Columbian Exchange to Navigation Acts

Columbian Exchange

  • Occurred in 1492.
  • Exchange between the New World (Native Americans) and the Old World (Europeans).
    • Old World to New World: diseases (e.g., malaria), animals (e.g., horses), and crops (e.g., rice).
    • New World to Old World: precious metals (e.g., gold, silver), exotic animals (e.g., iguanas), and crops (e.g., corn).

Treaty of Tordesillas

  • Occurred in 1494.
  • Treaty between Spain and Portugal to divide the Americas for exploration and claim.
    • Land west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean belonged to Spain.
    • Land east of the line belonged to Portugal.
    • Spain received more land in the Americas, while Portugal received smaller portions in Asia and Africa.

Encomienda System

  • Occurred in 1717.
  • System used by the Spanish to control Native American population.
  • Government would hand over Native Americans to colonists as a reward for converting them and for labor (Indian Labor).

Valladolid Debate

  • Occurred in 1550.
  • Debate set up by King Charles I of Spain regarding the equal treatment of Native Americans in Spanish society.

Iroquois Confederation

  • Founded in the late 1500s.
  • A powerful military alliance of five nations: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas.
  • Competed with neighboring tribes for territorial supremacy.
  • Declined due to disease and attacks from colonizers.

Trans-Atlantic Trade and Triangle Trade

  • Trans-Atlantic Trade: Transporting millions of African slaves from Africa to the Americas.
  • Triangle Trade: Three-part trading system involving:
    • New England merchants carrying rum to West Africa.
    • Trading rum for slaves.
    • Heading to the West Indies to trade slaves for sugar cane.
    • Returning to New England to sell sugar for rum production, restarting the cycle.

Middle Passage

  • The middle portion of the triangular trade route.
  • Brought slaves from West Africa to the West Indies.
  • New England merchants practiced tight-packing or loose-packing of slaves, resulting in high mortality rates.

Joint-stock Company

  • Common during the establishment of Jamestown.
  • Provided settlers with money to establish new settlements in the New World.

Royal vs. Proprietary Colonies

  • Royal Colonies: Under the rule of the British crown and controlled by a royal governor.
  • Proprietary Colonies: Charter colonies run by representatives who were given the charter to self-govern the colony.

House of Burgesses

  • Established in 1619.
  • First representative government assembly in Virginia.
  • Represented the entire colony of Virginia.

Pope’s Rebellion (Pueblo Revolt)

  • Occurred in 1680.
  • Native American uprising by the Pueblo tribe due to Spanish suppression of their religious customs.
  • Pueblo rebels burned down Catholic churches, killed priests, and killed hundreds of Spanish settlers.

Act of Toleration (Maryland)

  • Passed in 1649.
  • Guaranteed toleration for Christians.
  • Imposed the death penalty for those who denied the divinity of Jesus or practiced other religions (e.g., Judaism, atheism).

Puritans vs. Pilgrims

  • Puritans: Sought to purify the Church of England.
  • Pilgrims (Separatists): Wanted to separate from the Church of England.
  • Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower to Massachusetts and created the Mayflower Compact.

Mayflower Compact

  • Created by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
  • Established a self-governing colony based on majority rule.

Headright System

  • Created to encourage Indentured Servitude due to the need to plant more tobacco.
  • Anyone who paid for a farmer's trip across the seas received fifty acres of land.

Salutary Neglect

  • English laws were loosely enforced to give colonists a sense of independence and reduce the chance of uprisings.
  • Helped maintain peace in the colonies and expand English territory.

Chattel Slavery vs. Indentured Servitude

  • Chattel Slavery: African slaves and their children were owned for life.
  • Indentured Servitude: People in debt would get hired across the seas to pay their debts off, and once they made it to America, they worked for seven years, and then they were freed and received “Freedom Dues.”

Salem Witch Trials

  • Series of prosecutions and hunts for witches in Salem.
  • Began with accusations by adolescent girls against older women.

1st Great Awakening

  • Spread of Christianity emphasizing belief in Jesus Christ, confession of sins, charity, and an emotional connection to Jesus.
  • Started by Jonathan Edwards and preached by George Whitefield.

Powhatan Wars

  • Multiple wars caused by the Jamestown colonists' desire for land.
  • First war lasted until 1614, ending with a peace settlement.
  • Later conflicts in 1622 and 1644 led to further Native American defeats and banishment from their land.

Pequot War

  • Conflict between Bay colonists and the Pequot.
  • Bay colonists wanted to take over Connecticut for themselves and the Pequot.

Bacon’s Rebellion

  • Uprising of settlers in the Chesapeake due to Governor Berkley’s negligence.
  • Settlers felt Berkley favored Native Americans and did not address issues like Native American attacks.

Mercantilism

  • Economic policy emphasizing trade, colonies, and wealth accumulation for military and political strength.
  • Colonies provided raw materials for the mother country.

King Philip’s War

  • Occurred in 1675.
  • War between the Wampanoags (and other tribes) and New England settlers due to encroachment on Wampanoag land.
  • Ended with the death of Wampanoag leader Metacom (King Philip) and reduced Native American resistance in New England.

Stono Rebellion

  • Slave uprising in South Carolina involving twenty, eventually eighty slaves.
  • Slaves killed warehouse workers, stole guns and gunpowder, and marched demanding liberty.
  • Stopped by the militia, resulting in the deaths of fifty slaves and twenty whites.

New England and Chesapeake Colonies

  • New England Colonies:
    • Focused on skills.
    • Rarely used slavery due to Puritan work ethic.
  • Chesapeake Colonies:
    • Experienced in tobacco and fertile soil.
    • Shifted from indentured servants to slaves after Bacon’s Rebellion due to control and cost.
  • Similarities:
    • Respected religious freedom.
    • Had stable economies and trading systems.

Middle Colonies

  • Included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
  • Understood the importance of Native Americans to an extent.
  • Had representative government assemblies and freedom of religion.

Southern Colonies

  • Included North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
  • Focused on agriculture and relied on slave labor.
  • Had freedom of religion.
  • Allowed England to control trade between itself and its colonies.
  • Restricted colonists from trading with other countries.

Key Dates

  • 1492: Christopher Columbus founded the “New World.”
  • 1607: Jamestown was founded and settled.
  • 1619: The first Africans arrived in America to be traded for supplies.
  • 1620: Pilgrims landed in Plymouth.

Decline

  • Political loyalty and minister practices began to decline.
  • Spread south to middle colonies.
  • Spread southward to south colonies.