Chapter 2: The Contest for North America: 1500-1664

Flashcards covering key people, places, events, and concepts from Chapter 2: The Contest for North America, 1500–1664.

Which three outposts did the major European powers establish in North America within a few years of one another (Jamestown 1607, Québec 1608, Santa Fe 1610) that heralded the northern colonial era?

Jamestown (1607, Virginia), Québec (1608, Canada), Santa Fe (1610, New Mexico)

Who is known as the 'Father of New France' and what settlement did he help found in 1608?

Samuel de Champlain; founded Québec and forged alliances with Native Americans

What was New France’s main economic activity, and what were the consequences for Native peoples and the landscape?

The fur trade (beaver pelts); led to extensive movement into the interior, reliance on Native allies, and ecological damage

What was the Edict of Nantes (1598) and why is it significant for French colonization?

It granted limited toleration to French Protestants (Huguenots), ending the French religious wars and shaping colonial policy

Why did New France attract relatively few European settlers by 1750?

Rigid royal autocracy, lack of landownership incentives for peasants, a cold climate, and preference for Caribbean colonies and church/mission work

Describe Champlain’s diplomatic approach with Native Americans and its long-term effect.

He negotiated alliances with several tribes (notably the Hurons) and opposed the Iroquois, which helped French early in the fur trade but fostered Iroquois hostility

Which city did Antoine de Cadillac establish in 1701, and why was it strategically important?

Detroit; to block Spanish penetration and control the interior Illinois country and fur trade

What crucial figures and events led to France’s claim of Louisiana along the Mississippi?

Robert de La Salle (1682) sailed down the Mississippi, named the region Louisiana after Louis XIV, and attempted to establish a colony (he was murdered in 1687)

What French city was founded at the mouth of the Mississippi in 1718 to bolster control of the interior?

New Orleans

When and why did Spain establish St. Augustine, and what was its role in the empire?

1565; as a permanent southern foothold in Florida, mainly missionary activity to consolidate Spanish sovereignty

What was Santa Fe, established in 1610, the capital of and why was it important?

The capital of New Mexico; served as a gateway to California and Texas, with a missionary focus

How did the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 affect England’s imperial ambitions?

It sparked a surge of English nationalism and confidence, paving the way for a vigorous colonization effort later in the 16th–17th centuries

What set of economic and social conditions in England helped produce adventurers and colonizers in the early 1600s?

Population growth, enclosure and surplus labor, and the rise of joint-stock companies (adventurers) to fund colonies

What rights did the Virginia Company’s charter guarantee to overseas settlers, and why was this significant?

The rights of Englishmen; it helped integrate colonial governance with English law and later fueled desires for independence

Describe Jamestown’s early hardships and the leadership that stabilized the colony.

High death rates from disease, famine and starvation; John Smith’s leadership (quoting 'He who shall not work shall not eat') and Pocahontas’ mediation helped secure relief and food

Who was Pocahontas, and what role did she play in Jamestown’s history?

Powhatan’s daughter Matoaka; served as an intermediary between English and Powhatan; married John Rolfe in 1614, symbolizing intercultural contact

What were the terms and outcomes of the First Anglo-Powhatan War and its peace?

Conflicted ending in 1614 with Pocahontas’ marriage to Rolfe; peace lasting eight years

What happened in 1622 and 1646 regarding the Powhatan wasn't fully assimilated into Virginia society?

1622: Native attacks killed many settlers (347). 1646: Treaty ended major conflict and separated Native lands from white settlement

What was New Netherland, where was it located, and who founded it?

A Dutch colony in the Hudson River Valley founded by the Dutch West India Company; notable for Manhattan purchase and New Amsterdam (later New York)

What happened in 1664 that ended Dutch control in North America and what was the new name given to the conquered colony?

English forces seized New Netherland; Peter Stuyvesant surrendered; renamed New York

Who were the Haudenosaunee and what is the social architecture of their longhouse?

The Iroquois Confederacy (Five Nations: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas); longhouse with matrilineal lineage and women as matriarchs

What is the Treaty of Albany (1722) and its significance in Iroquois-colonial relations?

Oldest continuously recognized treaty between the Five Nations and colonial governments (New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia)

What lasting impact did Native American contact have on the Great Plains peoples like the Lakota (Sioux) in the 18th century?

Introduction of horses transformed mobility and hunting; led to a major shift in Native American lifeways and territorial expansion