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Chapter5VirginiaandMaryland
CHAPTER5
VIRGINIAANDMARYLAND
NewconditionsoflivinginEngland.
TheVirginiaCompany.
31.TheVirginiaCompany,1606.--Englishpeoplewerenowbeginningtothinkinearnestoffoundingcolonies.Itwasgettingharderandhardertoearnone'slivinginEngland,anditwasverydifficulttoinvestone'smoneyinanyusefulway.Itfollowed,fromthis,thatthereweremanymenwhoweregladtobecomecolonists,andmanypersonswhoweregladtoprovidemoneytopayforfoundingcolonies.In1606theVirginiaCompanywasformedandcolonizationbeganonalargescale.
TheVirginiacolonistsatJamestown, 1607.Higginson,52,110-117; Eggleston,19-28;Explorers 231-269.
Sicknessanddeath.
32.FoundingofJamestown,1607. ThefirstcolonistssailedforVirginiainDecember,1606.Theyweremonthsonthewayandsufferedterriblehardships.AtlasttheyreachedChesapeakeBayandJamesRiverandsettledonapeninsulaontheJames,aboutthirtymilesfromitsmouth.Acrossthelittleisthmuswhichconnectedthispeninsulawiththemainlandtheybuiltastrongfence,orstockade,tokeeptheIndiansawayfromtheirhuts.TheirsettlementtheynamedJamestown.TheearlycolonistsofVirginiawerenotverywellfittedforsuchawork.Someofthemweregentlemenwhohadneverlaboredwiththeirhands;otherswerepoor,idlefellowswhoseonlywishwastodonothingwhatever.TherewereafewenergeticmenamongthemasRatcliffe,Archer,andSmith.Butthesespentmostoftheirtimeinexploringthebayandtherivers,inhuntingforgold,andinquarrelingwithoneanother.Withthesummercamefevers,andsoonfiftyoftheonehundredandfiveoriginalcolonistsweredead.Thenfollowedacold,hardwinter,andmanyofthosewhohadnotdiedoffeverinthesummer,nowdiedofcold.Thecolonistsbroughtlittlefoodwiththem,theyweretoolazytoplantmuchcorn,andtheywereabletogetonlysmallsuppliesfromtheIndians.Indeed,theearlyhistoryofVirginiaisgivenmainlytoaccountsof"starvingtimes."Ofthefirstthousandcolonistsnotonehundredlivedtotellthetaleofthoseearlydays.
SirThomasDale.
Hiswiseaction.
33.SirThomasDaleandGoodOrder.--In1611SirThomasDalecameoutasruler,andheruledwithanironhand.Ifamanrefusedtowork,Dalemadeaslaveofhimforthreeyears;ifhedidnotworkhardenough,Dalehadhimsoundlywhipped.ButSirThomasDalewasnotonlyasevereman;hewasalsoawiseman.Hithertoeverythinghadbeenincommon.Dalenowtriedtheexperimentofgivingthreeacresoflandtoeveryoneoftheoldplanters,andhealsoallowedthemtimetoworkontheirownland.
Tobacco.
Prosperity.
34.Tobacco-growingandProsperity.--Europeanpeoplewerenowbeginningtousetobacco.MostofitcamefromtheSpanishcolonies.TobaccogrewwildinVirginia.Butthecolonistsatfirstdidnotknowhowtodryitandmakeitfitforsmoking.Afterafewyearstheyfoundouthowtoprepareit.Theynowworkedwithgreateagernessandplantedtobaccooneveryspotofclearedland.MenwithmoneycameoverfromEngland.Theybroughtmanyworkingmenwiththemandplantedlargepiecesofground.Soontobaccobecamethemoneyofthecolony,andthewholelifeofVirginiaturnedonitscultivation.Butitwasdifficulttofindenoughlaborerstodothenecessarywork.
Whiteservants.
Criminals.
Negroslaves,1619.
35.ServantsandSlaves.--Mostofthelaborerswerewhitemenandwomenwhowereboundtoservicefortermsofyears.Thesewerecalledservants.SomeofthemwerepoorpersonswhosoldtheirlabortopayfortheirpassagetoVirginia.Otherswereunfortunatemenandwomenandevenchildrenwhowerestolenfromtheirfamiliesandsoldtothecolonists.StillotherswerecriminalswhomKingJamessentovertothecolonybecausethatwasthecheapestthingtodowiththem.In1619thefirstnegroslaveswerebroughttoVirginiabyaDutchvessel.TheVirginiansboughtthemall--onlytwentyinnumber.Buttheplanterspreferredwhitelaborers.Itwasnotuntilmorethattwenty-fiveyearshadpassedawaythattheslavesreallybecamenumerousenoughtomakemuchdifferenceinthelifeofthecolony.
SirEdwinSandys.
ThefirstAmericanlegislature, 1619.
