Period 2

The time period covers the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the beginning of the French and Indian War in 1754.
Big Ideas:
- First half: Development of British colonies in North America in relation to each other, other colonial powers, and indigenous nations.
- Second half: Increasing tensions between American colonies and British imperial policy.

Primary Goal: Extract wealth (initially from minerals, later from cash crops like sugar and tobacco).
Systems Established:
- Encomienda System: Subjugated indigenous populations as labor forces.
- Transitioned to Hacienda System: Focused on agriculture with land ownership by planters and indigenous laborers tied to the land via a debt repayment system.
Religion and Culture:
- Converting indigenous Americans to Christianity through missions.
- Key event: Pueblo Revolt (1680), where the Pueblo people resisted Spanish domination, killed Spaniards, and destroyed churches; Spanish returned and reasserted control with a mix of tolerance and repression.
Social Structure:
- Casta System: A social hierarchy based on racial lineage, with pure Spanish at the top and indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans at the bottom.

Similarities: Both focused on trade rather than extensive settlement.
French Colonial Goals:
- Establised trade partnerships, notably in the beaver fur trade, and had fewer efforts at conversion.
- French missionaries had limited success as they avoided brutal control tactics.
Dutch Colonial Goals:
- Established New Amsterdam as a trading port, focused on the fur trade with no interest in conversion efforts.
Economic Comparisons:
- Spaniards sought to remake the New World in their image; the French and Dutch partnered with indigenous peoples.

Motivations for Settlement:
- Social Mobility: Many sought opportunities in the colonies due to limited land and social hierarchy in England.
- Economic Prosperity: Early colonies like Jamestown were established to find wealth, but transitioned to sustainable crop production, e.g., tobacco.
- Religious Freedom: Faced persecution in England. Groups like Puritans (the Pilgrims) sought a new society focused on their religious beliefs.
- Improved Living Conditions: Economic hardship in England drove many to seek better opportunities in North America.
Settlement Characteristics: British colonies aimed for complete societies separate from indigenous peoples.

New England Colonies (e.g., Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay):
- Settled largely by families seeking to establish a religious society.
- Governed democratically via town meetings and the Mayflower Compact.
- Economic focus on subsistence farming and local trade (fur, timber, fish).
Middle Colonies (e.g., New York, Pennsylvania):
- Characterized by diversity (ethnically and religiously) and economic prosperity focused on grain production.
- Pennsylvania established as a model of religious tolerance by William Penn (Quaker).
- Governance struck a balance between individual rights and representation.
Chesapeake and North Carolina:
- Early development focused on wealth and cash crop production, primarily tobacco.
- Indentured servitude transitioned to African slavery post-1619 as the primary labor system.
- Legislative representation through entities like the Virginia House of Burgesses.
Southern Colonies (British West Indies):
- Heavy reliance on enslaved labor for plantation agriculture (sugar as primary crop).
- Slave codes enacted to maintain dominance due to an enslaved population that often outnumbered whites.

The colonies participated in the Triangular Trade:
- New Englanders shipped rum to West Africa, traded for enslaved Africans, who were sent to the West Indies, exchanging for sugar back to New England.
Impacts of Trade:
- Introduction of European goods altered indigenous economies and power dynamics.
- Spread of European diseases devastated native populations.

Definition: Economic system aimed at a favorable balance of trade (maximize exports, minimize imports).
Aimed to make colonies serve the economic interests of the imperial power (Britain)!
Navigation Acts: Legislation to enforce mercantilism, causing colonial resentment toward economic control.
Salutary Neglect: Lax enforcement of Navigation Acts allowed colonists a degree of autonomy, leading to greater resentment when rules were enforced.

Complex Relationships: European powers formed alliances with various indigenous groups, leading to both conflict and cooperation.
Examples of Conflict:
- Beaver Wars: Conflicts rooted in territorial expansion and alliances complicated by European colonial interests.
- Metacom's War (King Philip's War): Alliance of indigenous groups under Metacom fought against British colonists, leading to destruction of towns and severe indigenous losses.

Slavery existed in all colonies but varied in prevalence; increasing reliance on slavery marked a shift from indentured servitude.
Bacon's Rebellion (1676): Conflict between former indentured servants and government led to increased reliance on African slavery as a more controllable labor force.
Types of Resistance:
- Covert resistance: Secret family structures, slow work, cultural retention.
- Overt resistance: Notable rebellion (e.g., Stono Rebellion) that incited fear among planters and tightened slave codes.

Diversity & Unity: Colonies hosted various immigrant groups leading to a shared identity.
Great Awakening: Religious revival creating emotional connections among diverse populations.
Enlightenment Influence: European rationalist thought emphasized individual rights, affecting colonial political philosophy, leading to suspicion of elites.
Anglicization: Colonial society began to mirror British customs and social structures, creating a hierarchy that included wealth disparity and decreased opportunities for social mobility for the lower classes.
Governance Structure: Similarities in governance mirrored British systems while allowing for local autonomy.

Territorial Disputes: Tensions arose as colonists desired westward expansion conflicting with British policies favoring peace with indigenous populations.
Desire for Self-Rule: Reactions against British control (e.g., impressment) reflected growing autonomy and resentment against external governance.
Trade Parameters: Navigation Acts restricted colonial trade, leading to smuggling and greater opposition to British authority as colonial interests grew and developed independently.