Heimler APUSH Unit 2 Review

Overview of Unit Two: AP US History

• Time Period: 1607 to 1754

• Major Themes: Compare European motives and methods in colonizing the Americas

European Colonization of the Americas

Spanish Colonization

• Goals: Extract wealth from valuable cash crops and precious metals (gold and silver).

• Methods:

  • Forced conversion of Native Americans to Christianity with varying success.

  • Established a caste system based on racial ancestry among the inhabitants.

French Colonization

• Goals: Focused more on trade (especially the fish and fur trade) than on conquest.

• Approach:

  • Fewer settlers compared to other European nations.

  • Established trading settlements rather than large colonies.

  • Alliances: Many French traders intermarried with Native Americans, facilitating trade relationships (e.g., with the Ojibwe).

Dutch Colonization

• Goals: Economic gain through fur trading, similar to the French.

• Key Events:

  • Established a fur trading post on the Hudson River (present-day New York).

  • Founded New Amsterdam, which became a trading hub by 1624.

  • Little interest in converting Native Americans to Christianity.

British Colonization

Motivations

• Economic turmoil in Britain due to wars and inflation.

• Search for new economic opportunities and land for farming.

• Desire for religious freedom among some groups.

Overview of British Colonial Settlements

• Chesapeake Region:

  • Jamestown (1607): First permanent settlement, financed by a joint-stock company aimed at profit.

  • Initial struggles with disease and famine; resorted to cannibalism for survival.

  • Tobacco Cultivation: Brought success after John Rolfe's introduction of marketable tobacco in 1612, leading to significant investment.

  • Indentured Servitude became a primary labor source until transitioned towards African slavery due to demand for labor.

  • Bacon's Rebellion (1676): Radical conflict between settlers and the governor's indifference towards Indian raids led to fear among plantation elites and reliance on slavery.

• New England Colonies:

  • Settled by Pilgrims in 1620 for religious reasons, making family-based societies rather than profit-driven ventures.

  • Faced hardships initially but established a thriving economy through agriculture and trade.

• Southern Atlantic Coast and West Indies:

  • Permanent colonies established in the 1620s focused on cash crops (especially sugar and tobacco).

  • Shift from tobacco to sugarcane cultivation in the 1630s significantly raised demand for African slave labor.

  • Demographics: By 1660, Barbados had a larger black population than white, leading to strict slave codes.

• Middle Colonies:

  • Diverse economies based on cash crops with significant urban merchant classes and a lower working class.

  • Pennsylvania: Founded by William Penn as a Quaker and offered religious freedom through negotiations with Native Americans.

Colonial Governance and Society

• Colonies developed self-governance due to geographical distance from Britain.

  • Notable examples include the Mayflower Compact and Burgesses in Virginia.

• Inequalities arose, dominated by wealthy elites controlling local assemblies.

Atlantic Trade System

• Triangular Trade Routes:

  • Trade between New England, Africa, and the West Indies for goods such as rum, enslaved people, and sugarcane.

• Mercantilism: Economic system prioritizing national wealth through a favorable balance of trade, with colonies as sources of raw materials.

• Navigation Acts: Laws to enforce trade between British colonies using British vessels and regulate trade for taxation purposes.

Slavery in the Colonies

• Middle Passage: 3 million enslaved Africans transported to the Americas between 1700 and 1808, mainly for plantation work in the West Indies.

• Labor Systems: Chesapeake and Southern colonies relied heavily on slaves as labor sources.

  • Introduction of slave codes defined enslaved people as property.

• Resistance to Slavery: Various forms of covert and overt resistance, including the Stono Rebellion (1739) in South Carolina.

Relations with Native Americans

• British relationships were often hostile, as evidenced by Metacom's War (1675) against British encroachment.

Cultural Developments

• Enlightenment Ideas introduced natural rights and social contracts, emphasizing rational thinking over tradition.

• The Great Awakening: Religious revival led by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, fostering a shared Colonial identity and future resistance to British authority.

Growing Tension with Britain

• Many factors, including impressment (forcing colonists to serve in the Royal Navy), spurred growing mistrust of British governance.