Early American History

• There is substantial evidence supporting the Bering Land Bridge theory for the arrival of people in the Americas.
• The Atlantic and Oceania theories have less supporting evidence.
• Thousands of years ago, people migrated to the Americas from other continents.

Pre-Columbian Era

• Native Americans thrived across North America before European colonization.
• Their beliefs, culture, knowledge, and history remain relevant today.
• They are divided into geographical subsections: Northwestern Coastal, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Great Plains.
• Northwestern Coastal tribes were skilled fishermen and artists, known for totem poles.
• They were among the first to create permanent civilizations
• They held potlatches, lavish feasts displaying wealth and prestige.
• Southwest tribes were nomadic and created irrigation systems for farming.
• Famed for sandstone architecture carved into canyons.
• Northeastern tribes were agrarian and migrated with the seasons, hunting deer.
• Southeastern tribes, known as "Civilized tribes," engaged with European economy and culture.
• They were known for beadwork, basket-weaving, pottery, and arrowheads.
• Great Plains tribes were nomadic, following buffalo herds for food and supplies, and were skilled horseback riders.
• European colonization in the 16th century brought germs and diseases, decimating the Native population by an estimated 90% by 1600.
• Many thriving tribes still exist in North America today.

Old World vs. New World

• The Old World refers to Europe, Africa, and Asia.
• The New World (Mundus Novus) refers to the Americas.
• The Age of Discovery was driven by the search for silks, spices, and new crops, as well as the expansion of Catholicism and the desire for adventure, which fueled the discovery of the New World.
• The Columbian Exchange was the process of exchanging goods and peoples from the Old and New Worlds.

Age of Exploration/Colonization

• The Age of Exploration in the 15th century was motivated by God, gold, and glory.
• European monarchs funded explorations to trade with Asia and spread Christianity.
• Colonizers like Christopher Columbus forced indigenous populations to convert to Catholicism.
• Conquering lands gave colonizers a sense of glory and power.
• The Columbian Exchange was inter-continental trade of food, material goods, livestock, and disease.
• Metal tools significantly impacted Native Americans.
• Diseases like smallpox and measles were devastating to Native populations.
• The introduction of livestock, especially horses, impacted Native American war and hunting practices.
• European colonizers forced indigenous people into slavery, later replaced by enslaved Africans.
• This period altered the ethnic makeup of the Americas, with race-based caste systems favoring European descent.

France in North America

• France explored North America, initially seeking the Northwest Passage, and established New France.
• New France spanned eastern Canada, the Great Lakes region, the Ohio River Valley, and the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Jacques Cartier and other French explorers had positive relations with indigenous people.
• They traded weapons for pelts, which were sold in Europe, and was of great importance to the French trappers.
• Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet sailed down the Mississippi River.
• La Nouvelle Orleans (New Orleans) was established as a successful colony at the river's end.

Jamestown

• Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded on May 14, 1607, on the James River.
• Key settlers included Captain Christopher Newport, Captain John Smith, John Rolfe, John Ratcliffe, George Kendall, and Edward-Maria Wingfield.
• The Virginia Company, funded by London venture capitalists, financed the Jamestown trip.
• Jamestown's primary economic source shifted from minerals to land and agriculture.
• John Rolfe grew tobacco as the first cash crop.
• Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan, facilitated peace between Native Americans and the English.
• Enslaved people replaced indentured servants as the primary labor source by mid-century.

Puritans

• Puritans sought to purify Anglicanism from Catholic influences in the 1500s-1700s.
• Many Puritans migrated to America, especially the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to create societies free from Catholic influence.
• Puritan society was characterized by:
• The necessity of a conversion experience for church membership
• Planting diverse crops
• Lack of separation between church and state
• Banishment as punishment for dissent
• John Winthrop, along with Thomas Dudley, banished dissenters like Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams.
• Puritanism evolved into other religious movements.

13 British Colonies

• The 13 British colonies balanced British control with colonial freedom.
• Colonists owned small farms, developed societies, and elected local governments.
• Northern colonies relied on trade, while Southern colonies produced cotton and tobacco.
• The colonial economy operated under mercantilism, where Britain controlled production and trade.
• Colonists produced raw materials, which Britain turned into finished goods and sold at higher prices.
• Britain restricted colonial trade with other nations through heavy taxes, leading to black markets.
• Enlightenment ideas about liberty and freedom influenced the colonists, leading to discussions about revolution.

Role of 13 Colonies

• The Thirteen Colonies were settled to escape religious and political persecution from the British Empire.
• The colonies fell into three regions: New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.
• Jamestown, Virginia, was the first colony, settled in 1607 by John Smith and John Rolfe, members of the Virginia Company.
• The Pilgrims founded Plymouth in 1620, later becoming part of the Massachusetts Bay colonies.
• Great Britain owned the colonies, and life varied by region due to differences in trade, climate, and politics.
• Rapid expansion led to conflicts, such as King Philip's War.
• The Salem Witch Trials and the trial of John Peter Zenger reflect the struggle for religious and political expression.
• Tobacco was America's top export to Great Britain, grown in warmer climates of the Tobacco Colonies.
• The Revolutionary War resulted from British oppression, ending with the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and the creation of the United States of America.

Road to Revolution

• Britain incurred debt after the French and Indian War and taxed the American colonies to generate revenue.
• The Sons of Liberty advocated for colonial rights and protested British taxation, which was founded by Samuel Adams in Boston.
• Pontiac's Rebellion prompted the British to send soldiers to the colonies, increasing American discontent.
• Acts like the Sugar Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act, and Stamp Act caused further agitation.
• The Stamp Act Congress marked the first collective protest against the British.
• The Sons of Liberty used peaceful protests, boycotts, and violent tactics like tarring and feathering tax collectors.

