On the orders of the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, a reconnaissance expedition reached the American coast in 1584, and named it the open coast of Virginia, in honor of Elizabeth I, who never married.
The first colony, based on Roanoke Island near the coast of Virginia, on the verge of destruction due to attacks by the Indians and a shortage of supplies, was evacuated by Sir Francis Drake in April 1587. In July of the same year, the second expedition of colonists, numbering 117 people, landed on the island. It was planned that in the spring of 1588, ships with equipment and food would arrive in the colony. However, the supply expedition was delayed. When it arrived at the site, no traces of people were found. The exact fate of the colonists has not been established to this day.
The Virginia Company of London received the rights to the southern, and the second Plymouth Company, to the northern part of the continent. Despite the fact that officially both companies proclaimed the main purpose was the spread of Christianity, the obtained license granted them the right to prospect and mine gold, silver, and copper.
On December 20, 1606, the colonists built a fort, named after King James Fort. Later, the fort was renamed Jamestown, the first permanent British settlement in America.
The first years of the colony were extremely difficult, during the hungry winter of 1609-1610. Of the 500 colonists, no more than 60 survived. In the following years, when the issue of physical survival was no longer so acute, the two most important problems were tense relations with the indigenous population and the economic existence of the colony. To the disappointment of the shareholders of the London Virginia Company, neither gold nor silver was found by the colonists, and the main product exported was ship wood. Despite the fact that this product enjoyed a certain demand, the profit, as well as other attempts at economic activity, was minimal.
The situation changed in 1612 when landowner John Rolfe managed to cross a local variety of tobacco grown by Indians with varieties imported from Bermuda. The resulting hybrids were well adapted to the Virginia climate. The colony acquired a source of reliable income. For many years, tobacco became the basis for the economy and export frfom Virginia. John Rolf in 1614 managed to negotiate peace with the local Indian chief. The peace treaty was sealed by a marriage between Rolf and the leader’s daughter, Pocahontas.
In 1619, Governor George Yardley decided to transfer some power to the House of Burgesses, thereby creating the first New World electoral legislative assembly. The first meeting of the council was held on July 30, 1619. In the same year, a small group of Angolan Africans was purchased by the colonists.
In 1622, almost a quarter of the population of the colony was destroyed by Indians. In 1624, the license of the London Company was withdrawn, and from that time Virginia became a royal colony. The governor was appointed by the king, but the colony council retained considerable power.
Settling
In September 1620, on the coast of Massachusetts, the Mayflower landed with 102 Puritan Calvinists. This event is considered the beginning of purposeful colonization by the British. They concluded an agreement, called the Mayflower Pact. It is reflected in the most general form of representation of the first American colonists regarding democracy, self-government and civil liberties. After 1630, the English Puritans founded no less than a dozen small townships. The immigration wave of 1630-1643 brought about 20,000 people to New England.
Thirteen Colonies
There were 12 more colonies – New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
The first generation of colonists had 7-8 children per average family, and by 1660, these children had grown up and wanted to have their own farms. The first colonists of North America did not differ either in their religious beliefs or in their equal social status.
Beginning in the mid-17th century, Great Britain tried to establish complete control over the economic activities of the American colonies, implementing a program in which all manufactured goods were imported into the colonies from the metropolis in exchange for raw materials and agricultural goods. Under this scheme, the British businessmen, as well as the British government, were not interested in the development of industry in the colonies, nor in the colonies trading with anyone other than the mother country. Meanwhile, American industry had made significant progress. American industrialists succeeded in building ships, which made it possible to quickly establish trade.
The English Parliament considered these successes so menacing that in 1750, it issued a law prohibiting the construction of rolling mills and ironworking shops in the colonies. Foreign trade colonies also suffered harassment. In 1763, shipping laws were passed, under which goods were only allowed to be imported and exported from American colonies on British ships. In addition, all goods destined for the colonies had to be loaded in the UK, regardless of where they were exported from. The British tried to put all the foreign trade of the colonies under its control.
War of Independence
By the second half of the 18th century, the population of the American colonies was becoming more willing to confront the United Kingdom. Development of the colonial press played a significant role in all this. The first American newspaper appeared in April 1704, and by 1765 there were 25 newspapers.
Sensing the seriousness of the situation, both the United Kingdom and the American bourgeoisie sought a solution that would satisfy the interests of both the UK and the colonies. Thus, in 1754, at the initiative of Benjamin Franklin, a project was proposed to create an alliance of North American colonies with its own government; but led by a president appointed by the British king. Although the project did not provide for the complete independence of the colonies, it provoked an extremely negative reaction from the British government. All this became prerequisites for the US War of Independence. It was becoming unavoidable for colonies to risk a revolution for independence. In 1776, a successful revolution started that would conclude with the formation of the United States of America.