Colonial History PDF

Becoming a Protestant nation during the Reformation (in direct opposition to Catholic France and Spain), England was a latecome maho colonial game. Two impulses were Present: English businessmen backed by the monarch trying to strike it rich like Spain; and ultra-religious dissenters who were upset...

Becoming a Protestant nation during the Reformation (in direct opposition to Catholic France and Spain), England was a latecome maho colonial game. Two impulses were Present: English businessmen backed by the monarch trying to strike it rich like Spain; and ultra-religious dissenters who were upset at the Catholic roots still present in the Church of England and wanted to start a new nation. Impact: The disappointment of not actually linking up with Asia gave way to bafflement at this new word in front of them. Cardon nated Europe. Despite obvious evidence of new world in front of them. Complex societies existed with people that didn't quite fit in sophistication and complexity, the natives were largely viewed as "savages" who didn't use the land to their expectation. The seeds of conflict were sowed early. At no point were the Europeans and Natives on the same page. Neither could quite figure out who the other was - their societies and motivations were completely foreign to each other. Europeans struggled to understand how these natives fit in with their worldview. Europeans were largely seeking wealth - primarily gold, but also fur). Tied to wealth was the concept of private property and ownership, a concept that didn't translate to Native societies, where resources were harvested together for the whole community. In contrast, native societies revolved around the concept of mutual trade that was not tied to land. Europeans offered beads, guns, cloth, and other goods from the Old World, which was accepted by the Natives in turn for gold and other commodities. From the European perspective, this also entailed the transfer of property, bringing them in continual conflict with the Natives who continued to live on "their" property. Columbian Exchange - the exchange of people, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World (Eurasia and Africa) and the New World (the Americas) that occurred after Columbus' voyages. Two halves of the world that had been disconnected for thousands of years were reunited in a collision that brought about profound changes. The introduction of corn and the potato from the Americas dramatically increased the amount of food available, allowing for Europe's population to begin increasing significantly. Native populations - The most profound consequence was the most tragic as well: diseases that had been circulating across the Old World for thousands ofyears had left a degree of immunity that Natives in the New World lacked. Explosively contagious diseases like smallpox, the measles, and plague ravaged the Native populations. Up to 90% of the Native population was dead a century after Columbus. This unforeseen catastrophe disrupted Native life and society dramatically and allowed for Europeans to penetrate deeper into the continent against an increasingly weakening opposition. 3. Slavery - the Spanish and Portuguese increasingly began to rely on imported African slaves to replace the dying Native population to work in the mines. Powerful African kingdoms on the coast, armed with European guns, raided deep into Africa and sold slaves in great numbers to the Europeans. Between 9-12 million slaves were taken from Africa over the course of three centuries, with 2-3 million dying along the way in the Middle Passage. Part II: Colonization Spain - Spain had the first and largest empire. Aztec and Incan Empires toppled under the weight of disease and civil war, allowing the Spanish to claim unbelievable wealth. Driven by the contradictory goals of unlimited gold at any cost, and the desire to spread Catholicism far and wide, Spain was largely successful at both. Spanish conquistadors married native women, creating a complex colonial society based on ancestry. The interactions were often disastrous. Despite the official royal position on treating the natives with fairness, New World landowners followed a brutal form of slavery and viewed the natives as less than human. The encomienda system created landowners with vast plantations worked by native slaves. Former conquistador and monk Bartolome de las Casas delivered the most eloquent defense of native rights and dignity in stark contrast. Although the monarchy sided with Casas' view, no enforcement was practiced thousands of miles away in the New World. France - New France was established in Canada, centered around the cities of Quebec and Monreal. No gold was found, but a seemingly unlimited supply of fur bearing animals set off an economic boom. Despite these two cities, the overwhelming majority of territory in New France was occupied only by fur trappers. Since the French did not settle in large numbers, they largely coexisted and created alliances with the Native populations, who would side with them against future wars with the English. Decades later, the French created the Louisiana territory that controlled the strategic, mighty Mississippi River. Netherlands - the Dutch emerged from Spanish control as a nation driven by economic wealth. Settling on the large natural harbor in a town called New Amsterdam, the city became a center of trade. Later traded to England in a war, thecity became New York City (and is still the center of the global economy).Engiand - fending off a Spanish invasion, England emerged as a late, European renaissance power eager to expand in the New Warld. The first colony established, Roanoke Island in 1585, vanished mysteriously, setting back English attempts for the next two decades. Period 2: 1607 - 1754 (6-8%) Overview: The United States is a direct product of European colonies established in the 16th and 17th centuries. Motivated largely by greed, the desire to convert native populations to