Factors Aiding Exploration and Settlement

identify motives/factors leading to the exploration of the new world...

• humanity started in africa - pangea

• conflicting theories on background of Indigenous people in the americas

crusades

• wars fought between christians and muslims (holy wars)

• spread of muslim faith from middle east → n. africa; could be moving into [catholic] portugal and spain - this is a “no-no”

• each state has official church - taxes based on religious affiliation

• pope calls for holy war, says automatic trip to heaven if killed in battle

• many princes + lords led battles (7 major battles) - christians ultimately lost war

• europe came into contact with a prosperous region

• desire for eastern goods → "east indies" → spice islands (ie. china, japan - se asia)

• spices: pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg

• no refrigeration - salt to preserve or spoil

• luxury items - silk, porcelain, dyes, perfumes

• "status symbol" for wealthy

• men who survived brought back tales of wealth, 'strange' customs, new ideas

• even though they lost, many things were gained by europeans in this war

• european kings and lords → $$ for new goods

→ familiarize self with purpose and impact

death of kings and lords

• decline of feudalism: lords + manors/fiefs (no nations - kingdoms)

• many killed in battle

• decline of lords/kings leads to decline of system; political shape of europe changes

• growth of towns

• economic boom: "3 Ts"

• trade - towns - travel

• new [economic] life returning to Europe

• controlled by strong central government

• new growing "middle class" (Capitalism)

• traders - merchants - artisans

consolidations of power

“all-water route to east indies” → empire = #1 = wealth & power → gold, land

• rise of national monarchies: one single king/queen

• nationalism - patriotism: central government

• creation of modern nations

• portugal - spain (predominant initially)

• england - netherlands - france

• sought to increase power and prosperity

• national pride, nationalism

• taxation: people supported government and policies

• trade: commercial rivalries/wars (spice islands)

• italian trade monopoly - mediterranean sea

• overland routes: expensive, dangerous

• citizens looked to kings for power, economic needs, protection, etc.

• "spice islands"

• se asia → middle east → italy → europe

the renaissance

"rebirth" - new ideas, new things, new learning

• printing press - spread of information

• new technology and scientific discoveries

• writings, adventures of Marco Polo

• humanities: celebrated an individual's potential to change the world

• In the dark ages, the church determined power - now that power lies in the individual and what they can achieve (working for self, not kingdom, church, etc.)

• stressed individual achievements and successes → fame and glory

• almost a sin to seek fame and glory in middle ages; went against church's teachings

protestant reformation

religious rivalries

• "official religion" of the state

• protestant nations: England, Germany, Holland

• catholic nations: Spain, Portugal, France

• provides more motivation for exploration (more righteous justification)

• national pride and superiority

• missionaries: followed the explorers, created "missions"

• Spanish and French

• new lands = new "converts" among natives (forced)

• new justification = "spread Christianity"

• civilize natives = language - dress- culture - government

portugal → prince henry the navigator

• only specific person given credit for spurring this period of navigation

• establishes school of navigation

• new technology: caravel (movable sail - steering), magnetic compass, astrolabe, quadrant

• mapmaking - more accurate information

• provide financial support for individual explorers

• goal: find an all-water route to Asia/East Indies around African coast - to India and islands

• spice islands

• 1488: Bartholomew Diaz - cape of good hope

• 1498: Vasco de Gama - Indian ocean → India

• Portuguese

• contact with Africa → African kingdoms and slaves

individual explorers

• Columbus & Spanish “conquistadors”

• GOLD → Spanish government

• "in the name of Spain..." and the Catholic church

disadvantages for the “New world”

• destruction of Indigenous civilizations

• aztec - inca - mayan

• leveled cities and destroyed cultures

• burnt written records - erased knowledge + history

• greatest unintended destruction

• greatest killer - smallpox

• eg. hispaniola - 1492= 1mil, 50 years later = 500

• before cortez = 8-10 mil in central mexico, end of century = less than 1 mil

• "3 Ds" also led to death of Indigenous peoples in the north and south american regions

• disease - disunity/disorganization - disposability ("inferior + godless" to Europeans)

The Columbian / Atlantic Exchange

NW/Indigenous to maize, potatoes, tobacco; syphilis

OW/Europe to sugar cane (plantations), horses; cattle - pigs - sheep

impact on new world

motivation - "3Gs" (gold - glory - gospel)

conditions - Columbus: 1492

• "go east by going west"

• all water route

• king reluctant but queen is ok, want to eliminate monopoly and establish their own trade route

• "man and myth"

first world powers

• Portugal and Spain

• gold and raw materials (Spanish more so than Portuguese)

• rivalries erupted - pope steps in and establishes:

• Papal “Line of Demarcation” > Treaty of Tordesillas

• Spain gets all claims to territory in NW

• Portugal gets all claims to territory in Africa, Asia + Brazil

• Spain gets W, Portugal gets E;

• Holland - England – France

Spain and England

Spain

• Spanish “conquistadors” - H. Cortez
  

• gold -- destruction of native kingdoms
  

• forced labor of the Native Americans
  

• Spanish settlements in New World > not “colonies”

• Presidios - Mission/Church - Encomienda
  
  ****treatment of Native Americans > “Black Legend”
  

• Father Bartholomé de Las Casas
  

• wrote "a brief description of the devastation of the Indies" (1542)

• opposed enslavement of Indigenous people and the practice of "encomiendas"

• led the passage of "new laws" in 1542 - ended the practice of encomiendas

• forced to return to Spain bc of growing opposition in NW from wealthy landowners

rigid class system

1. Spaniards (land & power) “pure bloods”

                2. Creoles: born in NW

                3. Mestizoes: Sp. & Indian

                4. Mulattoes: Sp. & Blacks

• Territory: South America (except Brazil).
  
