work out, one person wouldn’t lose all their wealth.• With the landless (poor) population to serve as workers for investors,

the joint-stock company became the foundation for English settlements to finally take root in the New World.

What’s the advantage of a Joint-Stock Company?

The Jamestown Settlement• In 1607, with the investment of the Virginia Company of London, the first lasting

English settlement was established at Jamestown (in modern day Virginia).• Jamestown Struggles Badly

• English Settlers were searching for gold but didn’t find it• Low Food Supplies, Disease and Harsh Winter Kills Many• John Smith attempts to lead but is injured and returns to England• Despite the introduction of tobacco cultivation, The Virginia Company declared bankrupt in 1624

• The British government took control of Jamestown, making it the first colony in America to be ruled by the British Crown.

The Growth of the Tobacco Trade• By the end of the 1620s only one Virginia crop was drawing a fair

market price in England… TOBACCO.• The Impact of Tobacco• Became popular among England’s middle class• By 1630, over a million and a half pounds of tobacco were being exported from Jamestown every year• The growing demand leads to a need for more farmland and more settlers to work• As the colony expanded, confrontation withlocal Native Americans increased

War and Peace with Powhatan’s People• Chief Powhatan and the British settlers attempted to live in peace

with one another, but it couldn’t seem to last.• Despite Powhatan’s daughter Pocahontas marrying Englishmen John

Rolfe during a time of peace, fighting continued between the Natives and the British settlers until 1645.• English forces eventually forced the local tribes to surrender land and

recognize English authority.• Different Views of Land Ownership• The Powhatans couldn’t understand the English view of individual land ownership. They saw land as owned by no one, but rather used together by the tribe.

The House of Burgesses• The Importance of Virginia’s House of Burgesses

• Established in Jamestown in 1619• The 1st legislative assembly in the American colonies• Members would meet once a year with the royal governor to decide local laws and

determine local taxation• Set an example for colonial development, as each new English colony demanded its own

legislature• Beginning with the House of Burgesses, Americans had 157 years to practice democracy by

the time they declared independence in 1776.

Why is local assembly and

representation so important?

Chapter Conclusion• Despite financial struggles and incredible hardships, the settlement at

Jamestown eventually became the starting point for a developing Virginia colony that would lay the foundation for continued British settlement in the New World.

Quick Review of Pre-Chapter 2Britain in the New World• Why was it so difficult for British settlers to establish themselves in

the New World?• In what ways did British settlers attempt to overcome the many

challenges of establishing a settlement in the New World?• Why is Jamestown so significant to American History?• Why is the House of Burgesses so significant to colonial development

in the New World?

Chapter Assessment Questions

• Use your chapter notes (and online research if necessary) to help you answer chapter assessment questions. • Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper and staple them to

your question sheet when you turn in your work.