Looking West 1.2

What was the 'New World'

The term 'New World' refers to the Americas, which were discovered by Europeans (the 'Old World') in the late 15th century.

Who discovered the New World?

The New World was initially 'discovered' by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

How were Europeans able to discover the New World?

Improvements in the technology of ship design, and the accuracy of navigation, meant that long ocean voyages, out of sight of land, became possible.

Why did the Europeans discover the New World?

Columbus was hoping to find a new route to India, by seeking a western route. Instead, he stumbled upon the Caribbean islands, which also became known as the 'West Indies'. The Europeans had had no previous knowledge of these lands.

Why was the discovery of the New World significant?

Columbus ended up 'discovering' the continents that we now call the Americas.

His 'discovery' led to many other explorers from Spain, and later on Portugal, to make the journey and grab land for their monarchs.

The New World was rich in resources - gold and silver, but also timber and furs - which were taken by the European colonists, developing trade and wealth for the European powers.

Over time, other European countries began to colonise the New World - especially England, France and the Netherlands. This led to European domination of the Americas.

Who was John Cabot?

The Tudor King Henry VII wanted to take advantage global exploration. He gave John Cabot the task of finding new land in the Americas.

What did John Cabot do?

Cabot sailed west from Bristol, across the Atlantic Ocean. He landed on the coast of North America, in what is now Canada.

What was different about John Cabot's discovery?

Cabot did not find gold or other treasure on the North Atlantic coast. He did, however, discover areas that were rich for fishing.

What was the significance of John Cabot?

Although Cabot did not find any riches, his journey can be seen as turning point, as it signified the beginning of British exploration of the New World. This, in turn, led eventually to the growth of the British Empire.

Some explored further south, and settled in places across the east coast of North America.

He inspired explorers such as John Hawkins and Walter Raleigh to discover more land, to claim and exploit further territory.

It led to some, such as Sir Francis Drake, to steal gold and other riches from the Spanish.

How did England colonise America?

English colonisation of America began in the 16th century and early 17th century.

When did the British first colonise America?

The early colonisation of America started in 1584, with permanent colonies being established in the early 17th century.

What was the first attempt at colonising America?

Roanoke colony in 1584

What was the first permanent settlement in North America?

Jamestown in 1607

When did the Pilgrim Fathers migrate to America?

1620

Spanish and Portuguese competition as motive for colonisation of America

The Spanish and Portuguese had already created empires in the New World, and were bringing back great riches from South America.

England realised that, if it were to compete with other powers, it had to develop its own colonies in the New World.

Why did the British colonise America?

By the late 16th Century, England realised that it needed to find a way to exploit the newly-discovered lands in the Americas. There were good reasons for this:

The loss of Calais

Spanish and Portuguese competition

Growth of crops

Growth of crops motive for colonisation of America

Later colonies were developed because there was a lot of unclaimed land. The land was ideal for growing crops such as tobacco, which could be sold for high prices in Europe.

The loss of Calais motive for colonisation of America

England lost Calais, its last European possession, in 1558, during the reign of Mary I. England was now completely isolated from Europe for the first time in 500 years.

What were the reasons for migration from Britain to America?

The early colonisation of America happened for a variety of reasons, which changed over time. These included economic, religious, political, and even military reasons.

What were the economic reasons for migration to America?

The success of Spanish and Portuguese exploration in South America convinced people that there was a fortune in gold to be discovered in America.

It was soon discovered that there was little gold in North America. However, it was a vast, unclaimed land where people could farm and grow crops, especially tobacco, which could make vast profits.

Bad harvests in England meant that there was not a lot of work for farmers and many would often find themselves in poverty. There was a lot of unclaimed land for farming in America.

The development of companies such as the Virginia Company, and the Plymouth Company, meant that people could travel to America quite cheaply, or as indentured servants. This enabled many poor people to migrate.

What were the religious reasons for migration to America?

Dissenting Christian groups, such as Puritans, Quakers and Catholics, wanted to escape persecution in England. Going to America would give them land where they could live and worship freely.

