Early Colonization of North America

• These study notes cover key terms, short answer questions, and essay topics related to the early colonization of North America.

Key Terms

• Christopher Columbus: Italian explorer who landed in the Americas in 1492 while sailing for Spain, mistakenly believing he had reached Asia. His voyages spurred European nations to seek new lands.
• East India Company: British trading company established in 1600 that controlled trade in India and later ruled significant portions of the country until the British government assumed control in 1858.
• Navigation Acts: British laws enacted in the 1600s that regulated colonial trade, mandating that goods be transported on English ships to benefit England's economy.
• Sir Walter Raleigh: English explorer, soldier, and writer who sponsored the Roanoke Colony and popularized tobacco in England.
• Roanoke Colony: Early English settlement in North America that disappeared by 1590, leaving only the word "CROATOAN" carved on a post.
• John White: English artist and governor of the Roanoke Colony who returned to England for supplies and found the colony deserted upon his return in 1590.
• Jamestown Settlement (1607): First permanent English colony in North America, founded in Virginia in 1607, which survived due to strong leadership and tobacco farming.
• John Smith: English explorer and leader of the Jamestown Colony, recognized for ensuring the colony's survival through strict discipline.
• John Rolfe: English colonist who helped Jamestown thrive by cultivating tobacco and married Pocahontas, improving relations with Native Americans.
• Mayflower Compact: Agreement signed in 1620 by Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, establishing self-governance and majority rule in their new colony.
• Plymouth Colony (1620): Founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims in present-day Massachusetts, this colony became one of the first successful English settlements in America, notable for religious freedom and the Thanksgiving tradition.
• Puritans: English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England from Catholic practices, later founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious freedom.
• Separatists/Pilgrims: English Puritans who sought to separate from the Church of England, eventually founding Plymouth Colony in 1620 to freely practice their faith.
• Squanto: Native American from the Patuxet tribe who assisted the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony by teaching them agricultural techniques and serving as an interpreter.
• John Winthrop: First governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a key figure in the Puritan migration to America, who envisioned the colony as a "city upon a hill" to serve as a model of Christian charity.
• First Thanksgiving: Celebrated in 1621 at Plymouth Colony, where Pilgrims and Wampanoag Native Americans shared a feast to celebrate the successful harvest and their peaceful cooperation.
• Nathaniel Bacon: English colonist in Virginia who led Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, a revolt against the colonial government over issues such as Native American policy and perceived corruption.
• Sir William Berkeley: Colonial governor of Virginia from 1642 to 1652 and again from 1660 to 1677, known for his leadership during Bacon's Rebellion and his policies favoring the wealthy plantation elite.
• King Philip’s War: Conflict (1675-1678) between Native American tribes, led by Metacom (King Philip), and English settlers in New England, which resulted in significant casualties and disruption to Native American life.
• Bacon's Rebellion: Uprising in Virginia in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon, against Governor William Berkeley's administration, due to grievances over Native American policy, government corruption, and economic inequality.
• King William's War: North American theater of the War of the League of Augsburg (1689-1697), fought between French and English colonies, with Native American tribes aligned with both sides, marked by border skirmishes and raids.
• Salem Witch Trials: Series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts in 1692, resulting in the execution of 20 people and the imprisonment of many others due to hysteria and religious extremism.
• Pontiac’s Rebellion: Uprising by Native American tribes, led by Pontiac, against British rule in the Great Lakes region from 1763-1766, triggered by dissatisfaction with British post-war policies and encroachments on Native lands after the French and Indian War.
• Navigation Act: Series of British laws in the 17th and 18th centuries that restricted colonial trade to benefit England, requiring goods to be shipped on English ships and certain goods traded only with England.
• Royal Proclamation of 1763: British law restricting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent conflicts with Native Americans, aiming to stabilize relations after the French and Indian War. This also guaranteed First Nations land rights beyond the Proclamation Line.
• Treaty of Ryswick (1697): Ended the Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, restoring pre-war borders and securing peace in Europe, while also confirming French control over territory in North America like Quebec, and England retaining its territories. Precursor to the French and Indian War.
• French and Indian War: North American conflict (1754-1763) that was part of the Seven Years' War, fought between Britain and France, with Native American tribes allied to both sides, resulting in British victory and the Treaty of Paris (1763), which reshaped territorial control in North America.
• George Washington: First president of the United States (1789-1797), Founding Father, and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, known for leading the American colonies to victory over Britain.
• The Great Awakening: Series of religious revivals in the American colonies (1730s-1740s), emphasizing personal faith, emotional preaching, and a direct relationship with God, leading to the growth of evangelical denominations and fostering a sense of unity among the colonists.
• Charter Colonies: Colonies established by a charter granted by the British crown, giving settlers significant self-government, such as Massachusetts and Connecticut.
• Proprietary Colonies: Colonies granted to an individual or a group by the crown, who had control over the colony’s government, such as Pennsylvania and Maryland.
• Royal Colonies: Colonies directly controlled by the British crown, with a governor appointed by the king, such as Virginia and Georgia.
• Salutary Neglect: British policy in the 17th and 18th centuries where England allowed its American colonies to largely govern themselves and avoid strict enforcement of trade laws, fostering a sense of independence among colonists.
• Columbian Exchange: Movement of plants, animals, diseases, culture, people, and other things between Europe and North America in the wake of Columbus’s voyages, fundamentally changing human life and the environment in both worlds.
• New Amsterdam: 17th-century Dutch settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which later became New York City after the English captured it in 1664, serving as a major trading hub in the Dutch colony of New Netherland.
• House of Burgesses: Established in 1619 in Virginia, it was the first elected legislative assembly in the American colonies, allowing colonists to have a voice in local governance and laying the foundation for representative government in the United States.
• Mercantilism: Economic theory that emphasizes government control over trade to maximize national wealth by exporting more than importing, with a state's power depending on its wealth and control of trade and the aim of every nation being to become as wealthy as possible.

