New World Empire

The English competed with the success of Spain in an effort to claim a piece of the New World Empire. English settlers came to the southern colonies for wealth and prosperity. The demographics and economy change drastically when the English arrived. The development of plantation agriculture, high demand for labor, immigration of indentured servants, politics, religion, and the rise of slavery all contributed to the shaping of the southern American colonies.

According to The Southern Experience article, King James I authorized a joint-stock company the right to possess and develop the area around Chesapeake Bay with the purpose of raising money for colonization. "When the English again attempted to settle in America in 1607, they chose the lower Chesapeake Bay region. The new settlement, Jamestown, eventually developed into the prosperous colony of Virginia" (Goldfield, 1998, p.38). Virginia would later become England's first successful permanent colony settlement in the New World. The settlement did not go as well as planned in the first year. In an attempt to search for gold, settlers only found swampy land that was infested with disease carrying mosquitoes. The search lead to crops being neglected and the food supply dwindling. Settlers soon began to die of starvation and disease due to their surrounding environment. "Of the five hundred people in Jamestown in the autumn of 1609, just sixty remained alive by the spring of 1610" (Goldfield, 1998, p. 39).

In an effort to keep colonist from leaving the harsh environmental conditions in Virginia, joint-stock companies instituted the headright system. The headright system gave "50 acres to anyone who paid his own way to Virginia and an additional 50 for each person (or "head") he brought with him" (Goldfield, 1998, p. 39). Furthermore, the company transported women for workers, imported Africans, and created the House of Burgesses (self government). However, none of these efforts help produce a profit and the company went bankrupt in 1624.

Goldfield also mentioned the expansion of the headright system beyond Jamestown. This expansion only worsened the tension between the English and Indians. In 1622, a massacre broke out between the two. The war killed more than one-fourth of the English population and hundreds of Indians in the end. Demographics and economics declined because of the warfare.

The colony of Virginia finally rose with success when English settlers discovered they could grow tobacco despite the undesirable condition of the plantation. Tobacco was sold to wealthy consumers for a large profit. This gave the struggling colony a new lease on life. Tobacco became the main source of income for most of colonist. Soon settlers started growing tobacco everywhere. As supply grew, the price decreased. To compensate for falling prices, colonist grew more tobacco. The need for more tobacco required the need for more workers. "The planters turned to England, importing thousands of indentured servants, or contract workers, who agreed to fixed term of labor, usually four to seven years, in exchange for free passage to Virginia" (Goldfield, 1998, p.41). Indentured servants were also provided with basic necessities such as with food and shelter in return for their work. Demographics increased with the immigration of indentured servants. However this didn't last for long. Malaria and other diseases inflicted on the people which caused the death of many.

The settlement in the colony of Maryland differed from the settlement in Virginia. This colony was not founded by a joint-stock company. Instead it was a proprietary colony. This basically means the land is privately owned. George Calvert was granted the colony of Maryland by King Charles I in 1632. Calvert wanted a settlement that would generate a profit but would also offer refuge for Catholics who were being persecuted in England. Unfortunately Calvert died before settlement and Puritans started arriving to the colony due to the headright system. Problems only worsened for Maryland when civil war broke out in 1642 in England. The nation was divided in political and religious conflict. King Charles I "preferred even greater repression rather than conciliation against political and religious dissent. Because Charles could not get revenue from Parliament, he attempted