Chapter 2:

The First English Colonies

1576-1620
Pages 21-23
England
had become a Protestant country in which
the Bible was freely available to all
Queen Elizabeth I
Called for a Bible to be placed in every church
The Bible
The Bible had an important influence on the men and
women who came to America and in the type of
government they set up.
John Wycliffe
Exposed false doctrines of the Roman church and had the
entire Bible translated into English for the first time
William Tyndale
Wrote an English translation of the Bible that
circulated Britain in the 1500s
Henry VIII
Made the English Reformation official by breaking all ties
between England & the Roman church.
The English people had a
strong spiritual heritage.
Magna Carta
Great Charter
Magna Carta was an attempt to stop a king
from abusing his power with the people of
England suffering. This helped prepare
England for limited government.
John Cabot
First modern European explorer to set foot on the mainland
of North America in 1497 (5 years after Columbus
discovered America). He explored the Atlantic coast of
North America and claimed the land for England.
Francis Drake
First Englishman to sail around the world
Strait of Magellan
Sir Walter Raliegh
Sent an expedition to establish a colony
on Roanoke Island in 1585. The first
attempt to colonize on Roanoke failed. He
sent another expedition in 1587 led by
John White.
John White
Led an expedition which landed in
Roanoke in July 1587. After being
there a month, he sailed home to
England for supplies. When White
finally returned to Roanoke in 1591,
he found that the entire colony had
vanished. Roanoke Island is called
the Lost colony.
http://youtu.be/o99Y4Brq-GY
Virginia Dare
First English child to be born in America
Croatoan
the only clue to the fate of the Lost Colony of
Roanoke.
Joint Stock Companies
English businessmen obtained money
to establish settlements through
joint-stock companies.
King James I
Granted a charter allowing two joint stock
companies to start colonization of Virginia.
(Southern Virginia the London Company;
Northern Virginia the Plymouth Company)
The Virginia Charter
This charter guaranteed that the colonists
were to enjoy the same rights and
liberties as Englishmen living in the home
country (England).
Pages 24-28
Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in the New World
Common-Store System
Americas first experiment with a form of socialism.
Each man was required to place the fruits of their
own labor into a common storehouse. Each family
would receive food from the common storehouse
according to their need.

This experiment failed miserably.
Why?
Captain John Smith
He established the policy that any who would not work
should not eat.
Starving Time
In the winter of 1609-1610, hungry
settlers were forced to eat dogs,
horses, and even mice and rats. By
the spring of 1610, only 60 settlers
remained alive.
John Rolfe
Married the Indian Princess Pocahontas and introduced the
Virginia colonists to the growing of tobacco.
Indentured Servant
One who entered into an agreement with
an established colonist. The established
colonist would pay for the indentured
servant to travel to America; in return, the
indentured servant would work for the
colonist for a period of time without pay
(usually 4-7 years). Once the contract was
fulfilled, the servant would become a free
man.
Free Enterprise
capitalism
This means that the government
leaves individuals free to own
businesses and make a living
dependent on their own initiative.
This would become the
cornerstone of Americas
greatness.
House of Burgesses
This assembly advised the governor of
the colony and assisted him in making
laws.
Bacons Rebellion
an armed rebellion in 1676 by
Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel
Bacon against the rule of Governor
William Berkeley, who had failed to
address the demands of the colonists
regarding their safety.
Puritans
dissenters
Believed that the practices of the Anglican church were still
too much like those of the Catholic church and wished to
purify it from within.
Separatists
dissenters
They wanted to withdraw completely from the
official church and form their own independent
churches.
John Robinson
Led his congregation of Separatists from England to
Holland to escape persecution and to gain religious
freedom.
Strangers
66 passengers aboard the Mayflower
that were non-Separatists. The
Pilgrims called them Strangers.
Mayflower Compact:
Expressed the willingness of the people to have a
government created and to submit to its authority. It set an
important precedent for representative government
Pages 29-31
Samoset
Indian that came to the village of the Pilgrims and said,
Much welcome, Englishmen
Squanto
Acted as a guide and interpreter
Taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish, and plant crops
Massasoit
Chief of the Wampanoag Tribe
Signed a peace treaty with Governor Carver that was kept
until Massasoits death.
The First Thanksgiving
Three day feast in the fall of 1621. Indians joined
the Pilgrims as they celebrated, feasted, heard the
Bible read publicly, and gave thanks to God for His
many blessings.
Miles Standish
Stranger that headed Plymouths military defense force
William Brewster
Served as Pastor of the Pilgrims
John Carver
Plymouths first governor
William Bradford
Plymouths second governor. Became governor when John
Carver died. He held the office for over 30 years.
History of Plymouth Plantation
First American History Book
Written by William Bradford
Council for New England
Legal controllers of the territory in
which the Pilgrims had settled. In
1621, the Council for New England
granted Plymouth a patent,
recognizing their right of settlement.
Common-Store System Failed in
Plymouth
Even in Plymouth, where most of the
people had a strong Christian faith,
the common-store system
encouraged laziness and
unproductive behavior. They learned
that even among godly people, the
free enterprise system is far better
than the common-store system.
What Made Plymouth a Successful
Community
1. Faith in God
2. A Strong belief in the Protestant
work ethic
3. Exercise of the Free Enterprise
system
General Court
The freemen of the colony would meet in the
General Court to pass laws and conduct business
of the colony.
Deputies
As the Plymouth colony grew, it became more
difficult to all meet together in the General Court.
Each town elected representatives called deputies
to meet in the General Court on their behalf.

Religious Freedom
The Pilgrims set an important
example for religious liberty. The
people were free to attend the
churches of their choice.
Congregational Church
Independent church where each congregation
governed itself and each member had the
right to vote on important issues.