New Spain, France, Netherlands, and Britain Flashcards

Who was Juan Ponce de Leon and what did he do?

• Explorer who wants to find gold and the fountain of youth, going from island to find them.

• He would find and settle Puerto Rico for the Spanish, as well as finding present day Florida

What was Florida to the Spanish?

• their foothold into America as they lose territory in the southwestern part of the US

  • Florida would become a place where the Spanish would encourage British African slaves to run away to.

  • The Spanish are able to control Florida through making fortresses, namely St. Augustine’s Fortress.

Who was Hernando de Soto?

Pizarro’s number two while conquering Peru, he would return to the Americas in search of adventure and glory. He explores the inland part of North America to find gold, but instead finds the Mississippi River.

He dies of malaria and is buried in the river.

What areas did France occupy in the Americas?

The Caribbean, New Orleans region, and in Canada, mainly. They laid claim to areas ranging from Newfoundland down to the gulf, and as west as the rockys.

Where did France first settle and when?

What is now modern day Saint Kitts around the early 17th century.

Who were the Huguenots?

• Protestant French dissenters from the state religion who were expelled out of France, so they came to America for religious freedom

• Huguenot architecture can be found across the New World, such as Charleston.

• While Huguenots did leave France, emigration wasn’t as sponsored as other countries, and they were outnumbered by the British population

Who was Samuel de Champlain?

• An explorer who discovered the area for the city of Quebec - he was there looking for a route along the top of the world to get to India.

• He ends up exploring a large amount of Canada and makes friends with the indigenous tribes - France then was able to recruit a lot of these Indians into helping them fight wars with their enemies.

What was the Middle Ground?

An area of balanced power and trade in the northwest/northeast side of the French settlements. Both the French and Indians wanted each others goods, so they would trade.

Indians got guns and metal made items, while the French got furs, which would start the fur trade in Europe.

The French fur trappers would begin to intermarry with the Indian tribes, leading to a new mixed culture in Canada and strong alliances between France and the tribes, such as the Huron.

Who was Henry Hudson?

An English Explorer working for the Dutch who discovered the New York / Long Island area. He also finds the Delaware Bay and into the Hudson River. He would disappear on his last voyage.

What was the Dutch empire based on?

Commerce and trade, mainly dealing with coffees until trade starts in New Amsterdam

Describe New Amsterdam.

A melting pot of a city, New Amsterdam was used a main trading hub between French Canada and the Caribbean area. The city’s land was based on who would give the wealthiest investments, and it had a natural bay for ship parking.

Was it clear Britain would be a major player in the Americas at the start?

NO! A lot of their first attempts to get a foothold in the new world were failures up until Barbados and Antiqua, along with Jamestown and Plymouth.

For what reasons did Britain enter the New World?

• Piracy!

  • They want to raid French, Dutch, and Spanish shipping in the Caribbean.

  • Many pirates are given monarch sanctioned piracy to plunder ships by the queen

• Trade!

  • English Investors felt like there was a lot of money to be made, whether from gold rumors, agricultural food growing, exotic foods like coffee, drinking chocolate, and tea

• FUCK THE SPANISH

  • England wants to stem the growth that the Spanish have over the New World.

Who started Roanoke - and did they get to go to Roanoke?

Sir Walter Raleigh - he did not, as he was thrown into the Tower of London by Elizabeth I.

Describe what happened at Roanoke and its ending.

Roanoke began to slowly fail and die, so representatives of the colony returned to England to gather resources. Upon arrival, everyone was gone and the only signs of life left was the word “CROATON” on a tree and “CRO” on a fence post.

We don’t know what happened to the settlers - some speculate they died from disease, starvation, battle between them and the Indians, others believe the intermarried into the Croaton tribe. Some rumors were started that the Spanish had killed them.