Christianity, and the spirit of adventure, various European powers established a patchwork of colonies across the North and South American continents, blending and absorbing influences from Native Americans and Africans imported as slaves. With colonizations came numerous conflicts with the Native Americans and with other colonial powers. Life for settlers was often harsh: unending work, violence, unfamiliar weather and land, disease, and starvation were facts of daily life. In North America, a series of English colonies were established on the East Coast, starting with Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Although both were established largely by English populations, the colonies in the North and the South differed drastically from each other and were in no way united. Founded by merchants and religious zealots, the North focused heavily on farming and trade. From almost the beginning, the Southern colonies were characterized by an increasingly brutal and dominant slave system of plantations. It was not until a global war between France and Britain in the 1750's and '60's that the beginnings of colonial unity came about. The creation of English colonies was not a unified effort. England during the 16th and 17th century was deeply divided by religious conflict between Catholics and the Church of England. Different groups of people established their own colonies for different reasons, and these colonies had very little in common. Two regional identities slowly emerged: Southern and Northern. A. Southern colonies - two models of Southern colonies emerged: the Tidewater plantations of Maryland, Virginia, and northern Carolina, and the coastal rice plantations of southern Carolina and Georgia. Both relied on slave labor. a. Tidewater colonies - The Southern colonies were founded by companies seeking profits. Early corporations called joint-stock companies pooled investors' money for potentially large rewards (and losses) in the New World. The first English colony successfully established was Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Initially hoping to find gold, the first settlers found nothing but extreme starvation and conflict. Only yearly arrivals of new colonists to replace the dead allowed the colonies to grow slowly over the decades. When the cash crop tobacco was discovered and became a hit in Europe, the Southern colonies immediately began to grow quite wealthy.The headright system encouraged colonists to import as many people as they could to the new colonies by offering large tracts of land for each person brought. over. Self rule was quickly organized with the House of Burgesses (the first lawmaking body in America), representing the power and interests of the landholders. Maryland (1634) was originally founded as a haven for English Catholics, but it quickly became a major tobacco colony. Tobacco farming was labor intensive and death rates were extraordinarily high for decades. To gain labor (and the land gifted by the headright system), many landowners paid for indentured servants to come and work for 7 years before earning their freedom. The indentured servant system was largely replaced by African slaves. D. Lower South - Carolina was founded by Caribbean planters from Barbados in 1679. African slave knowledge of rice farming made the Carolina colony one of the wealthiest colonies, with Charles Town (Charleston) the most important city in the South. The last Southern colony, Georgia (1732), was founded as a buffer colony between wealthy Carolina and unfriendly Spanish Florida. Originally a refuge for the poor and prisoners, Georgia quickly adopted slavery along the Carolina model. To provide the hard labor on these plantations, Native Americans and, eventually, Africans, were enslaved. A strict society of aristocratic plantation owners, yeoman farmers (poor white but free), and enslaved Africans at the bottom developed, providing the dominant characteristic of the Southern colonies. B. Northern colonies - in contrast to the warmer, agricultural Southern colonies, the soil was rockier and the climate was harsher. These factors prevented plantation economies, and therefore slavery, from developing. a. New England - The New England colonies were founded by people seeking religious freedom from England. Wanting to separate totally from English society, Separatists (Pilgrims) founded the first northern colony, Plymouth, in 1620. The Mayflower Compact was an early step towards the democratic ideals that would later evolve. A more egalitarian (but still religiously extreme) society arose in the North. Concerned about the Catholic influence in England, Puritans founded the colony of Massachusetts to act as a "shining city on the hill" - a model of virtue for all, the world to see. Although seeking religious freedom, they did not offer toleration of other religions, executing and banishing anyone with different beliefs. Only Rhode Island offered freedom for all religions. As the colonists spread deeper into the land, conflict with the Native Americans was brutal. Any friendly relations deteriorated quickly, and each side frequentlyused bursts of violent raids and murder. Continually weakened by waves of European diseases, King Philip's War (1675) was the last major native conflict in New England. The New England colonies had poor soil quality and short growing seasons but access to some of the most abundant fisheries in the world. The economy revolved around shipbuilding, merchants (including slaves), and fishing. b. Mid-Atlantic - Below New England, the Dutch founded New Amsterdam as a center of trade. The English gained control and renamed it New York City, and it continued to be the most important port in the New World. An English Quaker, William Penn, founded Pennsylvania offering tolerance for all religions and groups of people. Blessed with better soil and a longer growing season than New England, the mid-atlantic colonies became the breadbasket of the Americas. Philadelphia joined