Post by Hippolyta on Nov 25, 2009 6:53:11 GMT -5
Period of Settlement (ca 1607 – 1675)
The early settlers faced innumerable difficulties, not only from the wild country, but also from their lack of preparedness due to poor planning and unreasonable expectations. Spain had been so quick to derive bullion from Mexico City, Colombia and Peru that the rest of Europe thought the entire New World was a treasure chest awaiting only discovery to exploit. If that had been the case, the few colonists could have paid for the extensive support necessary to keep them alive. If it was not, they had trouble.
The early Virginia colonists were so certain they would soon be rich that they spent too much time prospecting and no time at all attending essential needs like planting crops for the winter, even though their landing in May gave them ample opportunity to do so. At least the Plymouth colonists had an excuse for their starvations. Traveling to an established area of Virginia, they were blown off course in a storm and landed, already in need, in the middle of a harsh New England winter.
English geographer Richard Hakluyt, among others, attempted to inform the colonists of what was needed. Hakluyt assembled a huge library containing accounts of exploration and the New World and offered recommendations of what to expect. Even though he was less realistic than he might have been, if any of the colonists had listened, they would have been better off than they were.
This period was characterized by the colonists unlearning what they thought they knew. English society might one day be transplanted, but not without far-reaching social causalities, expect in those late additions in the Empire, Canada and Florida. Elsewhere, the rigid class structure had to bend a bit.
After the initial problems of survival were solved, new ones appeared. The Englishmen, anxious to solve their own ills, were not farsighted about the effects of their actions upon the colonies. The Navigation Acts are only one example. The English also sent petty criminals and the poor to a colony like Georgia. The thinkers failed to think that those who would not work in England would not in America.
On the flip side, the labor shortage in Virginia led to the headright system, which had a positive effect on the new country. The English poor who would sign up for labor for five to seven years in exchange for passage were the ones with the most initiative (often shut out by the established structures in England). Those that survived their indentures often proved to be hardworking, independent people.
During the earliest days of this period, a major concern was the Spanish Threat. Shortly, however, Spain incurred serious financial problems, and the threat became more manageable at the same time as the colonies grew and became better able to defend themselves. The threat became nothing more than a border skirmish, which occupied less attention in the latter part of this period than later.
Throughout this period, the lack of centralized (royal) governing authority meant the various colonies exercised control over their own areas, each benefiting or suffering from its own unique political formulae, methods of raising capital, and internal political rivalries.
Funding the colonies was a great concern. Most did not become self-sufficient for a long time and required continual infusions of colonists, supplies and other support from the home country. This required substantial investment, and few private companies created to accomplish the task for the government made any profit. This in turn meant few could provide the level of support necessary to the task.
The different colonies passed through this period at different times. The later the settlement, the shorter the period of settlement, because more resources were available and the basic problems were understood. In this regard, even Massachusetts showed a marked improvement over Virginia. Later colonies like the Carolinas could utilize the pool of colonists and other resources nearby Virginia and Maryland. Tolerant colonies like Pennsylvania fared best of all by not alienating the Indians.
The early settlers faced innumerable difficulties, not only from the wild country, but also from their lack of preparedness due to poor planning and unreasonable expectations. Spain had been so quick to derive bullion from Mexico City, Colombia and Peru that the rest of Europe thought the entire New World was a treasure chest awaiting only discovery to exploit. If that had been the case, the few colonists could have paid for the extensive support necessary to keep them alive. If it was not, they had trouble.
The early Virginia colonists were so certain they would soon be rich that they spent too much time prospecting and no time at all attending essential needs like planting crops for the winter, even though their landing in May gave them ample opportunity to do so. At least the Plymouth colonists had an excuse for their starvations. Traveling to an established area of Virginia, they were blown off course in a storm and landed, already in need, in the middle of a harsh New England winter.
English geographer Richard Hakluyt, among others, attempted to inform the colonists of what was needed. Hakluyt assembled a huge library containing accounts of exploration and the New World and offered recommendations of what to expect. Even though he was less realistic than he might have been, if any of the colonists had listened, they would have been better off than they were.
This period was characterized by the colonists unlearning what they thought they knew. English society might one day be transplanted, but not without far-reaching social causalities, expect in those late additions in the Empire, Canada and Florida. Elsewhere, the rigid class structure had to bend a bit.
After the initial problems of survival were solved, new ones appeared. The Englishmen, anxious to solve their own ills, were not farsighted about the effects of their actions upon the colonies. The Navigation Acts are only one example. The English also sent petty criminals and the poor to a colony like Georgia. The thinkers failed to think that those who would not work in England would not in America.
On the flip side, the labor shortage in Virginia led to the headright system, which had a positive effect on the new country. The English poor who would sign up for labor for five to seven years in exchange for passage were the ones with the most initiative (often shut out by the established structures in England). Those that survived their indentures often proved to be hardworking, independent people.
During the earliest days of this period, a major concern was the Spanish Threat. Shortly, however, Spain incurred serious financial problems, and the threat became more manageable at the same time as the colonies grew and became better able to defend themselves. The threat became nothing more than a border skirmish, which occupied less attention in the latter part of this period than later.
Throughout this period, the lack of centralized (royal) governing authority meant the various colonies exercised control over their own areas, each benefiting or suffering from its own unique political formulae, methods of raising capital, and internal political rivalries.
Funding the colonies was a great concern. Most did not become self-sufficient for a long time and required continual infusions of colonists, supplies and other support from the home country. This required substantial investment, and few private companies created to accomplish the task for the government made any profit. This in turn meant few could provide the level of support necessary to the task.
The different colonies passed through this period at different times. The later the settlement, the shorter the period of settlement, because more resources were available and the basic problems were understood. In this regard, even Massachusetts showed a marked improvement over Virginia. Later colonies like the Carolinas could utilize the pool of colonists and other resources nearby Virginia and Maryland. Tolerant colonies like Pennsylvania fared best of all by not alienating the Indians.