Colonial America Review Guide Flashcards
Spanish Colonization
Strict Control: Spain maintained centralized governance over its American colonies.
Labor Systems:
Encomienda System: Exploited Native American labor for mining and agriculture.
Repartimiento System: Required wages for Native laborers but remained coercive; African slaves were increasingly used.
Territorial Divisions:
Viceroyalty of New Spain: Included North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Viceroyalty of Peru: Included South America.
French and Dutch Colonization
Limited Settlement: Fewer settlers than Spain and England; primarily trade-focused.
French Colonies:
New France: Areas included Quebec, the Great Lakes, and the Ohio River Valley.
Relations with Natives: Utilized diplomacy and intermarriage (e.g., Métis communities) due to low settler populations.
Dutch Colonies:
Economic Focus: Concentrated on trade, particularly sugar in the Caribbean and furs in North America.
New Amsterdam: Key trading hub, later became New York after British conquest.
English Colonization: Patterns & Expansion
Large-Scale Migration: More settlers than French and Dutch.
Push Factors from England:
Enclosure Acts: Led to overpopulation and food shortages, prompting colonization.
Economic Growth: Wealthy merchants invested in joint-stock companies.
Chesapeake and Upper South Colonies
Tobacco Economy:
Jamestown (1607): Founded by the Virginia Company, initially sought gold; poor planning resulted in the “Starving Time.”
Introduction of Tobacco: John Rolfe introduced tobacco, which became the economic backbone.
Land Requirements: Tobacco cultivation necessitated extensive land use, resulting in soil depletion and territorial expansion.
Labor Systems:
Headright System: Incentivized migration by granting land to settlers.
Indentured Servitude: Workers traded labor years for passage to America; transition to African slavery arose from labor shortages.
Maryland:
The first proprietary colony, established by Lord Baltimore for Catholics; maintained religious tolerance despite a Protestant majority.
North Carolina:
Settled by plantation owners from Barbados; developed an economy based on tobacco and small farms.
New England Colonies: Religion & Society
Puritan Foundations:
Aimed to purify the Church of England of Catholicism, emphasizing Calvinist beliefs like predestination and community cohesion.
Key Settlements:
Plymouth Colony (1620): Founded by Separatist Pilgrims for religious freedom; self-governance established via Mayflower Compact.
Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630): Led by John Winthrop as a model Puritan society.
Expansion & Conflict:
The Great Migration (1630s) brought thousands of Puritans to New England.
New Hampshire also settled under Puritan ideals.
Challenges to Puritan Orthodoxy:
Roger Williams: Advocated for church-state separation, founded Rhode Island for religious tolerance after exile.
Anne Hutchinson: Challenged Puritan authority and was banished, later settling in Rhode Island.
Declining Puritan Zeal:
Generational shifts led to lesser religious fervor; The Salem Witch Trials (1692) showcased social tensions and religious extremism.
Middle Colonies: Diversity & Prosperity
Economic & Social Diversity:
A mix of religions, ethnicities, and classes; economy thrived on wheat, rye, and oats exports.
Key Colonies:
Pennsylvania: Founded by William Penn as a "Holy Experiment," focused on Quaker values and religious tolerance.
New Jersey: Initially Dutch, transfer of control to English proprietors.
Delaware: Transitioned from Dutch to English control, later becoming independent from Pennsylvania.
New York: Emerged as a commercial hub post-British takeover.
The Lower South and West Indies: Economy & Society
Agriculture & Slave Labor:
Relied on extensive growing seasons and enslaved labor for staple crops, with some areas having enslaved populations outnumbering Europeans.
Sugar & Slavery in the West Indies:
Barbados: Most profitable British colony; reliant on sugar and large-scale slavery.
Carolina:
Developed rice cultivation but lacked a crop like sugar; South Carolina followed the Barbadian model with an elite controlling enslaved populations.
Georgia:
Established as a buffer colony against Spanish Florida.
Development of Self-Government in the Colonies
Colonial Governance:
Britain's lax enforcement fostered local governance.
Royal governors held authority, relying on colonial assemblies for funding, encouraging self-rule.
New England Town Meetings:
Promoted democratic engagement among free male residents.
Elected selectmen for local governance.
Virginia’s House of Burgesses:
First legislative assembly in the colonies; originally had broad voting rights that later became more restrictive.
Transatlantic Trade & Economic Impact
Atlantic Economy & Triangular Trade:
Interconnected England, Africa, the Americas, and the West Indies.
Exchanged manufactured goods, enslaved people, and raw materials.