Some of the early colonists also saw it as their Christian duty to convert the native peoples to Christianity. For newly Protestant England, this was a way to prove that God was on the side of the Protestants.

What were the political reasons for migration to America?

The English government was persecuting religious minorities under treason laws. Therefore, people of dissenting religious convictions were under threat from the government.

In the 1650s, Oliver Cromwell got rid of prisoners of war from his Irish campaign, by sending them to America.

What were the military reasons for migration to America?

The earliest attempt at colonising America was to create a base from which to attack Spanish ships in the Caribbean.

Who was Sir Walter Raleigh?

Sir Walter Raleigh was very loyal to Queen Elizabeth I. He became a favourite of the queen after fighting Catholic rebels and exploring parts of North and South America.

When did Walter Raleigh live?

Walter Raleigh was born in 1554, and died in 1618.

What were the key events of Walter Raleigh's life?

Raleigh fought for the Protestant Huguenots in France, during the French Wars of Religion, when he was only 15 years old.

He also fought against the Catholics in Ireland when they rebelled against Elizabeth I. He was given land there as a reward.

In 1584, Raleigh gained the queen's permission to establish England's first colony in America. The colony, known as Roanoke, was a failure.

Raleigh explored Guiana in 1595, searching for 'El Dorado' - a legendary city of gold. He wrote a book about his travels on his return to England.

What was Walter Raleigh's significance?

Although it was a failure, Roanoke was the first English colony in America. Raleigh inspired all those who followed him to establish subsequent colonies.

Raleigh's book on his travels to Guiana inspired others to explore the world, leading to settlement and the eventual growth of the British Empire.

What was the Virginia Company?

After failed attempts to colonise America in the 1580s, the Virginia Company was set up in 1606. King James I granted permission for a group of businessman to set up a colony in Virginia, called Jamestown.

Why was the Virginia Company set up?

The Virginia Company was set up to start colonies in America.

They wanted to see if the land was suitable to grow vegetation and to hopefully find lots of gold.

There was a rapid increase in the demand for tobacco. England wanted to take advantage of this, as it only grew in America.

What were the relations between the English settlers and the natives?

Relations between the English settlers and the American natives varied. Sometimes relations were good but, particularly in times of hardship, relations deteriorated.

What were relations like between the colonists and the American natives?

To begin with, the local tribes helped the settlers, giving them food and trading with them.

At Jamestown, relations with the local Powhatan people was good to begin with. The Powhatans traded with the settlers, and there was even marriage between the groups - most famously between Pocahontas and John Rolfe.

However, when the English began to take land that belonged to the locals, war broke out. Settlers and natives were massacred, although long periods of peace were also achieved.

The English settlers also brought diseases that were unknown in America - such as smallpox and measles. The native population were not resistant to these diseases, and many died.

English colonisation began the destruction of the local tribes' way of life. Over time, the native Americans had to adapt to survive, or risk ill-treatment.

What was Jamestown?

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America, founded in 1607.

What happened at the Jamestown colony?

Jamestown is famous as the first permanent English settlement in America, but the colonists were lucky to survive as long as they did.

The settlers suffered many hardships, similar to previous attempts at colonisation, such as difficulty growing crops.

Some who went to Jamestown were very wealthy and they were unused to the hardships of manual labour.

With the support of the local Powhatan tribe, the settlers were able to farm the land and grow tobacco (which was easier to obtain than gold). Growing tobacco could make them wealthy.

When the settlers suffered a harsh winter, they went to war with the Powhatan tribe, although they did eventually make peace and restore good relations.

More and more British migrants ended up moving to Jamestown to grow tobacco and make a profit.

Due to the eventual success of Jamestown, other colonies started up in the east coast of America, such as New Plymouth.

Who were the Pilgrim Fathers?

The Pilgrim Fathers were early colonists in America, who played a role in the founding of America.

Where did the Pilgrim Fathers migrate from and to?

The Pilgrim Fathers migrated from England, and went to the new colonies in America, where they founded the Plymouth Colony.

When did the Pilgrim Fathers migrate?

The Pilgrim Fathers migrated to America in 1620.

