History 105 - English Colonization in the Chesapeake (VA & MD)

This essay discusses English colonization in the Chesapeake region during the 1600s, focusing on the establishment of Jamestown by the Virginia Company and subsequent settlements in Maryland and the Carolinas. It highlights the initial challenges faced by colonists, including conflicts with natives and struggles for survival, before transitioning to the economic success driven by tobacco cultivation. The essay contrasts Virginia's political and religious landscape with that of other English colonies, noting the dominance of the Church of England despite limited church attendance. It also examines the social and economic structures that emerged, including the indentured servitude system and the later development of race-based slavery. The essay concludes by acknowledging both the positive and negative impacts of English colonization on the Chesapeake region, emphasizing the lasting relevance of some of the social changes that occurred.

ENGLISH COLONIZATION IN THE CHESAPEAKE
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In the year 1607, the British established its first permanent colony in Jamestown in the
Chesapeake Bay region by the Virginia Company, and they settled near the mouth of the James
River1. The colonists were faced with several difficulties such as conflicts with the natives,
starvation, the source of stable food and support. However, along with days, the story turned to a
different direction. The paper aims to discuss the English colonisation in the Chesapeake in the
1600s.
By the end of 1700, the Virginia colonists already made their fortunes with the help of
tobacco cultivation. The same pattern of colonising Virginia was also followed in Maryland and
the Carolinas. Virginia was entirely a different place considering the political and religious
aspect from the English colonies. Regardless of being Anglican or not, it was mandatory to pay
tax to the Church of England that was established in Virginia. However, the church membership
was a factor of consideration. For there were several clergymen, and few churches kept the
Virginias from attending the Church of England. Therefore, religion was of secondary
significance in the Virginia Colony.
Tobacco was a successful experiment which established itself as the main exportable
commodity and the source of revenue2. More than half of the settlers in the southern colonies
approached Americans as indentured servants in order to repay an agency or person for passage
across the Atlantic. After the labours were free from their contract, a small tract of land was
given to them in the colony.
Maryland was found by Lord Baltimore, a Catholic of England. He drew up charters that
allowed the establishment of churches of all religions3. Virginia and Maryland had established a
1 Roper, Louis H. The English Empire in America, 1602-1658: Beyond Jamestown. Routledge, 2015.
2 Isenberg, Nancy. White trash: The 400-year untold history of class in America. Penguin, 2017.
3 Craven, Wesley Frank. The Southern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century, 1607--1689: A History of the South.
Vol. 1. LSU Press, 2015.

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strong social and economic structure by the third quarter of the seventeenth century. The region
was on the verge of growth with expensive farmland and region’s rivers. Both the areas
developed an aristocratic way of life with Europe’s art and culture. The German and Scots-Irish
immigrants were settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains.
Education was given great significance by the early colonists. The institution of learnings
were established by the early colonists. Also, the first new Englanders built towns and houses
with gardens. Immigrant craftsmen constantly made furniture that carried on decorative
traditions of Europe. Therefore by the end of the 1600s, many villages have grown into a cluster
of houses and communities that had double in accommodation and size.
After 1660, the Chesapeake colonies enforced laws that defined slavery on the basis of
race as a lifelong and inheritable condition. By the end of the century, the slave population grew
significantly making it a profound aspect in Virginia and Maryland.
Although the English colonisation was a blessing to both the regions, there are several
negative aspects as well. It developed the regions and brought numerous changes, however, some
of the social changes were of significant impact and are still relevant yet today.

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Bibliography:
Craven, Wesley Frank. The Southern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century, 1607--1689: A
History of the South. Vol. 1. LSU Press, 2015.
Isenberg, Nancy. White trash: The 400-year untold history of class in America. Penguin, 2017.
Roper, Louis H. The English Empire in America, 1602-1658: Beyond Jamestown. Routledge,
2015.