colonies take root
CHAPTER 3 COLONIES TAKE ROOT 1587-1752 Section 1: The First English Settlements I. England Seeks Colonies
-Like most of Europe in the age of exploration, England was a monarchy. However, in England, the power of the king or queen was limited by law and by a lawmaking body called Parliament. -Ever since the 1200s, English law had limited the king’s power. The king could set new taxes only with Parliament’s consent. Still, the king’s powers were much greater than those of Parliament. -England began to establish colonies in North America in the late 1500s. Colonies would provide new markets for English products and important raw materials for English industries. -Two of the earliest English efforts to establish colonies took place during the 1580s. Both were set up on a small island off the coast of North Carolina. The first colony at Roanoke Island was established in 1585, but it was abandoned a year later. -The second colony is one of the great mysteries of American history. It was set up in 1587. The next year England found itself at war with Spain. No ship was able to visit the Roanoke colony until 1590. By then the colony had disappeared without a trace. II. Founding Jamestown -In 1607, a group of wealthy people made a new attempt to establish an English colony in North America. Eager to gain a share of the wealth of the Americas, they formed the Virginia Company of London. -Some hoped to discover gold or silver; others expected to trade for furs with the Indians or plant vineyards to grow grapes or mulberry trees to grow silk. -England’s King James I backed the project. The king granted the merchants a charter to establish a colony called Virginia. -The first colonists arrived in Virginia in 1607 and set up colony called Jamestown. It was England’s first permanent settlement in North America. -Jamestown barely survived its first year. Many of the colonists caught diseases such as malaria and died.
-Like most of Europe in the age of exploration, England was a monarchy. However, in England, the power of the king or queen was limited by law and by a lawmaking body called Parliament. -Ever since the 1200s, English law had limited the king’s power. The king could set new taxes only with Parliament’s consent. Still, the king’s powers were much greater than those of Parliament. -England began to establish colonies in North America in the late 1500s. Colonies would provide new markets for English products and important raw materials for English industries. -Two of the earliest English efforts to establish colonies took place during the 1580s. Both were set up on a small island off the coast of North Carolina. The first colony at Roanoke Island was established in 1585, but it was abandoned a year later. -The second colony is one of the great mysteries of American history. It was set up in 1587. The next year England found itself at war with Spain. No ship was able to visit the Roanoke colony until 1590. By then the colony had disappeared without a trace. II. Founding Jamestown -In 1607, a group of wealthy people made a new attempt to establish an English colony in North America. Eager to gain a share of the wealth of the Americas, they formed the Virginia Company of London. -Some hoped to discover gold or silver; others expected to trade for furs with the Indians or plant vineyards to grow grapes or mulberry trees to grow silk. -England’s King James I backed the project. The king granted the merchants a charter to establish a colony called Virginia. -The first colonists arrived in Virginia in 1607 and set up colony called Jamestown. It was England’s first permanent settlement in North America. -Jamestown barely survived its first year. Many of the colonists caught diseases such as malaria and died.