APUSH Unit 2

Spanish Colonization

Established colonies in the Americas to extract wealth and subject the native population to their rule, attempted conversion to Christianity, and introduced a caste system based on racial ancestry.

French Colonization

Focused on trade, established trading settlements, and formed alliances through marriages with Native American women for mutual benefit.

Dutch Colonization

Established fur trading centers, had economic goals similar to the French, and created New Amsterdam as a hub of trade.

British Colonization

Motivated by economic opportunities, religious freedom, and inflation in the British economy.

Jamestown

First permanent British colonial settlement in North America, financed by a joint stock company, and primarily focused on profit-seeking ventures like tobacco cultivation.

Triangular Trade

Involved merchant ships trading rum, enslaved people, and sugar cane between New England, West Africa, and the West Indies.

Mercantilism

Economic system focused on gaining wealth through a favorable balance of trade and establishing colonies for raw materials.

Slavery in the British Colonies

Involved the transportation of enslaved Africans, strict slave codes, and resistance and rebellion by enslaved individuals.

Metacom's War

Conflict between the Wampanoag and the British due to encroachment on Native American lands, ending with British alliance with the Mohawk Indians.

Enlightenment

Emphasized rational thinking over tradition and religious revelation, introduced key concepts like natural rights, social contract, and three-branch government.