DH

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.