From Jamestown to the Puritans

In this blog post I will attempt to highlight some of the major developments in very early America.  Please note that I am deliberately leaving some information out; the purpose of this is review so I will highlight the major points.

Jamestown, established in 1607, was funded by the Virginia Company, a joint-stock company.  Investors believed they could make money from gold (which was not present in Virginia) and the growing of tobacco.  John Rolfe was significant because he married Pocahontas, a daughter of the Powhatan Confederacy's chief, and pioneered the growing of tobacco.  Eventually, new settlements were build around Jamestown and the area came to be Chesapeake.  

Indentured servitude was an extremely popular way for young men to come over to the new world.  By the 1620's, the success of tobacco farming demanded more workers.  

Virginia was one of the few colonies at the time.  In 1619 the House of Burgesses was established, in which any property holding, white male could vote.  This also began slavery in the colonies.

In the 1500's Puritanism, a sect of Calvinism (Protestantism), began to gain momentum in England.  The Puritans faced much religious persecution by Great Britain's monarchs, which practiced Anglicanism (Church of England).  One Puritan group called the Separatists felt so abused that they decided to look for a new place to worship freely.  In 1620 they left on the Mayflower for the new world and landed in modern-day Massachusetts.  They created a settlement called Plymouth

The Separatists, which we often refer to as Pilgrims, created the Mayflower Compact, which created a legal authority and assembly and decided that the governments power is derived from the people, not God.  This was contrary to how many monarchs ruled at the time.

In 1629, the colony of Massachusetts Bay was established by Congregationalists (sect of Puritanism).  Their famous governor, John Winthrop, preached the idea of a "city upon a hill." 

Ironically the Puritans, despite the fact that they were escaping religious persecution, were in general not a religiously tolerant people.  Roger Williams, a Puritan minister, pushed for the controversial concept of separation of church and state.  He was banished.  The other big name is Anne Hutchinson.    She preached that faith in God was more important than actual observance in regard to becoming an "elect." (Puritan who goes to heaven).  It is also important to note that she was a woman speaking controversial ideas in a patriarchal society; she was also banished.

One more thing: I just want to make sure to distinguish between the two big regions by 1620.  There was Chesapeake, which consisted of the colonies of Maryland and Virginia, and there was New England, which consisted of Massachusetts Bay.  Chesapeake consisted of mostly single males growing tobacco.  It was a rougher life compared to New England.  New England consisted of families owning small farms.  Here are some maps to help:

New England 

Chesapeake

Feel free to clarify/add any ideas in the comments!