Why did the Pilgrim Fathers migrate?

The Pilgrim Fathers migrated for religious reasons and because of government action.

The Pilgrim Fathers were Puritans, who were extreme Protestants. Although England was a Protestant country, Puritans were still persecuted because of their extreme views.

Because the colonies in the New World were so new, and there was plenty of unclaimed land, the Pilgrim Fathers felt they would be able to practise their religion freely in America.

What did the Pilgrim Fathers do?

The Pilgrim Fathers' voyage to America has become part of the 'American legend', an important part of America's history.

They sailed to America on the Mayflower. Not all the passengers were Puritans, but there were a sizeable number of them.

They established their own religious colony in an area called 'New Plymouth'. They intended to develop trade with other colonies.

During the voyage they signed the 'Mayflower Compact', which was an agreement about how the colony would be run. The Compact created a form of democratic government.

The success of the Pilgrim Fathers led to more persecuted Christians migrating to America. 20,000 arrived in America between 1629 and 1640.

What was the significance of the Pilgrim Fathers?

The Plymouth Colony was the first permanent, successful English colony in America.

The Pilgrim Fathers encouraged other persecuted minorities to migrate to America, to seek a new life where they could worship freely.

The Mayflower Compact, which created an early form of democracy, was used as the foundation for the US Constitution. As such, the Pilgrim Fathers are considered among the 'founding fathers' of the USA.

What was the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact was a document written and signed by the Pilgrim Fathers when they arrived in America.

What were the details of the Mayflower Compact?

The Pilgrim Fathers had not actually signed a contract with the Plymouth Company. As a result, they were not bound by any contract with investors.

As a result, they were free to settle where they liked, and to create their own rules for the new colony.

Their contract, the Mayflower Compact, was an early form of democracy, where all men in the colony would vote on major issues in the colony.

What was the role of the Caribbean in the British Empire?

Traders or businessmen also set up plantations in the West Indies, on islands such as Barbados and Antigua.

Why was the Caribbean colonised?

As Britain's empire expanded ever further into North America and India, there was less need for the use of privateers, because they did not need to steal from other nations.

Piracy was eventually banned, and pirates were driven out of the Caribbean.

Instead, Britain turned to profit-rich crops, such as tobacco and sugar, which could only be grown in the climate of the Caribbean and North America.

What was the economic impact of the Caribbean in the British Empire?

Britain benefitted immensely from the Caribbean colonies - from profits from the sugar plantations, and also from the growing trade in enslaved Africans who worked on the plantations.

Many different types of workers benefitted financially from the slave trade. Ship builders, bankers, traders, and many others made money directly or indirectly from the slave trade.

Port towns such as Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow made a lot of money from the slave trade and grew into larger cities. Many of the beautiful buildings in these cities were built by money gained from the slave trade.

Vast wealth was created in the sugar plantations of the Caribbean.

The Royal African Company

The Royal African Company was a large slave-trading company which transported over 60,000 slaves from 1680 to 1688.

How much money did the British slave trade make?

From 1761 to 1808 the British Slave Trade made around £60 million, which made Britain the most powerful and wealthiest country in the world.

What was the role of Barbados?

The island of Barbados was claimed by England in 1625, and became part of the British Empire.

What was the importance of Barbados?

At first, Barbados was used for growing tobacco. Although this was a profit-rich crop, the planters could not complete with the tobacco plantations in America.

Overall, more than half of the sugar that came from the Caribbean to England had been grown on Barbados.

The earliest workers on the Caribbean plantations were indentured servants.

Over time most of the work was done by enslaved Africans.

Population of slaves in Barbados

By 1710, 80% of the island's population were slaves.

When did sugar become the main crop of Barbados?

In the 1640s.

By 1667, 80% of Barbados was given over to growing sugar cane. This brought in vast profits for the plantation owners.

Who were the Quakers?

The Quakers were a group of dissenting Protestants, who migrated from England due to religious persecution, and settled in America and the Caribbean.

When did the Quakers migrate from England?

The Quakers migrated at different times, but their first period of migration was in the early 17th century.