(621) APUSH Review Unit 2 (Period 2: 1607-1754)—Everything You NEED To Know

Overview of Unit 2: AP US History (1607-1754)

  • Focus on the motives and methods of European colonialism in the Americas.

  • Exploration of Spanish, French, Dutch, and British colonial strategies.

Spanish Colonization

  • Motives: Extract wealth (gold, silver, cash crops).

  • Methods:

    • Subjugation of Native populations.

    • Conversion efforts with mixed success.

    • Introduction of a caste system based on racial ancestry.

French Colonization

  • Motives: Focused more on trade, especially fish and fur.

  • Methods:

    • Fewer settlers than Spanish and British, primarily established trading posts.

    • Permanent settlement: Quebec.

    • Created alliances through marriage with Native Americans (e.g., Ojibway Indians).

    • Cultural exchanges: French introduced iron goods; Native Americans shared knowledge of beaver skin preparation.

Dutch Colonization

  • Initial Settlement: Established fur trading center on the Hudson River (present-day NY).

  • Goals: Economic focus similar to the French but without interest in converting natives.

  • Key Development: Founding of New Amsterdam as a trade hub.

British Colonization Motivation and Methods

  • Economic Context: Economic turmoil in Britain due to the Colombian Exchange, wars, and inflation impacting nobility and lower classes.

  • Reasons for Colonization:

    • New economic opportunities and land.

    • Religious freedom and improved living conditions.

  • Regions of Colonization:

    • Chesapeake:

      • Jamestown (1607): First permanent settlement, financed by joint-stock company; initially focused on gold, faced disease and famine.

      • Tobacco cultivation: Initiated by John Rolfe, leading to economic revival.

        • Labor System: Reliance on indentured servants who worked for passage.

        • Tension with Native Americans due to land encroachment.

        • Bacon's Rebellion (1676): Rising anger among the poor leading to violence against Native Americans and elites.

    • New England Colonies:

      • Settled by Puritans in 1620; established family units focusing on community and religion.

      • Suffered initial hardships but developed agricultural and commercial economies.

    • British West Indies and Southern Atlantic Coast:

      • Established permanent colonies (1620s) for cash crops like sugar cane, leading to increased African slavery for labor.

      • By 1660, populations of enslaved Africans outnumbered whites in places like Barbados.

    • Middle Colonies (NY, NJ):

      • Diverse populations with an export-driven economy, growing inequality between classes, and a significant enslaved population.

      • Pennsylvania: Founded by William Penn; recognized religious freedom and negotiated land with Native Americans.

Atlantic Trade System and Mercantilism

  • Triangular Trade System:

    • Ships journeyed from New England to West Africa (trading rum for slaves), then to the West Indies (trading slaves for sugar), and back to New England (selling sugar).

  • Mercantilism: Economic theory focused on balancing trade to maximize wealth through colonies supplying raw materials.

    • Involvement of the Navigation Acts regulating colonial trade exclusively through British ports.

Slavery in the British Colonies

  • Transatlantic Slave Trade (1700-1808): Approximately 3 million enslaved Africans shipped, mostly to the West Indies.

  • Slave Codes: Defined enslaved people as property, establishing a system of perpetual slavery.

  • Resistance:

    • Enslaved peoples engaged in covert (cultural practices, sabotage) and overt resistance (e.g., the Stono Rebellion in 1739).

Relations with Native Americans

  • Tensions due to land encroachment led to conflict.

    • Metacom's War (1675): Effort to resist British expansion in New England; ended with the death of Metacom and the weakening of Native resistance.

Religious and Social Developments

  • The Enlightenment: Shift towards rational thought; introduced concepts of natural rights, social contract, and government checks and balances.

  • The Great Awakening: Religious revival emphasizing personal faith and challenging established authority; led by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield.

Colonial Governance and Resistance to Britain

  • Growing awareness of natural rights led to increasing frustration with British practices (e.g., impressment).

  • Mayflower Compact and House of Burgesses: Examples of early self-governance in the colonies.