Short Answer Questions

• Distinctions among New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies:

  • New England Colonies: Characterized by rocky soil, focusing on trade, shipbuilding, and fishing.
  • Middle Colonies: Farming agriculture and manufacturing.
  • Southern Colonies: Focused on land and the Caribbean.

• The Columbian Exchange:

  • It was the movement of people, plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between Europe and the Americas after Columbus’s voyages.
  • It changed both worlds by introducing new crops and animals but also brought diseases like smallpox, which devastated Native American populations.
  • It had a huge impact on life and the environment in both Europe and North America.

• Reasons for Exploration:

  • The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas after Columbus’s voyages.
  • It introduced new foods like potatoes and corn to Europe while bringing horses and wheat to the Americas, changing farming and economies.
  • It caused huge population declines among Native Americans due to diseases like smallpox and led to the growth of the transatlantic slave trade.
  • This exchange had a major impact on cultures and societies worldwide.

• Roanoke Colony:

  • Established on Roanoke Island (now part of North Carolina) in 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh.
  • The colony struggled due to a lack of supplies and conflicts with Native Americans, leading to its abandonment in 1586.
  • A second group, led by John White, arrived in 1587, but when White returned from England in 1591, the colony had vanished.
  • The only clue was the word "CROATOAN" carved into a fence.
  • Its fate remains a mystery, with theories suggesting they were either killed by local tribes or integrated into Native American communities.

• Bacon’s Rebellion:

  • Occurred in the 1670s in Virginia.
  • Backcountry colonists, led by wealthy farmer Nathaniel Bacon, sought fresh land and began a war against Susquehannok tribes.
  • Governor Sir William Berkeley saw those raids as a threat and ordered an end to all raids.
  • The rebels attacked and burnt down Jamestown, forcing Governor Berkeley to flee.
  • It revealed social tensions between wealthy established colonists and poor farmers.
  • It encouraged colonial authorities to be more active in helping colonists eliminate Natives from their territory to avoid future troubles.

• Colonies that made up the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies:

  • New England Colonies: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; focused on trade, shipbuilding, and fishing.
  • Middle Colonies: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; focused on farming and commerce.
  • Southern Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia; known for large plantations that grew crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo, and they relied heavily on slave labor.

• Causes of the French and Indian War:

  • Started because of territorial disputes between Britain and France, especially over control of the Ohio Valley.
  • The Ohio Valley was important because of its fertile land, strategic location, and trade routes.
  • Both countries wanted to dominate the fur trade and expand their colonies.
  • As British settlers moved west, they clashed with French forces and Native American allies.
  • The war was part of a larger struggle between Britain and France for power and resources around the world.

• Religious and Social Implications of the Salem Witch Trials:

  • Strengthened Puritan beliefs in the Devil and witchcraft, leading to fear and persecution.
  • Showed how hysteria, scapegoating, and power imbalances could harm vulnerable people, especially women, who were often accused.
  • It made people more skeptical of religious authority and helped push for more rational legal practices in the colonies.

Essay Topics

• Differences in the founding and purpose of the colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts:
  • Virginia, founded in 1607, was established for economic purposes, with the Virginia Company hoping to find gold and resources to make a profit.
  • Massachusetts, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims and later the Puritans, sought religious freedom from persecution in England.
  • Virginia’s economy initially struggled but shifted to tobacco farming, requiring large amounts of land and labor, leading to the use of indentured servants and later African slaves.
  • Massachusetts had a more diverse economy based on small farms, fishing, and trade, with no reliance on large-scale agriculture.
  • Virginia’s society was more individualistic, focused on wealth and land ownership, leading to a class system.
  • Massachusetts created a religiously-driven, community-focused society, where church and state were closely linked, and dissent was not tolerated.
  • Virginia was initially governed by a royal governor, with limited self-rule, but the House of Burgesses in 1619 gave settlers some political influence.
  • Massachusetts established a more democratic system, with town meetings and elected officials, allowing for greater local control. -Virginia was established for economic gain while Massachusetts was founded for religious freedom, creating a society centered on Puritan values, shaping their economies, social structures, and political systems.