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.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 England's Entry into Colonialism

This paragraph discusses the factors that led England to begin colonizing the New World, which was delayed for 100 years after Christopher Columbus' arrival in Hispaniola. England's internal religious conflicts, focus on Ireland, and economic depression were initial obstacles. However, with the resolution of these conflicts and the establishment of a Protestant nation, England redirected its ambitions outward, particularly towards competing with Catholic Spain and France for wealth and influence in the New World. The invention of the Joint Stock Company, which spread both wealth and risk among investors, facilitated England's colonial ventures. The East India Company and the Virginia Company were prominent examples, with the latter playing a significant role in the early colonization efforts, including the expedition led by John Smith to a land named Virginia in honor of the 'Virgin Queen,' Elizabeth I.

05:02

🌳 The Impact of Economic Hardship and Enclosure Movement

The second paragraph delves into the economic depression and poverty that gripped England in the 1500s and early 1600s, affecting a vast majority of the population outside the aristocracy and gentry. The collapse of the wool market and the Enclosure Movement, which privatized common lands, exacerbated the plight of the poor, leading to a rise in crime rates. The English Parliament viewed this as a 'surplus population' issue and considered colonization as a solution. The Virginia Company's journey to Jamestown in 1607 is highlighted as a pivotal moment in England's colonial expansion, which aimed to alleviate domestic issues by establishing new settlements and economic opportunities overseas.

Keywords

💡Colonizing

Colonizing refers to the process by which a nation establishes settlements in new territories, often with the intent to exert control over those lands and exploit their resources. In the context of the video, England's delay in colonizing the New World is discussed, with factors such as internal conflicts and economic issues being barriers to early expansion. The video later explains how England eventually joins the colonial game, leading to the founding of the United States and other English-speaking nations.

💡Hispaniola

Hispaniola is an island in the Caribbean, which was the site of Christopher Columbus's first landing in the New World. The video uses Hispaniola as a reference point to mark the beginning of European colonization efforts and to contrast England's later entry into colonization with the earlier actions of Spain.

💡Protestant Nation

A Protestant Nation refers to a country where the state religion is Protestantism, a branch of Christianity that emerged during the Reformation. The video highlights how England's establishment as a Protestant nation influenced its colonial ambitions, particularly its desire to compete with Catholic nations like Spain for religious and economic dominance in the New World.

💡Joint Stock Company

A Joint Stock Company is a business entity where shares of stock can be bought and sold, and the company's profits and risks are shared among the shareholders. The video explains that these companies were precursors to modern corporations and played a crucial role in England's ability to fund and spread the risk of colonial ventures, such as the East India Company and the Virginia Company.

💡East India Company

The East India Company was an English company formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia, India, and later other regions. The video mentions this company as an example of a Joint Stock Company that was granted a charter by England, and it played a significant role in England's colonial endeavors, including the infamous Boston Tea Party incident.

💡Virginia Company

The Virginia Company was an English joint-stock company established to establish settlements in North America. The video notes that the Virginia Company sponsored expeditions to what is now Virginia, named after 'Virgin Queen' Elizabeth I, and was instrumental in the early founding of the United States.

💡Enclosure Movement

The Enclosure Movement refers to the process of enclosing common land and transforming it into private property by fencing or other means. The video describes how this movement led to a loss of common grazing and farming rights for the poor, exacerbating poverty and social unrest in England, which in turn contributed to the push for colonization as a means to alleviate these issues.

💡Economic Depression

Economic Depression refers to a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity. The video discusses how England experienced an economic depression during the 1500s and early 1600s, which, along with other factors, prompted the search for new opportunities overseas, including colonization.

💡Puritans

Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of remaining Roman Catholic practices. The video mentions that many wool producers, who were adversely affected by the economic downturn, were Puritans, and their plight is connected to the broader narrative of England's social and economic conditions that influenced colonization.

💡Jamestown

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, established in 1607. The video uses Jamestown as a pivotal example of England's entry into the colonial race, marking the beginning of what would become the United States.

Highlights

England took another 100 years to start colonizing the New World after Christopher Columbus due to internal conflicts, colonial projects in Ireland, and economic depression.

Religious conflicts within the United Kingdom were initially a hindrance to England's colonial ambitions.

The resolution of internal religious conflict led England to turn its attention outward, particularly towards Spain and France, to compete for riches and influence.

England's desire to compete with Spain's wealth from the New World, such as gold and sugar, was a catalyst for colonial expansion.

The English were also motivated to compete with France's profitable fur trade with Native Americans in regions like present-day New York and Canada.

The invention of the Joint Stock Company was a significant factor that enabled England to join the colonial race.

Joint Stock Companies allowed for the spreading of both wealth and risk, similar to the modern-day stock market.

These companies enabled adventurers to seek wealth in the New World with the backing of multiple investors, thus spreading the risk.

The East India Company and the Virginia Company were prominent Joint Stock Companies that played crucial roles in England's colonial endeavors.

The Virginia Company was instrumental in the early founding of the United States, with explorers like John Smith heading to Virginia under its charter.

The Virginia Company's expeditions were part of England's broader strategy to address economic depression and poverty at home.

The collapse of the wool market and the Enclosure Movement contributed to widespread poverty and social unrest in England.

The Enclosure Movement, which involved fencing off common lands, severely impacted the poor who relied on these lands for sustenance.

As a result of economic hardship, crime rates rose, and the English gentry considered the establishment of colonies as a solution to overpopulation and social issues.

The Virginia Company's journey to Jamestown in 1607 marked a turning point in England's colonial efforts and the beginning of what would become the United States.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] In the last video,

we discussed why it took England

another 100 years to start colonizing

the New World after Christopher Columbus

first set foot in Hispaniola.