African Slave Trade & the Middle Passage:
Devastated African societies; Middle Passage known for brutality and high death rates.
Agricultural Exports & Slavery:
Tobacco (Virginia), indigo & rice (Lower South), sugar (West Indies) were the main exports.
Fur Trade in the North:
Encouraged European expansion and conflicts among Native groups; competing for fur shifted alliances between European powers.
Middle Colonies Economy:
Focused on wheat production, showcasing economic diversity.
New England’s Economy:
Relied on fish, lumber, and rum exports, creating a robust regional economic system.
Impact on Native American Societies
Disease & Warfare:
European diseases caused mass devastation among Native populations.
The Beaver Wars highlighted how European alliances and trade intensified Native conflicts.
Catawba Adaptation:
Engaged in trade with settlers but faced destabilization from alcohol and disease.
British Imperial Policies
Mercantilism:
Aimed to enrich Britain by ensuring colonies provided raw materials and served as markets.
Navigation Acts:
Restrained colonial trade to Britain, limiting local manufacturing; benefited Britain while undermining colonial autonomy.
Attempts at Greater Control:
Shifted from proprietary to royal status for increased British oversight.
Dominion of New England (1686-1689): Centralized authority dismantled post-colonial resistance.
"Salutary Neglect":
Weak enforcement allowed colonists to develop political and economic independence.
Imperial Conflicts & Political Instability in North America
European Rivalries & Native Alliances:
Conflicts between European powers extended to North America, with Native tribes involved.
Introduction of firearms changed Native warfare.
Beaver Wars (1640-1701):
Conflict involving French & Algonquian vs. Dutch (later British) & Iroquois; led to the decline of Huron and Iroquois territories under British alliance.
French and Indian Wars (1688-1763):
Series of conflicts culminating in determining North American control.
Native alliances shifted based on European rivalries affecting land and colonial relations.
King William’s War & Queen Anne’s War:
Early colonial conflicts mirroring European wars, impacting areas across New England and the South.
Iroquois Confederacy neutrality post-1701 altered power dynamics.
British Colonial Expansion & Native Conflicts
Pequot War (1634-1638):
English settlers, in alliance with Native groups, defeated the Pequots over land disputes.
King Philip’s War (1675-1678):
Metacomet (King Philip) led Native resistance against English expansion; resulted in Wampanoag power destruction and increased British presence in New England.
Praying Indians & Cultural Assimilation:
Puritans aimed to convert and assimilate Natives, often erasing traditional cultures.
Rise of Racial Hierarchy
Shifted from initial cooperation with Natives towards viewing them as hindrances to land acquisition, supported by racial ideologies.
Spain & Native American Relations
Spanish Accommodation:
Greater adaptation to Native cultures than British.
Pueblo Revolt (1680):
Major uprising in New Mexico due to religious oppression and forced labor; temporarily extirpated Spanish, who later accepted greater cultural autonomy for Pueblos.
Slavery in the British Colonies
Expansion of Slavery:
Enslaved Africans became the primary labor source due to perceived reliability.
Bacon’s Rebellion (1676): Highlighted risks of indentured servitude, accelerating the shift to racial slavery.
Resistance to Slavery:
Stono Rebellion (1739): Major slave revolt in South Carolina, inciting heightened fears among whites.
Everyday resistance included sabotage and preservation of African traditions.
Colonial Society & Culture
Religious Pluralism & the Great Awakening:
The Great Awakening revitalized individual spirituality, leading to newer religious sects like Baptists and Methodists.
Anglicization & Consumer Culture:
Colonists began imitating British customs; high literacy rates spurred demand for literature, propagating Enlightenment ideals.
Legal & Philosophical Foundations of Resistance:
Enlightenment Thinking: John Locke’s views influenced colonial resistance.
Freedom of the Press: A culture of open discourse fostering criticism of authority.
Themes
European Competition & Native Relations:
Distinct colonial models shaped Native interactions; alliances shifted based on trade and European rivalries; conflicts reflected Native resistance.
Regional Differences in the British Colonies:
New England favored religious communities, the Middle Colonies highlighted diversity, while the South relied on plantation economies.
Growth of Slavery & Racial Hierarchies:
The shift towards racial slavery entrenched legal justifications for enslavement; resistance manifested in varying forms.
Colonial Autonomy vs. British Control:
Mercantilist policies aimed to regulate colonial economy; salutary neglect allowed self-governance; attempts to tighten control met resistance.
Enlightenment & Religious Revivalism:
Enlightenment ideals influenced political thought; the Great Awakening increased religious diversity and unity among colonists.