APUSH Unit 2 (1) 1607–1754

BIG IDEA

Colonies developed differently based on motives; increasing economic & political tensions with Britain; growing shared American identity among colonists

Spanish Colonies

Goal: wealth (gold/silver → cash crops) + conversion; systems: encomienda → hacienda (forced labor); missions spread Christianity; casta system (racial hierarchy); Native relations: forced assimilation, resistance (Pueblo Revolt), syncretism

French & Dutch Colonies

French: fur trade, few settlers, trading posts, alliances + intermarriage with Natives; Dutch: trade-based, New Amsterdam major port, diverse, no focus on conversion; both emphasized cooperation with Natives for economic gain

British Colonies Overview

Goal: permanent settlement; reasons: land (social mobility), economic opportunity, religious freedom, better life; large families, long-term communities; pushed Natives out instead of cooperating

New England Colonies

Puritans, religion-focused, family settlements, small farms (rocky soil), town-centered life, fishing/shipbuilding/trade economy, town meetings (direct democracy but limited)

Middle Colonies

Most diverse, religious tolerance, fertile land (grain = “bread colonies”), strong trade/ports, elected assemblies, Pennsylvania very democratic (William Penn)

Chesapeake Colonies

Jamestown (1607), profit from tobacco, plantations, early population mostly single men, labor: indentured servants → slavery, House of Burgesses (representative gov.)

Southern Colonies / West Indies

Plantation economy, cash crops (sugar, rice, indigo), heavy slavery, strict slave codes (Barbados model), enslaved often outnumber whites, rigid hierarchy (elite planters → small farmers → enslaved Africans)

Triangular Trade

New England rum → Africa → enslaved Africans → West Indies (Middle Passage) → sugar/molasses → New England; part of larger Atlantic trade system

Mercantilism & Navigation Acts

Mercantilism: maximize exports, minimize imports, wealth = gold/silver, gov control; colonies exist to benefit Britain; Navigation Acts restricted colonial trade to Britain, limiting economic freedom

Salutary Neglect

Britain loosely enforced laws due to distance + wars; colonies developed habits of self-rule and independence

Trade with Natives

Exchange of goods (tools, weapons, cloth); introduction of firearms changed power dynamics; spread of diseases like smallpox devastated Native populations

Native Conflicts & Alliances

Europeans formed alliances with Native groups; Beaver Wars over fur trade (British/Dutch with Iroquois, French with others); showed cooperation but also conflict

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

Natives revolted against Spanish religious + cultural oppression; temporary success; Spanish later returned but were more accommodating

King Philip’s War

Caused by English expansion into Wampanoag land; Metacom led resistance; resulted in massive Native deaths and weakened future resistance

Early Labor Systems

Indentured servitude dominant early (contract labor for land/freedom); gradually replaced by African slavery

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Nathaniel Bacon led revolt vs Gov. Berkeley over land + Native policy; showed danger of angry poor whites → elites shifted to African slavery

Chattel Slavery

Slaves treated as property for life; status inherited (children of enslaved mothers also enslaved); laws banned rights and interracial marriage

Slave Resistance

Covert: slow work, break tools, preserve culture; Overt: Stono Rebellion (1739) killed whites → led to stricter slave laws

Colonial Diversity

Population included Germans, Scots-Irish, Africans; cultural mixing helped form early American identity

Great Awakening

Religious revival (1730s–40s); emotional preaching, individual faith; leaders: George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards; first mass movement → unified colonies

Enlightenment

Emphasized reason, natural rights, social contract; thinkers: John Locke, Rousseau; influenced democratic ideas and political thinking

Anglicization

Colonies became more like Britain: growing wealth gap, elite planter/merchant class, similar gov (governor + legislature); still more democratic and more social mobility than Britain

Tensions: Land

Colonists wanted westward expansion (Ohio River Valley); Britain restricted to avoid conflict → resentment

Tensions: Self-Government

Colonists used to independence (salutary neglect); Britain interfered; impressment forced men into navy → riots and anger

Tensions: Trade

Navigation Acts limited trade; colonists smuggled goods; resentment grew over lack of economic freedom

Key Themes

Comparison of empires, regional differences, shift from indentured to slavery, salutary neglect leads to conflict, identity formation (Great Awakening + Enlightenment)