What became of English colonization of the Chesapeake region in colonial America is a prime example of a reigning industrious society. The very reason under which the first English colony of the New World, Jamestown, was founded in 1607 was due to desire for gold, silver, any other valuables they could take back to Europe and make a profit off of, and etc. The effect of such a desire for wealth was what allowed the economy to magnificently progress, but, in turn, brought a damage upon the society; having status of wealth mass-control social and political life—that is. From the beginning, the Chesapeake region had such a value-based foundation that it is only unsurprising to know what its economy had soon formed itself into. “After the English
…show more content…
“As a commodity with an ever-expanding mass market in Europe, tobacco became Virginia’s substitute for gold” (Foner 67). Thanks to this, town development was rather slow; there was little urban development. To cultivate tobacco, planters brought in a large number of English workers, most of which were indentured servants. But the fact that there weren’t many women present in the Chesapeake region doubled with the high mortality rate due to disease (malaria, dysentery, typhoid) slowed the population growth considerably, as well. Furthermore, fluctuations in tobacco prices caused Chesapeake to plunge into a prolonged economic depression from 1660 to the early 1700s, which caused the discouraged colonists to take their frustrations out on the Native Americans. Ideally, this is what sparked Bacon’s Rebellion; what started as three hundred settlers, led by Nathaniel Bacon, massacring peaceful local tribes, and what escalated into a force of twelve hundred men that led the remaining Natives out of the country. And unsurprisingly, as for the indentured …show more content…
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the population eventually became African slaves; of course, this fact had nothing to do with attraction in the slightest. However, before that early gold-seeking scene ran out of style, most of the original settlers were men who had left their families behind in order to scour the territory for gold. With that in mind, it’s understandable that the society would lack stable family life; which later induced the colony’s avid promotion of the immigration of women. “Social conditions in the colonies, however, opened the door to roles women rarely assumed in England. Widows and the few women who never married took advantage of their legal status as femme sole (a woman alone, who enjoyed an independent legal identity denied to married women) to make contracts and conduct business” (Foner 68). What’s more, in terms of religion, compared to, say, New England, its influence within Chesapeake was much less severe. The established church was the Anglican Church, but only becoming so after 1692; many people actually did not
“As a commodity with an ever-expanding mass market in Europe, tobacco became Virginia’s substitute for gold” (Foner 67). Thanks to this, town development was rather slow; there was little urban development. To cultivate tobacco, planters brought in a large number of English workers, most of which were indentured servants. But the fact that there weren’t many women present in the Chesapeake region doubled with the high mortality rate due to disease (malaria, dysentery, typhoid) slowed the population growth considerably, as well. Furthermore, fluctuations in tobacco prices caused Chesapeake to plunge into a prolonged economic depression from 1660 to the early 1700s, which caused the discouraged colonists to take their frustrations out on the Native Americans. Ideally, this is what sparked Bacon’s Rebellion; what started as three hundred settlers, led by Nathaniel Bacon, massacring peaceful local tribes, and what escalated into a force of twelve hundred men that led the remaining Natives out of the country. And unsurprisingly, as for the indentured …show more content…
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the population eventually became African slaves; of course, this fact had nothing to do with attraction in the slightest. However, before that early gold-seeking scene ran out of style, most of the original settlers were men who had left their families behind in order to scour the territory for gold. With that in mind, it’s understandable that the society would lack stable family life; which later induced the colony’s avid promotion of the immigration of women. “Social conditions in the colonies, however, opened the door to roles women rarely assumed in England. Widows and the few women who never married took advantage of their legal status as femme sole (a woman alone, who enjoyed an independent legal identity denied to married women) to make contracts and conduct business” (Foner 68). What’s more, in terms of religion, compared to, say, New England, its influence within Chesapeake was much less severe. The established church was the Anglican Church, but only becoming so after 1692; many people actually did not