U.46. The Historical Configuration of the United States of America. From the Independence to the American Civil War. TSL and TRBoC.

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.1. First settlements. Columbus, Ponce de León and Spanish Settlements in the Americas

• 1492 → Columbus discovers America. Sailor under the Spanish Crown. (He reaches the Caribbean Islands)

• April 1513 → Ponce de León arrives in modern-day Florida. First European to ever set foot on American soil.

• 16th century onwards → Spain expanded its presence in the Americas (throughout Florida, the Southwest, and other regions through settlements established from Mexico.

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.1. First settlements. The French. Jamestown and Plymouth. Massachusetts Bay Colony.

• French explorers and fur traders established settlements in New France (Great Lakes to the Mississippi River).

• First colonies ever were Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620)

• Massachusetts Bay Colony was established in 1630.

• By the end of 1630, population had exceeded 10,000 settlers.

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.1. First settlements. City Upon a Hill.

• Puritans were strongly influenced by John Winthrop’s ideas.

• Sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630) described the colonies as the “moral pinnacle”, as a “city upon a hill”.

• This concept helped shape the American identity.

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.1. First settlements. Convicts. New Amsterdam.

• From the early 17th C to the American Revolution → 50,000 convicts were transported from Britain.

• The Dutch had also established settlements along the Hudson River. Founded New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.

• The English conquered it in 1664, and after formal recognition in 1674, New Amsterdam became New York (name given after the then Duke of York, King James II)

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.2. The 13 colonies.. Formation of the 13 colonies.

• Many immigrants arrived as indentured servants, especially in the Chesapeake colonies.

• With the founding of Georgia in 1733 and the division of Carolina into North and South Carolina in 1729, the 13 colonies were established.

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.2. The 13 colonies.

• New England Colonies:

  • New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island

• Middle Colonies:

  • New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware

• Southern Colonies:

  • North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.2. The 13 colonies. Governance

• Voting restricted to free men who met property requirements.

• Colonies developed representative institutions and local governments.

• Institutions fostered traditions of self-governance and reinforced colonists’ belief in the right of English subjects.

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.2. The 13 colonies. Institutionalisation of racial slavery. Population growth

• Colonial governments also enacted laws that allowed the institutionalisation of racial slavery and supported the transatlantic slave trade (particularly in the Southern colonies).

• Population growth was fueled by high birth rates, relatively low mortality and continued immigration.

• The Great Awakening (1730s) encouraged renewed religious commitment.

• By 1770, colonies had reached a population of 2,6M (including Native Americans and African slaves and descendants)

• Since they had no direct Parliamental representation → prompted tensions

2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE US

2.2. The 13 colonies. The Native American question.

• Worth noting that settlers did NOT settle on “empty land” → Native Americans were very diverse and had their own beliefs, culture, and governments.

• Societies like the Iroquois

• The spread of diseases and warfare on the side of European settlers prompted a drastic reduction in population