Motivations for English colonization

Summary

This video explores the factors that prompted England to join the colonial race, eventually leading to the founding of the United States. After resolving internal religious conflicts and becoming a Protestant nation, England sought to compete with Catholic Spain and France for New World riches and souls. The invention of the Joint Stock Company allowed for the spread of both wealth and risk, enabling adventurers to seek fortune with multiple backers. The Virginia Company, under which John Smith explored Virginia, played a significant role. Additionally, England's economic depression and the Enclosure Movement, which dispossessed many poor, led to a push for colonization as a solution to poverty and overpopulation.

Takeaways

• 🇬🇧 England's initial reluctance to colonize was due to internal conflict, focus on Ireland, and economic depression.
• 🛐 The resolution of religious conflicts led England to become a Protestant nation, fueling competition with Catholic Spain and France for colonial wealth and influence.
• 💰 England's desire to compete with Spain's gold and sugar riches and France's fur trade from North America drove its colonial ambitions.
• 🏭 The invention of the Joint Stock Company allowed for the spread of both wealth and risk, enabling England to fund colonial ventures.
• 📈 Joint Stock Companies were early forms of modern corporations, allowing multiple investors to share in the profits and losses of colonial enterprises.
• 📜 England issued charters to companies like the East India Company and the Virginia Company to explore and exploit the New World.
• 🌳 The Virginia Company, named after 'Virgin Queen' Elizabeth I, played a key role in the early colonization of North America.
• 📉 England faced an economic depression and poverty, with the wool market collapse and the Enclosure Movement displacing many poor people.
• 🚫 The Enclosure Movement led to a loss of common lands, exacerbating poverty and contributing to rising crime rates.
• 🚢 The Virginia Company's voyage to Jamestown in 1607 marked a significant step in England's colonial expansion and the founding of what would become the United States.

Q & A

Why did it take England 100 years after Christopher Columbus to start colonizing the New World?

England was preoccupied with internal conflicts, colonial projects closer to home like Ireland, and an economic depression that prevented them from looking outward to the broader world.

What religious change in England helped turn their focus outward to colonization?

The internal religious conflict was resolved, turning England into a Protestant nation, which then led them to compete with Catholic nations like Spain for both riches and souls.

How did the competition with Spain and France influence England's colonial ambitions?

Seeing the wealth Spain gained from the New World and the profits France made from trading with Native Americans, England felt the need to compete and not be left behind.

What was the significance of the Joint Stock Company in England's colonial endeavors?

The Joint Stock Company was a precursor to the modern corporation, allowing for the spread of both wealth and risk among investors, which facilitated the funding of colonial ventures.

How did the Joint Stock Companies change the way England funded colonial expeditions?

People could buy shares in these companies, spreading the risk among many investors, so that if a venture failed, it wouldn't ruin an individual investor.

Which Joint Stock Company played a significant role in the early founding of the United States?

The Virginia Company played a significant role, with explorers like John Smith heading to Virginia under its charter.

Why was Virginia named after Queen Elizabeth I?

Virginia was named for Elizabeth I, who was known as the 'Virgin Queen' because she never married, and the new land was named in her honor.

What economic factors contributed to England's decision to join the colonial race?

England was experiencing a serious economic depression, with a collapse in the wool market and the Enclosure Movement depriving the poor of common lands, leading to increased poverty and crime.

How did the Enclosure Movement affect the poor in England?

The Enclosure Movement involved the fencing off of common lands by English lords, which deprived the poor of places to graze livestock and hunt for food, exacerbating their poverty.

What was the attitude of the English Parliament towards the increase in crime and poverty during this period?

The English Parliament viewed the increase in crime as a moral crisis and considered the poor as a surplus population, contemplating the idea of sending them to colonies to alleviate social and economic pressures.

What was the role of the Virginia Company in England's colonial expansion?

The Virginia Company was issued a charter by England to establish colonies in the New World, leading to the founding of Jamestown in 1607.