Exploration and Colonization of North America

Exploration: Gold, God & Glory

• Motivation for Exploration:

  • Quest for trade routes (e.g., the Northwest Passage) to Asia for spices.
  • Technological advancements, including the astrolabe and compass, enabled longer journeys.

• Reasons for Different Nations' Exploration:

  • Spain: Sought glory and aimed to convert Native Americans to Catholicism.
  • France: Focused on the fur trade.
  • England: Sought religious freedom for its settlers.

Colonization

• Following exploration, several European nations established colonies in the New World.

• Motivations for Colonization:

  • Religious Freedom: E.g., some colonies were founded to allow settlers to worship freely.
  • Economic Gain: Establishment of profitable colonies for resource extraction.
  • Political Power: Expansion of empires and influence.
  • Social Opportunities: New beginnings for individuals or groups seeking a fresh start.

• Key Settlements:

  • Jamestown (1607):

  • First permanent British settlement in North America.

  • Established looking for gold but became successful with tobacco cultivation.

  • Plymouth (1620):

  • Second colony established for religious freedom by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower.

  • Formed the Mayflower Compact as a governing document.

The 13 Original Colonies

• Divided into three regions: New England, Middle, and Southern.

1. New England Colonies:

• States: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
• Founding: Settled by Pilgrims in 1620 and Puritans in the 1630s to escape religious persecution in England.

2. Middle Colonies:

• States: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware.
• Characteristics: Most diverse ethnically; known as the Breadbasket Colonies due to agriculture.
• Key Figure: William Penn, who advocated for religious tolerance through the Quakers.

3. Southern Colonies:

• States: Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.
• Characteristics: Primarily economic colonies with a plantation economy.
• Notable: Catholic settlement in Maryland; reliance on cash crops and slave labor.