Summary of Week #2 PDF

Impact of European diseases America, 8th Edition Copyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company Disease Even an illness like mumps—which we consider today a childhood disease—could be deadly to native peoples. But the big killer was smallpox. Within just a few generations, the continents of the Americas wer...

Impact of European diseases America, 8th Edition Copyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company Disease Even an illness like mumps—which we consider today a childhood disease—could be deadly to native peoples. But the big killer was smallpox. Within just a few generations, the continents of the Americas were virtually emptied of their native inhabitants – some academics estimate that approximately 20 million people may have died in the years following the European invasion – up to 95% of the population of the Americas. Disease The indigenous peoples of the Americas had no experience with domesticated cows, pigs, sheep, and goats until the Columbian Exchange. Disease Think about the pandemic we’ve been through and multiply it a hundredfold. European Colonization The Spanish The Spanish were the first Europeans to systematically explore and colonize the New World. One of their first challenges involved interaction with the inhabitants of the lands they coveted. Were natives friendly or hostile? Could they be “civilized*”? Were *Turned into a native version of they useful in any way? Catholic Spaniards. Spanish Explorations of the Mainland America, 8th Edition Copyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company Bartolomé de las Casas Bartolomé de las Casas was a Spanish priest and chronicler who witnessed the early interaction of his countrymen and native peoples in the Caribbean. He published his observations in a book entitled A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. The Spanish The Spanish will use natives as a source of labor in their expanding empire in the western hemisphere. Soon, they will conclude that natives make poor slaves. So, beginning in 1500s, the Spanish tap into the African slave trade and “import” people from West Africa to their possessions in the Caribbean. The Spanish Over the next four hundred years, the victims of slavery in the Americas will gradually transition from natives to Africans. The Spanish Having gained enormous wealth and power from their possessions in the Caribbean, the Spanish grew accustomed to a high standard of living. As mines and natural resources began to dry up, the Spanish were forced to look elsewhere for potential wealth. Two major expeditions were launched into what is now the United States: one led by Hernando de Soto into the southeast and the other led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado into the southwest. Hernando de Soto Francisco Vázquez de Coronado The Spanish Both expeditions left a legacy of disease among the native peoples they encountered. In addition, de Soto’s expedition left behind hogs that they had brought for food. Their descendants—feral razorback hogs—are still around. Having failed to find profitable extractive resources in the southeast or southwest, the Spanish, nevertheless, wanted to stake claim to the land. St. Augustine (1565) ¿Hablas español? This Happened... The Protestant Reformation The Invincible Armada America, 8th Edition Copyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company The Protestant Reformation The defeat of the Spanish Armada led to a surge of national pride in England. The English (with the help of bad weather) defied the odds and defeated what was thought to be an “invincible armada”. The English Like many GSU students after the victory over Florida, the English felt they could now play in the “big leagues”. In the sixteenth century that meant having colonies. The Spanish, having suffered a tremendous loss in terms of ships, manpower, and capital, could not afford to dominate the Americas, so they focused their attention on the Caribbean Basin and parts of North America already under their control. Land north of modern-day Georgia was fair game for their European rivals. Queen Elizabeth I America, 8th Edition Copyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company The Lost Colony Jamestown The second major attempt by the English to plant a permanent colony in North America fell under the domain of the Virginia Company. John Smith Cloud Canoe Pot Not Used For Cooking John Rolfe Although they did not find gold or silver, the colonists at Jamestown did discover something that will prove to be as good as gold--tobacco. Smoking tobacco was not new to Europeans, but they were accustomed to smoking a harsh, Spanish variety of tobacco. John Rolfe John Rolfe, one of the Jamestown colonists, will cross the Spanish variety with the tobacco found in Virginia, and produce a mild Virginia blend. Rolfe’s variety of tobacco becomes the economic basis for Jamestown’s existence. 1619 1619 (Representative Government) George Yeardley, the Governor of the Virginia Colony, called together at Jamestown six of his counselors and twenty-two burgesses (a “burgess” is someone who represents other people.) They met for four weeks and passed a few laws and levied a few taxes. It’s important because this so-called “House of Burgesses” is the first example of representative government (the type of government we have in the United States today) in English North America. 1619 (African Americans) In 1619, an English privateer (essentially a pirate ship), the White Lion, arrived in Virginia. On board were, according to John Rolfe, “20 Negroes”. Officially, they became indentured (contracted) servants; institutionalized slavery did not yet exist in Virginia. Their actual status is open to debate. Although African Americans had been in the Spanish colonies in North and South America for over 100 years, by 1619 (before the Pilgrims) they had arrived in English North America. 1619 (Women and Stability) 1619 saw a major influx of women to Jamestown. Although possessing few legal rights, women were to provide a sense of stability. They came (or were sent) to the Jamestown to marry men in the colony or to serve as indentured servants. Women were married soon after their arrival and were then expected to provide children. Most were quite young (teenagers), so families with eight or more children was the norm (although not all survived to adulthood).