Rising Tensions

• The British passed taxes on the colonists to pay for the French & Indian War and protect colonists, arguing it was fair for them to pay their share.
• The Stamp Act was repealed due to colonial protests, but the Declaratory Act affirmed Britain's right to pass laws without colonial representation.
• The Townshend Acts taxed items like glass, lead, and tea, further angering colonists.
• The Townshend Acts demonstrated Parliament's power to tax without colonial representation.
• The Boston Massacre, where British soldiers fired on colonist protestors, was used as propaganda by Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty.
• The Boston Tea Party resulted in harsh British responses.
• Escalating tensions led to the American Revolution.

Lexington and Concord

• The first Revolutionary War battles occurred at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775.
• American Patriots fought to defend themselves, while the British aimed to seize colonial arms stores.
• Lexington and Concord showed the readiness of Patriot militias and minutemen to fight.
• The Patriots realized they had a chance against the British military.
• Major events after Lexington and Concord included the Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, the Second Continental Congress, and the Declaration of Independence.

Black Americans in the Revolution

• Both enslaved and free blacks participated in the American Revolution.
• Approximately 5,000 black Americans enlisted in the Continental Army, with thousands more serving in local militias.
• Their impact was felt throughout all three regions of the American Colonies, and their role increased throughout the war..

Women's Roles

• Women supported the American Revolution beyond domestic duties.
• "Camp Followers" provided support as nurses, cooks, cleaners, and caregivers.
• Women like Deborah Sampson, Molly Pitcher, and Sybil Ludington fought and warned against British attacks.
• The Daughters of Liberty boycotted British goods and made homemade goods for families and soldiers.
• Post-Revolution, women advocated for rights, challenging restrictions on property ownership, earning a living, education, voting, and holding office.
• Judith Murray's essay "On the Equality of the Sexes" (1771) and Phillis Wheatley's poetry (1773) promoted gender equality.

Naval Operations

• Naval operations in the American Revolution began shortly after the land war.
• The Continental Navy, composed largely of privateers, focused on engaging English merchant ships.
• Their actions helped supply the army, slowed British reinforcements, and offered higher pay to sailors.
• John Paul Jones captured three British warships and attacked an English village.
• His actions encouraged France, Spain, and the Dutch to support America, diverting British attention.
• French fleets played key roles at the Battle of the Chesapeake, leading to the British surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
• After the war, the American Navy was disbanded.

Post War

• The American Revolution increased average citizens' involvement in politics, with landowning men becoming politicians and voters.
• The revolution damaged the economy, affecting Americans for decades.
• Native Americans formed the Northwestern Confederacy after having their rights disregarded.
• Women were denied voting rights but gained educational opportunities, leading to the concept of Republican Motherhood.
• Enslaved African Americans experienced varying degrees of emancipation, with slavery phased out in the North but continuing in the South.
• In 1784, Rhode Island was the first to undertake an emancipation program.

Articles of Confederation

• The Articles of Confederation was the first official U.S. Constitution, ratified by Maryland on March 1, 1781.
• It created a loose union of state governments with a weak federal government.
• The federal government could declare war, borrow money, and interact with Native American people.
• It was also responsible for settling state disputes and making treaties, but it lacked enforcement powers.
• The government's inability to levy direct taxes and compel states to send soldiers led to issues.
• Money was devalued due to lack of federal backing and unregulated state printing.
• Lawmaking power was primarily with the states, requiring nine of thirteen states to agree on new laws.
• The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 addressed the creation of new states in the Northwest Territory.
• Larger states ceded western land claims for new state creation.
• The Ordinance included provisions for human rights, such as protection of Native American lands and rights.
• The Ordinance abolished of slavery in the Northwest Territory and new states, guaranteed freedom of religion, and the right to a trial by jury. It also outlined the legal path to statehood.

The Constitution

• The Constitution of the United States, created by the Founding Fathers and ratified in 1788, is the foundation of the federal government.
• It begins with the Preamble, followed by articles and amendments.
• Article II specifies that the US-born president must be at least 35 years old and can serve two four-year terms.
• The president must give a state of the union address.
• The legislative branch (US Congress) is outlined in Article I, and the judicial branch is established by Article III.
• The Constitution is regarded as one of the most influential documents ever written.

Bill of Rights

• The Bill of Rights was essential for the Constitution's ratification.
• It guarantees the rights of U.S. citizens.

Principles of Government

• There are five main principles of government in the United States
• Popular sovereignty dictates that the government only operates with the people's consent and authority
• Limited government means that the government's powers and functions are restricted and described in the U.S. Constitution
• Separation of powers and checks and balances are exemplified in lawmaking, where Congress can pass a bill, the president can veto it, and Congress can override the veto
• The final guiding principle fderalism - which is the division of power between the federal government and state governments.
• An example of the former would be printing money, whereas that latter have thir own unique power as well

Political Parties

• George Washington opposed political parties.
• Alexander Hamilton led the Federalists, and Thomas Jefferson led the Democratic-Republicans, which led to the creation of a two-party political system.
• Federalists favored a strong central government, a national bank, and an economy based on manufacturing.
• Federalists believed wealthy property owners should govern.
• Democratic-Republicans opposed a strong central government and favored states' rights.
• They wanted an agrarian society with governance by common people and farmers, and they advocated for lower voting restrictions.
• Both parties supported liberty and freedom from the American Revolution.

The quiz covers the Bering Land Bridge theory, characteristics of Native American tribes, reasons for the decline in the Native American population, and primary motivation behind the Age of Exploration. It also covers the Columbian Exchange and French colonization.