  Mexico and Central America — Caribbean Islands
  
  Southwest & Florida → North America
  

England

• late-comer to Exploration ("get in on the action”)
  

• 1497 - John Cabot: Newfoundland/Nova Scotia
  
  ****claimed land on eastern coast of New World
  

• Gilbert and Raleigh: encouraged settlements in New World
  
  ****used for bases for attacks on Spanish settlements & on Spanish galleons → gold
  

• growing rivalry with Spain
  

• "sea dogs" pirates - privateers

• raided Spanish galleons (as mentioned above)

• eg. francis drake → "dashing hero" - english hero of the time

major failures:

• Gilbert: Newfoundland - lost at sea

• 1588 - Walter Raleigh: Roanoke - “Lost Colony”

rivalry with spain

• Cabral's outward voyage of 1500

• 1533: henry viii divorced spanish queen catherine

• leaves catholic church → forms anglican (protestant) religion

• rejected authority of pope

• 1558: queen elizabeth - bitter enemy with Spain

• strong supporter of protestants

• sought to challenge Spain + their naval domination

• sought to create an english empire

• never marries - doesn't want to give up power "virgin queen" → virginia

• 1580s: relations at their worst - "sea dogs"

• elizabeth knights francis drake, phillip mad

• king philip plans retaliation against england

• assembles massive fleet (spanish armada) to attack england

turning point in world history: 1588—british defeat of the spanish armada

• spain defeated due mostly to storm in english channel, but for the british, it was because of the bravery of their sailors

impact:

1. decline of the Spanish empire + naval power

• spain retains land and resources in NW

2. rise of england + english empire

• england's royal navy → mistress of the seas - biggest / most powerful world power until wwii (then we steal the bag)

3. beginning of england's colonization in the NW

• not threatened by spain

• competition → france + netherlands in north america

french settlement in the new world

french explorers

• canada + mississippi river

• 1st settlement: 1608 → Quebec

• louisiana territory

• claimed by french government (named for king louis)

• spanish + french had settlements but never colonized like england

• england is very small in size, france + spain already have enough land in their home countries

fur trade (!!)

• missionaries (assimilation > destruction)

• generally less intrusive + destructive of Indigenous cultures

• forts + trading posts → primary settlements

• some farmers

dutch settlement in the new world

• traders

• already established east india company

• now, sought to establish dutch west india co

• trade routes + bases to raid Spanish settlements

• henry hudson: explored for the dutch (englishman), claimed land for the dutch

• peter minuet: purchased manhattan island

• new netherland: new amsterdam - main city (ny state: ny city)

• "patroonships": land grants to encourage settlement, make place profitable

• peter stuyvesant: appointed governor

• not a popular leader - not supported by the people (rigid, authoritarian - anti-democracy)

• forced to surrender new netherland to the british

• british restricted between appalachian mountains + sea

colonies and their major cities

georgia - savannah

sc - charleston

nc - new bern

virginia - jamestown, williamsburg

maryland - annapolis

delaware - n/a

nj - trenton

ny - nyc

mass - boston

connecticut - new haven

new hampshire - portsmouth

rhode island - providence

penn - philadelphia

motives for early english colonization

• confiscated church property

• needed money

• trade

• enclosure movement - kicking farmers off land, fencing in to raise sheep → farmers go to new world, look for new life

• fleeing religious persecution (religious freedom)

• national ambition - countries competing, who can reap most profits from settlement?

• english v. french, dutch

england's first colonies

• 1607: jamestown → john smith, john rolfes, pocahontas
  

• settlers (men) were just looking for gold - didn't want to farm or do work

• second + third sons, etc.

• winter - starving time kills almost half of group (unprepared - no homes, no crops, always waiting for more ships → new supplies, more people)

• don't eat your dead wife challenge

• most miserable piece of land on which to start a colony - marshy, wet, humid, disease-ridden

• relationship with powhatan Indigenous peoples, eg. pocahontas

• 1620: plymouth → mayflower
  

• "separatists"

• rejected english church, sought separation - went to holland but didn't want kids growing up dutch etc. → came to america (pilgrims)

• william bradford

• leader of group

• found deserted Indigenous village

• mayflower compact

• "will of the majority"

• brutal winter 1/2 of population died

• Squanto, a member of a local Indigenous tribe, taught pilgrims to grow crops and helped them survive the winter

the great migration

• puritans: sought to purify anglican church (church of england)

• viewed as problem by england

• initially 10,000 - increased to 30,000
  

• charters
  give land

• guaranteed rights

bible commonwealth

• "city on the hill" → perfect colony at bible commonwealth

• model colony

• prove that you are one of the elect to be saved + sent to heaven, predestination (!!!)

• very strict lifestyles (puritan)

• had schools → bible commonwealth → kids must learn to read bible + write

rhode island

• roger williams - different religious beliefs, believed in separation of church and state

• religious freedom except for Jews and Catholics

• anne hutchinson - flees massachusetts (trouble with church leaders)

new england confederation: stick together if attacked by Natives or Dutch

dominion in new england: obeying navigation acts

• nav acts: ensure that colonies provide resources to mother england

• put a stop to trade w dutch + spanish

• one large colony

• king appoints edmund andros to govern this new colony

• mass in particular hates it

• everyone hates him though

• in power until glorious revolution when william and mary become king and queen of england

• edmund tries to dress up as a woman and dip, caught

• scots irish cause problems for pennsylvania (mayhem)

• fight Indigenous peoples

• william penn caught between a rock and a hard place