Period 2 Summary Notes

2.2 European Colonization in North America

• primary motivations - wealth, spread christianity, flee persecution

• Spanish

  • men coming to spread catholicism

• French

  • men coming to trade, specifically fur

  • often intermarried

• Dutch

  • landed in New Amsterdam (New York) along with what is now called the Hudson river

  • granted control of the Dutch West India company for economic exploitation

  • mostly traders, less likely to intermarry

• British

  • motivated by economic opportunity and rising population in europe

  • traveled as families, less likely to intermarry

  • took native land for farming; never subjugated them

2.3 The Regions of British Colonies

• 13 distinct colonies starting with Jamestown in 1607, ending with Georgia in 1733

• three types

  • corporate colones (jamestown) - operated by Joint Stock Companies to make money

  • royal colonies (Virginia) - under direct authority and rule of the kinds gov; made to make england look better

  • proprietary colonies (Maryland and Pennsylvania) - under authority of individuals granted charters of ownership of King

• Jamestown

  • chartered by the Viriginia company; swampy area made it hard to farm and led to outbreaks of dysentery and malaria

  • terrible hardships and starvation until John Rolfe and Pocahantas introcuded a variety of tobacco that could be grown and sold

  • by 1624, only 1300/5000 settlers alive and colony was bankrupt; became royal colony

• Plymouth

  • religiously motivated dissenters from the Anglican Church who followed John Calvin; escaping persecution

  • set sail on Mayflowers; after half died the first winter, the natives helped them adapt, resulting in the first Thanksgiving

• Massachusetts Bay Colony

  • Puritans, more moderate dissenters, created the MBC, founding Boston in 1630

  • relied on commerce and agriculture

• Religious issues in Maryland

  • first a haven for Catholics facing persecution, but soon began to be outnumbered by protestants

  • Act of Toleration (1649) - first document to grant relgious freedoms to all Christians, but called for the death for anyone who denied the divinity of Jesus

• Development of New England

  • Fundamental Orders of Conneticut - first written constitution in American history which favored a representative government where the legislature was elected by popular vote, and the legislature chose the governor