Corporate Colonies
- Corporate colonies were created by joint-stock companies (like the Virginia Company).
- Investors funded colonies in hopes of making profits from trade or resources.
- Colonists often had more self-government, with elected assemblies making local decisions.
- The most famous example was Jamestown, Virginia (1607), founded by the Virginia Company of London. The colony’s eventual success with tobacco cultivation turned it into a profitable venture.
Definition
Joint-Stock Company
A business organization in which investors pooled money to fund colonial ventures in exchange for shared profits. This model reduced individual risk and allowed colonies like Jamestown (1607) to be established without direct royal funding.
Royal Colonies
- Royal colonies were directly controlled by the Crown.
- Governors were appointed by the king and enforced royal policies.
- Colonists often resented the lack of local power, leading to tension with Britain.
- By the mid-18th century, eight of the thirteen British colonies (including Virginia and Massachusetts after 1691) were royal colonies.
- The growing tension between royal governors and elected colonial assemblies over taxation and autonomy helped lay the groundwork for the American Revolution.
Definition
Royal Governor
A Crown-appointed official who oversaw administration, enforced British trade laws, and maintained order in royal colonies. Though powerful in theory, royal governors often clashed with colonial assemblies over taxation, spending, and local autonomy.