Boston and New York as the most important cities in the North. C. Colonial Society and Economy Economy - the prevailing economic system of the colonial era was mercantilism: Each country sought to gain as many colonies as they could for raw resources which were then imported to the mother country, turned into finished goods, and sold back to the colonies. In contrast to the later global economy in which countries actively traded with each other, the goal of mercantilism was to sreate a closed system where goods and money circulated within the empire. From the European perspective, the sole purpose of the colonies was to provide resources and a market. On the other side, colonists felt like they were equal members of the empire - a difference of perspective that would widen and contribute to the future American Revolution. The colonies in the Americas were one part of a global trade network also involving Europe and Africa. This Triangle Trade brought slaves from Africa to work on plantations in the New World. These raw materials were then shipped to Europe, which made and then sold finished goods. In turn, the colonies were only allowed to buy British goods and use English boats (the Navigation Acts), which caused widespread anger and smuggling from French, Spanish, and Dutch colonies. Theoretically, these laws were strict, but in practice they were only loosely enforced, a practice known as salutary neglect. Society - At the top of colonial society were the gentry. These wealthy individuals owned estates or plantations that generated enough money for them to not work, allowing them to act as the civil and religious leaders of the colonies. As the wealthiest but smallest class, they largely controlled all forms of society and government, with some being royal officials.Below the gentry was a small middlle class made up of merchants, lawyers, the clergy, artisans and craftsmen, and shopkeepers. The vast majority of the European colonist population were the yeoman farmers (small scale farmers who worked their own land) and poor white farmers, who worked on larger farms. They did not own their own land and had few rights. Seeking to escape the landowner elite on the coast and looking to gain land, many of these poor whites moved to the backcountry. Life in the backcountry was dangerous, isolated, and backbreaking. This is the beginning of the concept of the West - the ever shifting frontier where law and control by the elites did not exist and the potential for wealth was unlimited (even though for the vast majority of frontier settlers it brought only unending misery. Colonial society was ruled by the uniquely American dichotomy of profit seeking and fervent religious belief, with both sides resistant to any elite dictating what they can do or believe. From an early stage, Europeans commented on the American drive for wealth. This unabashed materialism provoked a religious revival known as the Great Awakening. Itinerant preachers toured the colonies, organizing enormous revivals and using fiery and emotional appeals to inspire their captive audiences. In contrast to Europe where state based churches dominated, American churches were decentralized and continually broke down into smaller congregations. c. Slavery - Below and apart from society were slaves and Native Americans. To provide labor, the colonists enslaved Native American prisoners of war. As this population declined severely from exposure to new diseases like smallpox, a new source of labor was needed. Africans were then brought to the New World as slaves. Over time, slavery in the English colonies developed from captured people to a race based system, with Africans and Natives being viewed as inferior. Slavery became hereditary. Over 12 million slaves were brought across the Atlantic Ocean (the Middle Passage), with almost 2 million dying in the journey. Slaves had no rights and were viewed not as humans but as property. Although conditions on the sugar plantations of the Caribbean were far more brutal, slavery in the American colonies was still based on terror and violence. Slave resistance (large and small) was ubiquitous, and slave revolts was a terrifying reality for many in the South and North. The Stono Rebellion (1740) in Charlestown was the largest and struck fear far and wide. Although it failed, the Southern colonies created an even more repressive form of slavery to prevent future rebellions. D. 7 Years' War (1754/1756 - 1763) - this was a global conflict (one of the first world wars) between Britain and France over control of the crucial Ohio River Valley across theAppalachian Mountains. Settlers were vulnerable to Native American attacks, and Whoever controlled the river valley would control trade in the interior of the continent. A 21 year old George Washington accidentally set off a conflict in 1754 in North America known as the French and Indian war, which grew into a global conflict involving most European powers two years later, known as the 7 Years' War. A famous scientist and newspaper printer in Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin, called the very different colonies to organize together for colonial defense (the Albany Plan). Although not entirely successful, he was the first to see the potential for unity between the colonies. With the capture of the Canadian capital Quebec by the British, French power in the New World was destroyed and Britain became the dominant world power. Although the victor, the war had put Britain deeply in debt. To reduce costs, the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade English colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains (if colonists do not settle in the Ohio River Valley, they won't be attacked by Natives and the British won't need to keep expensive troops there). This decision was deeply unpopular with the colonists, who had fought the war with the British solely to settle this now forbidden territory. This tension sets the stage for the upcoming Revolution!