Early Contact and Colonization of North America (1491-1754)

These flashcards cover the early contact, colonization strategies, economic policies, conflicts, and legal developments in North America from 1491 to 1754.

How and when did the first Native Americans migrate to North America according to the transcript?

They walked across a land bridge from Asia between $40,000$ and $15,000$ years ago, which was later submerged to form the Bering Strait.

Which Native American city was more populous than any European city in $1500$?

The Aztec city of Tenochtitlan.

How did the introduction of maize from Mexico impact North American Native societies?

It allowed stable economies and organized societies to prosper through advancements in irrigation and agriculture.

What is the 'Contact Period' defined by in the notes?

The period beginning in $1492$ with Christopher Columbus’s arrival, which initiated the Columbian Exchange and European expansion.

What was the 'encomienda' system implemented by Spain?

A system where the Spanish crown gave colonists authority over a number of natives for labor in exchange for protecting and converting them.

List the levels of the Spanish racial caste system from highest to lowest rank.

1. Europeans, 2. Mestizos (mixed European and Native), 3. Zambos (mixed African and Native), 4. Africans.

What event in $1588$ opened the door for other European powers to explore the New World?

The English defeat of the Spanish Armada.

What were the three primary motivations for European exploration in the early $1700 ext{s}$?

God, Gold, and Glory.

What played a major role in the settlement of Jamestown and other lands, acting as corporate businesses with shareholders?

Joint-stock companies, such as the Virginia Company.

Who were the two primary debaters mentioned regarding the treatment of Native Americans by the Spanish?

Juan de Sepúlveda and Bartolomé de Las Casas.

What was the 'starving time' in the Jamestown colony?

The period from $1609$ to $1610$ when the Powhatan Confederacy stopped food supplies, leading to extreme starvation and cannibalism.

How did John Rolfe help save the Jamestown colony?

By marrying Pocahontas to ease tensions and starting the cultivation of tobacco as a cash crop.

What was the 'Headright system' introduced in $1618$?

A system where a tract of land, specifically 50 acres, was granted to colonists and settlers.

Describe the main difference between French and English colonization regarding their relationship with Native Americans.

The French formed friendlier relations and became allies as trading partners, whereas the English tended to exclude and exterminate Native populations.

What was the purpose of the Mayflower Compact of $1620$?

To create a legal authority and an assembly for the Plymouth colony, asserting that government power derives from the consent of the governed.

What concept did Governor John Winthrop advocate for in his 'A Model of Christian Clarity' sermon?

The idea of the colony being a 'city upon a hill' as a moral model for others to look up to.

Why was Roger Williams banished by the Puritans, and what was the result?

He taught that church and state should be separate; he subsequently formed the Rhode Island colony, which allowed for free exercise of religion.

What is 'antinomianism' as proposed by Anne Hutchinson?

The belief that faith and God’s grace are enough to earn a place among the 'elect,' rather than moral law and good deeds.

Identify the primary economic difference between the Chesapeake and New England colonies.

The Chesapeake had a plantation economy dependent on slave labor/tobacco, while New England was a commercial center with smaller farms and trade.

What was the significance of the Fundamental Orders ($1635$) in Connecticut?

It was the first written constitution in British North America.

Why did Cecilius Calvert (Lord Baltimore) found the Maryland colony?

To create a haven for Catholics from Protestant England and to profit from tobacco.

Who was granted Pennsylvania by Charles II, and what were the colony's characteristics?

William Penn (a Quaker); the colony featured religious freedom, civil liberties, and fairer treatment of Native Americans.

What was the primary cause of Bacon’s Rebellion in $1676$?

Western settlers in Virginia were angry that the Jamestown government refused to let them attack Native American tribes to seize more land.

What was the first and most successful slave rebellion in the early colonies, occurring in $1739$?

The Stono Uprising (also known as the Cato Rebellion).

What was the 'Halfway Covenant'?

A rule allowing all children of baptized parents to be baptized, though they could not vote if they had not personally experienced God’s grace.

Define 'mercantilism' as it related to English colonial trade.

An economic policy where power was rooted in a favorable balance of trade (exporting more than importing) and the control of specie (hard currency).

What did the Navigation Acts ($1651$-$1673$) require of the colonists?

Colonists were required to buy goods from England, sell certain products only to England, and import non-English goods through English ports while paying a duty.

What event officially ended the Seven Year’s War in $1763$?

The Treaty of Paris, which removed French land from North America and gave the British control over a vast territory.

What was the Royal Proclamation Line of $1663$?

A boundary set by the British down the Appalachians that limited colonists' land expansion, enforced by Redcoats.