36.ThefirstAmericanLegislature,1619.--ThemenwhofirstformedtheVirginiaCompanyhadlongsincelostinterestinit.Othermenhadtakentheirplaces.TheselatterweremostlyPuritans(p.29)orwerethefriendsandworkerswiththePuritans.ThebestknownofthemwasSirEdwinSandys,theplaymateofWilliamBrewster--oneofthePilgrimFathers(p.29).SandysandhisfriendssentSirGeorgeYeardleytoVirginiaasgovernor.Theyorderedhimtosummonanassemblytobemadeupofrepresentativeschosenbythefreemenofthecolony.TheserepresentativessoondidawaywithDale'sferociousregulations,andmadeotherandmuchmilderlaws.
EndoftheVirginiaCompany, 1624.
Virginiaaroyalprovince.
37.VirginiabecomesaRoyalProvince,1624.--TheVirginiansthoughtthiswasaverygoodwaytobegoverned.ButKingJamesthoughtthatthenewrulersoftheVirginiaCompanyweremuchtooliberal,andhedeterminedtodestroythecompany.Thejudgesinthosedaysdarednotdispleasethekingforhecouldturnthemoutofofficeatanytime.SowhenhetoldthemtodestroytheVirginiachartertheytooktheveryfirstopportunitytodeclareittobeofnoforce.InthiswaytheVirginiaCompanycametoanend,andVirginiabecamearoyalprovincewithagovernorappointedbytheking.
IntoleranceinVirginia.
PersecutionofthePuritans.
38.ReligiousIntolerance.--In1625KingJamesdied,andhissonCharlesbecameking.HelefttheVirginianstothemselvesforthemostpart.Theylikedthis.ButtheydidnotlikehisgivingthenorthernpartofVirginiatoaRomanCatholicfavorite,LordBaltimore,withthenameofMaryland.ManyRomanCatholicssoonsettledinLordBaltimore'scolony.TheVirginiansfearedlesttheymightcometoVirginiaandmadeseverelawsagainstthem.PuritanmissionariesalsocamefromNewEnglandandbegantoconverttheVirginianstoPuritanism.GovernorBerkeleyandtheleadingVirginianswereEpiscopalians.TheydidnotlikethePuritansanybetterthantheylikedtheRomanCatholics.TheymadeharshlawsagainstthemanddrovethemoutofVirginiaintoMaryland.
MarylandgiventoBaltimore, 1632.
SettlementofMaryland. Higginson,121-123;Eggleston,50-53; Source-book,48-51.
39.SettlementofMaryland.--MarylandincludedthemostvaluableportionofVirginianorthofthePotomac.Besidebeingtheownerofallthisland,LordBaltimorewasalsotherulerofthecolony.HeinvitedpeopletogooverandsettleinMarylandandofferedtogivethemlargetractsoflandonthepaymentofasmallsumeveryyearforever.Eachman'spaymentwassmall.Butallthepaymentstakentogether,madequitealargeamountwhichwentongrowinglargerandlargerasMarylandwassettled.TheBaltimoreswerebroad-mindedmen.TheygavetheircolonistsalargeshareinthegovernmentofthecolonyanddidwhattheycouldtobringaboutreligioustolerationinMaryland.
RomanCatholicsinEngland.
RomanCatholicsandPuritansinMaryland.
TheTolerationAct, 1649.
40.TheMarylandTolerationAct,1649.--TheEnglishRomanCatholicswerecruellyoppressed.NopriestofthatfaithwasallowedtoliveinEngland.AndRomanCatholicswhowerenotpriestshadtopayheavyfinessimplybecausetheywereRomanCatholics.LordBaltimorehopedthathisfellowCatholicsmightfindaplaceofshelterinMaryland,andmanyoftheleadingcolonistswereRomanCatholics.ButmostofthelaborerswereProtestants.SooncamethePuritansfromVirginia.Theywerekindlyreceivedandgivenland.ButitwasevidentthatitwouldbedifficultforRomanCatholics,Episcopalians,andPuritanstolivetogetherwithoutsomekindoflawtogoby.SoalawwasmadethatanyChristianmightworshipashesawfit.ThiswasthefirsttolerationactinthehistoryofAmerica.Itwasthefirsttolerationactinthehistoryofmoderntimes.ButthePuritan,RogerWilliams,hadalreadyestablishedreligiousfreedominRhodeIsland(p.33).
Tobaccoandgrain.
Commerce.
Servantsandslaves.
41.MarylandIndustries.--TobaccowasthemostimportantcropinearlyMaryland.Butgrainwasraisedinmanypartsofthecolony.Intimealsotheregrewupalargetradingtown.ThiswasBaltimore.Itsshipownersandmerchantsbecamerichandnumerous,whiletherewerealmostnoshipownersormerchantsinVirginia.TherewerealsofewerslavesinMarylandthaninVirginia.Nearlyallthehardlaborintheformercolonywasdonebywhiteservants.Inmostotherways,however,VirginiaandMarylandwerenearlyalike.