Comprehensive Notes on European Exploration, Colonial America, and the American Revolution

European Maritime Expansion and Exploration

  • Global Maritime Expansion:
    • A period of global maritime expansion led by European powers.
    • New sea routes established vital linkages connecting Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
    • Marked the historical beginning of sustained global interaction across continents.

European Settlement Patterns in North America

  • Spanish Settlement:

    • Settled in areas located to the west of the Mississippi River (MR).
    • Established major colonial presences in Florida.

  • French Settlement:

    • Settled territory stretching from Canada (specifically Montreal and Quebec) down the Mississippi River (MR) watershed to New Orleans (NOLA).

  • English Settlement:

    • Established the 13 colonies along the Eastern Seaboard of North America.

Motivations for European Colonization (The 3Gs)

  • Gold:

    • The pursuit of wealth through trade and natural resources.

  • Glory:

    • The achievement of national prestige, expansion of imperial power, and acquisition of land.

  • God:

    • The effort to spread Christianity through active missionary activity.

Regional Profiles and Development of the English 13 Colonies

  • Geographical Impact on Colonial Development:

    • Geographical differences had a major impact on how individual colonies grew and developed economically and socially.

  • Virginia:

    • Established explicitly to make money ($$) for England.
    • Relied heavily on cash crops, primarily tobacco.
    • Tobacco cultivation was extremely labor-intensive.
    • The labor intensity of cash crops led directly to the establishment of slavery in the Southern Colonies (slavery already existed in Europe, but its growth here was an economic decision).

  • Massachusetts:

    • Established for religious freedom, specifically to get away from Anglicanism.
    • Characterized by the establishment of port cities rather than agriculture, as the land was not good for farming.
    • Schools were considered very important along with churches and community structures because people were required to have access to read the Bible.

  • The Southern Colonial Profile:

    • Defined by a plantation and agricultural economy.
    • Economic wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few.
    • Very few plantation owners were rich.
    • The vast majority of the population was poor, uneducated, and worked on slow-paced farms.
    • Relied heavily on slave labor.

  • The Northern Colonial Profile:

    • Defined by thriving port cities focused on shipping and trade.
    • Many people prospered, especially merchants.
    • Populations lived in cities with fast-paced access to commercial goods.
    • Did not rely on slave labor for economic output.
    • Inhabited by a variety of immigrants who owned their own labor.

Mercantilism and Colonial Economic Systems

  • Principles of Mercantilism:
    • The primary economic idea behind the establishment of overseas colonies.
    • Based on the exchange of raw goods from the colonies for finished goods from the mother country.
    • Mandated that the mother country must export more than it imports.
    • Dictated that colonies were established specifically to make money off of them for the benefit of the mother country.

Colonial Government Structures and Voting Qualifications

  • English Foundations of Governance:

    • Colonial governments were directly modeled after what the people of England were used to.
    • In England, governance was split between:
    • King: Made laws.
    • Parliament: Passed taxes, composed of two houses:
      • House of Lords (HOL)
      • House of Commons (HOC)

  • Colonial Administration Roles:

    • Royal Governor (13):
    • Appointed directly by the Crown/England across the 13 colonies.
    • Council:
    • Appointed directly by the Royal Governor.
    • Held judicial power and advised the Royal Governor.
    • Assembly:
    • Elected body within the colony.
    • Held authority to make local laws and pass local taxes.

  • Voter Qualifications (AWRWELOm):

    • Voting was strictly limited to individuals meeting the conditions outlined by the mnemonic AWRWELOm:
    • A: Adult
    • W: White
    • R: Rich
    • W: Well-Educated
    • L: Land-Owning
    • O: Owner
    • m: Male

Key Political Philosophies and Concepts

  • Salutary Neglect:

    • The idea of allowing colonial self-government in exchange for economic cooperation.
    • Created a distinct level of independence within the American colonies.

  • John Locke's Social Contract:

    • All men possess fundamental rights to life, liberty, and property.
    • If the government fails to protect these rights, the people must destroy the government.
    • Provided the theoretical framework from which revolution emerges.

The French and Indian War and Causes of the American Revolution

  • The French and Indian War:

    • France lost the war and gave up its land claims in North America to England.
    • The conflict left England bankrupt.
    • To rebuild its finances, England started to tax the colonies directly rather than taxing people living in England.
    • Feelings escalated over these policies, ultimately leading the colonists to revolt.

  • Key Causes and Takeaways of the Revolution:

    • English colonists and the King came into conflict over a series of unfair taxes and regulations designed to raise revenue and assert authority.
    • The takeaways/reasons for revolution fall into three core categories:
    1. Economic: Unfair taxes and commercial controls imposed on colonists.
    2. Social: Application of Social Contract theory.
    3. Political Representation: The fundamental disagreement over direct vs. virtual representation models.

Political Representation Models and Confederation

  • Virtual Representation vs. Direct Representation:

    • Virtual Representation: The British framework stating that all English citizens, regardless of physical location, were represented in Parliament.
    • Direct Representation: The colonial framework insisting that people must vote directly for the individuals who represent and govern them.

  • Confederation:

    • Defined as a loose alliance of members with a shared common interest.
    • Has a purpose to unify member entities, but lacks the structural capability to fulfill that purpose completely.

  • Articles of Confederation:

    • The foundational legal document explaining the initial American Confederation.
    • Demonstrated political division and weakness, as all states maintained completely different currencies.