Colonial America

Test 1

US geography

• New England: rocky → trading ports

• Southeast: warm, fertile soil → agriculture based economy

• Midwest: “breadbasket” → flat land

• Southwest: Arid, dry

• Pacific Northwest: Timer/Fish

Regional Geography

the geography of which the colonies were had drastic impacts on how they developed, more specifically, how their economic, social, and political ideas developed in the future

Colonies in the north relied mostly on export-based economic systems due to their ports and access to rivers, colonies in the south relied on agricultural-based economies due to the rich; fertile soil they had

Animism

Native American’s system of belief where they must live alongside the land and not abuse it → the health of the land directly correlated with the health and wellbeing of the people

This belief strongly contrasted with the colonist’s belief of taking the land for themselves; the land was used to benefit themselves (according to god)

Wampanoags

Natives who had initial contact with Plymouth Colony (pilgrims) in Massachusetts

Powhatans

Natives who had first contact with Jamestown colony in Virginia

Iroquois Confederacy

Consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The goal of the confederacy was to keep peace amongst its members and to resolve conflicts. They came together when there were issues, but they remained independent of one another. (they were a democratic union)

Five Civilized Tribes

Tribes that the Colonists thought were the most “civilized” because they lived in a way that most resembled the English way of living.

Cherokee

according to the English, these Native Americans were the “most civilized”

• they adapted to english culture

• had their own writing system

• converted to christianity

Encomienda System

System put in place to force Natives to work (agricultural)

How France behaved in the New World

They mainly looked for trading opportunities (beaver pelts) so they were friendly with the Natives and often had marriages between them to get trading deals. They came in small numbers like the Spanish but were not land-hungry like the English

How Spain behaved in the New World

They sailed for God, Gold, and Glory. They came mostly for economic reasons and later set up a social structure (caste system) that benefited the peninsulares and made the africans/natives inferior.

How England behaved in the new world

They mainly came here for economic reasons like the spanish, but they also wanted to set up permanent societies here. The puritans wanted to create a society, other english people came solely for economic reasons.

Columbian Exchange

exchange of goods, disease, natural resources, people, over the Atlantic Ocean

Order of settlement of the English

1. Roanoke Island (the lost colony of Roanoke)

2. Jamestown (VA)

3. Cade Cod

Jamestown (VA)

due to the region they settled in, they only had access to saltwater → crops had difficulty growing, limited water, constant death, cannibalism

Only wealthy men could vote

Cash crop (tobacco) established in 1600s

European settlers (English)

kicked out Native Americans from their own land (forcefully)

European settlers (France)

befriended Natives to get more trade

European Settlers (Spanish)

enslaved Natives to get more money

Richard Hakluyt

english advisor to the queen and convinced the queen to send people over to america mainly for economic profit (he argued that there were many idle people and they could be put to work and set back riches from america to England)

John Smith (#1)

he ends gold fever and puts the colonists to work (people before were starving due to famine and lack of resources b/c everyone was preoccupied with getting gold)

John Rolfe (#2)

made Jamestown extremely profitable by planting Tobacco (tobacco was called brown gold → led to enslavement which started in 1619)

Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

first house of elected officiants in British North America (earliest sign of democracy)

problems with the house of burgesses: disparity between rich & poor, no elections, unfair taxes

Bacon’s Rebellion

started due to the unfair rules set by the Virginia House of Burgesses

Effects of Bacon’s rebellion:

1. government responds to public complaints

2. large landowners were kinder to small farmers

3. slavery became more popular

4. white supremacy grew more powerful

Colonial Women

women had to bear children and take care of them, they had no rights, housework

Atlantic Slave Trade

people in the new world who wanted slaves would go to africa to trade guns/weapons with black slaves

Middle Passage

journey across the Atlantic ocean with extremely inhumane conditions (a lot of slaves died)

indentured servants

europeans who were too broke to pay for their own way to america → wealthy land owner pays for it and therefore the broke person has to work to pay off the debt

Headright system

encouraged wealthy land owners to bring more people to america if they payed for their trip, whoever brought people over would get 50 acres of land for each person they bring

Mayflower compact

Like the Virginia house of burguesses, this compact was a doctument that implied early forms of democracy (self governing) and relations to god (they were very religious ppl)

Puritans

Came over to the new world mostly for economic gain but also to create a new society. They wanted reforms from the church but didn’t need total separation from it. (They came from holland which had a lot of religious freedom)

Massachusetts bay colony- only religious leaders held power

Pilgrims

They came over first and these people wanted total separation from the church

Puritan society

Due to predestination (belief that god has already chosen who goes to heaven or hell but no one’s knows), people were very parinoid and anxious

Puritans also had high literacy rates (believed that if your mind is idle; satan will take over)

High regard to education and religion

John Winthrop “city on a hill”

Puritan supervisor who wanted the puritans to act like a role model for upcoming societies

Puritan value system

1. Close knit villages with common spaces, everyone was middle class (small wage gap)

2. Influence of satan (they were terrified of him)

3. High literacy rate

4. Hard work, pray, virtue, education was most important

5. Punishments were based on humiliation and shame (kept people in check, law and order)

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenters (left Puritan Society and joined another one) she went to Connecticut and believed that you only needed a connection with god (removed hysteria and paranoia)

Roger Williams

Puritan dissenter ( left Puritan society) to join Rhode Island → they were more tolerant of the natives and had political and religious freedom

Male suffrage: all men could vote

William Penn

Settled in Pennsylvania and people followed Quaker ideals (developing fundamentally differently)

Mercantilism

Economic relationship between mother county and its colonies

Pequot War 1636-1637

Conflict between native Americans and English

Puritans align with tribes that are enemies of the Pequot tribe which led the Pequot to lose → Pequot massacre

King Philips war

Metacom; (king Phillip) lost the war which set the precedent for the future (natives would be inferior to white English people)

Goals of puritans after the wars

They now wanted more land and more people to spread their religion to

Navigation acts

Passed by the British parliament, which promoted self sufficiency of the British empire by limiting colonial trade with anyone but the British. → colonies became reliant on british