Charter colony

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The British Empire utilized three main types of colonies as it sought to expand its territory to distant parts of the earth. These three types were royal colonies, proprietary colonies, and charter colonies. A charter colony by definition is a “colony…chartered to an individual, trading company, etc., by the British crown.”^[1] Although charter colonies were not the most prevalent of the three types of colonies in the British Empire, they were by no means insignificant.

Contents 1 Virginia Company of London 2 Rhode Island 3 Connecticut 4 Massachusetts Bay Colony 5 See Also 6 Sources

[edit] Virginia Company of London

The Virginia Company of London received its charter from King James I in the year of 1606. The Company’s intent in traveling to the New World was not solely for the purpose of English expansion. It also came to the land in an attempt to make a profit. The Virginia Company, being a joint-stock company, had to make money so that it could profit its shareholders. The Company was permitted to settle land between the 34th and 41st parallels. The first settlers that came with the Virginia Company arrived at Jamestown Island in May of 1607. By 1609, the Company received its second charter. This charter allowed the Virginia Company to select from its shareholders a new governor.^[2] In 1612, when it was suffering from massive debt, the Virginia Company was granted a third charter which allowed it to conduct lotteries in order to raise money. Other aspects of this charter included that the colony gained 300 more leagues of ocean territory and that the assembly of Virginia could be the legislature of the colony.^[3]King James I offered a fourth charter for the colony in the early 1620s, but this was rejected. Virginia’s charter was revoked in the year of 1624 when it was converted into a royal colony.

[edit] Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s permanent settlement by European colonists began in 1636 when a group of refugees from the Massachusetts Bay Colony left the colony to seek freedom of worship. Roger Williams, the unofficial head of the group of refugees, acquired land from Native Americansand established the town of Providence. Other early towns settled in the Rhode Island area were Portsmouth (1638), Newport (1639), and Warwick (1642). The lands on which these original four towns were settled were held only through Indian deeds, so naturally they caught the attention of nearby colonies. In order to protect the small haven that the town had established, Roger Williams acquired a parliamentary patent from England between the years 1643 and 1644.^[4] In the early 1660s, John Clarke was given the task of getting from King Charles II a charter that would both protect the colony from surrounding larger colonies and preserve the religious ideals that had been present with the colony since its beginning. The charter that the colony received was the royal charter of 1663. This charter, said to be one of the most liberal of the colonial era, not only granted the religious freedom that the colony sought, but also allowed Rhode Island to have local autonomy and gave the colony a much tighter grip on its territory.^[5]

[edit] Connecticut

A royal charter was not granted for Connecticut until 1662. The charter was proposed by John Winthrop and granted by Charles II. Up to that date, the people of Connecticut had only negotiated titles for ownership with the Indians, otherwise having no real titles on the Connecticut soil. The only restrictions limiting the newly appointed charter’s independent powers were, like other royal charters, the boundaries set by English law. While Connecticut power’s had the ability to create new laws, they were to not exceed the limits or contradict with the rules set place by English government.^[6] Attempting to absorb the New Haven Colony created tensions due to the colony’s resistance to any attempted control by Connecticut. Only after the perceived threat of absorption by New York was realized, New Haven gave in and merged with Connecticut (not after losing many people wishing to maintain independence from Connecticut rule to migration to New Jersey.)^[7] Connecticut was not free from the control of England through the royal charter until after the conflict with King James II. Even after the conflict with England, Connecticut was still able to retain a liberal charter from England.^[8]

[edit] Massachusetts Bay Colony

In 1628, a Puritan group of well-rounded businessmen created the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay to be a profitable investment in the colonies. The Council of New England authorized a land grant, allowing the company rights to the area between the Charles and Merrimack rivers to the Pacific Ocean westward. Seeking surplus protection for their endeavor, the Puritans requested and were granted a charter from England.^[9] In 1629, the businessmen undertaking the New World endeavor signed the Cambridge Agreement, agreeing to accomplish the Atlantic voyage for complete authority over the charter and the colony. The power transfer was an influential step to creating a theocratic Massachusetts. Political power was held by the staunch Puritanical fellow believers.^[10] In 1684, the royal charter was taken away, splitting the Massachusetts Bay Company and the colony. In 1691, Plymouth Colony and Maine were absorbed in a new royal charter.^[11]

[edit] See Also

• Somers Isles Company
• Providence Island

[edit] Sources