Colonial America

Q: What difficulties did the first colonists face when settling in the eastern shore of North America?

A: Some of the obstacles that the first settlers faced included lack of food, fighting with local Native American tribes, and not having knowledge of the land nor its harsh weather conditions. The first settlers that came to the eastern shore were told that they would find gold, so instead of worrying about shelter, resources and food, they began their search for gold. This greed was responsible for many early colonist deaths. The first failed colony of Roanoke was in such desperate need of food, that it is said that colonists ate rodents to stay alive. Eventually, all early colonists would disappear. The first colonists are said to have starved to death, while others were taken captive by Native Americans and most likely killed as well.

Q: How was Jamestown established?

A: British colonists sailed from England to what is known today as Virginia, down the James River searching for a place to settle. These colonists eventually settled and called their settlement Jamestown, in honor of their British King, James. These settlers made the same mistakes that previous settlers had made in Roanoke. They went in search of gold, instead of finding resources to live off of. At one point, there were only 38 settlers in Jamestown, when a soldier, named John Smith, took command of the colony, saying, " He who does not work, does not eat."

Q: What were the conflicts between the Powhatan and the colonists?

A: The cultural differences between the settlers and the Powhatan put them in conflict. First, the colonists and the natives go along, until more and more colonists started arriving, taking over more land and more resources. Later, John Ralph thought that if he married the daughter of the chief Powhatan, Pocahontas in 1614, things would improve. For a while the plan was going well, but unfortunately, with the arrival of even more settlers, the Powhatan felt the need to defend their lands and people.

Q: Why did the Pilgrims and Puritans move to the colonies?

A: The Pilgrims and Puritans came to the colonies because they wanted religious freedom. The Pilgrims asked the Virginia Company if they could start their own colony. This colony was called Plymouth. The Puritans arrived in Massachusetts and decided to found their own colony. This large movement of Puritans became known as “The Great Migration." More than 20,000 Puritans crossed the Atlantic Ocean, leaving their homeland to seek a new life in New England, where they could practice their religion as they saw fit.

Q: Describe the development, culture and resources of the New England colonies.

A: The colonies of New England had long winters and rocky soil, meaning that farming had its challenges. The English settlers were the largest group of the population of New England. Farmers grew only enough food for them to eat, and if there were extra food they would trade it. This is called subsistence farming. These colonies would eventually fish and use the most of the resources that the Atlantic Ocean ad to offer. The New England colonies were very productive in whaling and fishing. The forests also proved to be valuable, as colonists began to cut trees down to build ships and trade its timber. The New England colonies also participated in the Triangular Trade, a trading system between the colonies, Africa and the West Indies, where they traded raw goods (such as timber) for manufactured goods and slaves. 

With this trade a young woman by the name of Tituba arrived at the New England colonies. She was a slave from the West Indies and she told of many scary stories about witches and witchcraft to the young women of Salem, a colony in New England. This started a witch-hunt in Salem, as people were accused of being witches and infecting innocent people. The clergy in Salem saw this as a sign from God to return to the strict life that Puritans had before. It was later discovered that the accusations were false (mostly seen as a political move to remove important and controlling Puritans from power, as those mostly accused belonged to this group), and that innocent people accused of being witches were hung and burned by mistake.

Q: Describe the development, culture and resources of the Middle Colonies.

A: The Middle Colonies offered religious tolerance to immigrants, and this with its fertile lands helped promote the success of these colonies. The settlers of the Middle Colonies took advantage of the long growing season and fertile lands. Immigrants from all over Europe came to take advantage of the Middle Colonies’ productive land. Immigrants brought their knowledge of agriculture and this helped advance farming technology. For example, they used mills to grind grain and wheat to turn it into flour. The Middle Colonies became known as the “breadbasket” colonies. The crops they raised were also known as cash crops, meaning they were intended for sale/trade to earn cash, money.

The Middle Colonies also offered a unique way of living that was different from towns in the North and plantations in the South. The Middle Colonies built successful cities, such as Philadelphia, the fastest growing city, which became the home to trade and the largest shipyards.

Q: Describe the development, culture and resources of the Southern Colonies.

A: The Southern Colonies, like the Middle Colonies, relied on agriculture to make a living. The difference is that the farming done in the South was large-scale plantations. These plantations were so large that plantation owners, also known as planters, needed cheap, or free, labor. They hired both indentured servants and bought slaves from Africa to work in their plantations. In the early 18th century, there were few African slaves, but within 15 years, the number of slaves increased dramatically. Originally, planters tried to force the Natives to work for them, but many Natives were killed by disease, and those who survived knew the land very well and would often run away, or fight back and refuse to be enslaved. Many tribes relocated to get away from potential enslavement. Because of this, planters decided to buy more and more slaves.

Q: How was life like for a slave working in a plantation?

A: To understand what life was like for a slave, we must first consider that slaves were taken, most times kidnapped, from their homes in Africa, and traded for goods such as rum, iron and other manufactured goods. These slaves were then transported through the Middle Passage, what was referred to as the transport of slaves from Africa to the Americas, in horrible conditions. Many Africans died in the Middle Passage from malnutrition, disease and cruel treatment. So harsh were the conditions that some slaves even committed suicide by throwing themselves into the ocean. It is estimated that one in five slaves dies in the voyage to America. 

Taking this into consideration, we can conclude that life on a plantation was not going to be easy. Most plantations had an overseer, like a supervisor, that managed the work. Slaves worked an average of 15 hours a day and were given limited amounts of food per week. Slave owners gave them enough food to survive, but not enough for them to become strong, as they feared they would rebel and fight back. Slaves were often beaten and whipped by the overseers. If slaves fought back of defied (disobeyed) their masters, they would be tortured and even mutilated.