Among those reasons was conflict within the United Kingdom,

colonial projects closer to home,

specifically Ireland,

and economic depression that prevented England

from taking much time to look outside its borders

to the broader world.

In this video, I'm gonna walk about

what led England to finally get in the colonial game.

So what changes that allows England

to become a premier colonial empire

and go on to found what will be

the United States of America,

today even an English speaking country?

Well, some of these factors kind of

turn to their advantage.

Once the internal religious conflict

has been sorted out,

turning England into a Protestant nation,

they turn some of that animus outward

to Spain, a Catholic nation,

and they feel that they have to compete with Spain

for riches

and for souls.

So certainly, the Protestant nation of England

doesn't wanna be left behind

anymore than it already has been by Spain,

which has clearly been reaping great riches

from the New World in the form of gold

down here in Mexico and Central America

and sugar, the Sugar Islands,

and they also don't wanna be one upped

by the Catholic nation of France,

which has been reaping some excellent profits

trading with Native Americans up in the region

which is today New York and Canada,

and they're getting furs.

So there's clearly a lot to be had

in the new world

and a lot of Catholics to triumph over in having it.

Another thing that allows England to join

the imperial game in the New World

is the invention of the Joint Stock Company.

Now, Joint Stock Companies were kind of the precursor,

I mean, more than kind of the precursor,

really the precursor to the modern day corporation,

and like modern day corporations,

what they did was kind of

spread both the riches and also the risk

of any kind of entrepreneurial undertaking.

And what I mean by this is that

people could buy shares

in a Joint Stock Company,

and those shares were kind of divested

from your personal wealth.

So you could invest in something that,

if it went belly up,

wouldn't necessarily ruin you

'cause you just had a few shares.

So it's, you know, similar to the stock market today,

a very early version of that.

So these Joint Stock Companies meant that

adventurers, people seeking wealth,

could go out to the New World, for example,

with many different backers,

the risk spread across all of them,

and try to make profit for their investors.

So many what we would call promoters

of the New World

tried to drum up interest in expeditions

to the New World.

Now, everybody knows that Spain is making a killing

from gold and sugar,

and so they're saying, "Well, maybe private individuals

"with the blessing, though not the sponsorship

"of the crown can go to the New World

"and start extracting some of these resources

"and start creating wealth for their investors."

And so England issues several charters

to Joint Stock Companies that are still

familiar names to us today.

For example, the East India Company,

which Americans know best as the company

that supplied the tea that Bostonians dumped

into Boston Harbor slightly before the American Revolution,

but the one that plays the most role

in the early founding of the United States

is the Virginia Company,

and it's under the auspices of the Virginia Company

that explorers like John Smith head to Virginia

and Virginia is named for Elizabeth the First,

Henry the Eighth's daughter,

who never married, and therefore was said to be

the Virgin Queen,

so a new land named after her was Virginia.

Now, we'll talk more about the Virginia Company

in the next video,

but the last thing I wanna say about what prompted

England to join the imperial game in the New World

was that England was having a serious economic depression

and some real poverty.

Now remember that England was a highly classed society

with aristocracy and gentry,

and these were inherited roles, right?

You couldn't rise

to be among these ranks, generally.

So, you know, about 95% of the population

didn't belong to either of these groups,

and a strong majority of those

were in dire poverty in the 1500s

and early 1600s,

and there were a number of reasons for this.

The market for wool, which England,

being a major textile producer, had collapsed,

so many people who had been

wool producers were in dire straits.

In fact, many of them were Puritans,

and we'll see more about what happens to the Puritans

who leave England in another video,

and there's a process going on in this time period

known as enclosure,

the Enclosure Movement.

And what enclosure meant is kind of what it sounds like,

which is that early English towns

and manor houses were kind of set up to have,

you know, the house.

That's the big manor house,

so just bear with me and imagine here,

and then they might have some forest

filled with a nice deer to hunt,

and then they might have some nice fields, just grass,

and these were kind of considered common lands.

So if you were a peasant, for example,

you might graze your cows

on these common lands.

You might go hunting in the forest.

Well, in this time period,

these great English lords started to close off,

enclose these common lands.

So they'd fence them off.

This kind of makes sense to our modern idea

of property holding, right?

It makes us understand who owns what thing

and how it gets deeded, et cetera,

but for very poor people,

this was a huge transition

because now they didn't have a place

to raise their livestock.

They didn't have a source of hunting, protein,

so it made people who were already on the edge

of poverty extremely poor.

It was a very difficult time

if you were already kind of living

in the foraging or small farming aspect

of English life.

And so, because of this Enclosure Movement and depression,

crime rates are going up in England,

and this is a time when theft is still a capital crime.

So if you're starving and you steal something to eat,

you could be hanged,

and so many of the English gentry,

the people in Parliament,

are looking around and saying,

"Alright, what's going on?

"Are we having a moral crisis?"

Because they don't think in terms

that say, "Alright, many people are poor.

"Maybe they're going to steal."

Instead, they're saying, "Why are people stealing?

"What's wrong with people?"

And so they think of this as surplus population,

say there are too many people in England.

Now this is patently untrue

because there are way more people

living in London today

than there were in all of England at that time period,

but the English Parliament,

sort of major thinkers in England,

start to think that there are too many people in England.

There are just too many people

for having enough stuff to go around,

and so they start wondering.

Maybe these people should go elsewhere.

Maybe they should go to colonies

where maybe they can buy more goods,

produce more raw materials,

and find a different place in the social structure

and economy of England,

and that starts to come true

when the Virginia Company sets off for Jamestown,

which they'll reach in 1607,

and we'll talk about that in the next video.