APUSH unit 3 introductory notes
Chapter 2 Introductory Essay: 1607-1763, Part 1
Written by: W.E. White, Christopher Newport University
Introduction
The sixteenth-century brought significant changes in Europe reshaping the Atlantic world, including Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Major changes included:
The rise of nation-states.
Division of the Christian church into Catholic and Protestant sects due to the Protestant Reformation.
Increased competition for global commerce among European nations.
Spain's aggressive protection of its territorial claims in North America against rival nations.
Example: Spain attacked and killed French Protestant Huguenots at Fort Caroline in 1565.
Other European powers, including France, Britain, and Holland, sought their own American colonies, using North America's safe havens to raid Spanish treasure ships despite the lack of gold in North America compared to Spanish territories.
Resulted in Spain focusing on its more profitable territories in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Peru while rival nations began establishing claims in North America.
European conflicts whether political, religious, or economic, extended to both wars in Europe and colonial struggles in the Atlantic.
England's Rivalry with Spain
Elizabeth I, the Queen of England, supported Protestant revolts in Catholic France and the Spanish Netherlands, opposing Spain's Catholic monarch, Philip II.
Supported privateers like Sir Frances Drake and Sir George Summers, attacking Spanish commerce.
In 1584, Elizabeth issued a royal charter to Sir Walter Raleigh, allowing the exploration, colonization, and governance of North America, disregarding Spanish claims.
Rise of Colonial Competition in North America
By the early seventeenth century, several European nations established colonies in North America:
Spanish: Founded St. Augustine (1565) in Florida.
English: Established Jamestown in Virginia (1607).
French: Established Quebec (1608) in Canada.
Spanish: Founded Santa Fe in New Mexico (1610).
Dutch: Established Albany (1614) and New Amsterdam (1624).
English Separatists (Pilgrims): Founded Plymouth Colony (1620).
Puritans founded Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630).
Resulted in exponential growth of European settlements and interactions with Native Americans.
Establishment of French Colonial Presence
By the 1650s, English, French, and Dutch settlers were well-established in North America.
French traders expanded deeper into the continent, establishing relations with American Indians for fur trading.
Jesuit priests peacefully cohabited, learned languages, and converted natives to Christianity.
American Indian economies evolved, focused on fur trading involving European goods like metal tools and firearms.
By mid-1700s, French control spanned the St. Lawrence River Valley, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River Valley.
Rival European Powers by 1650
By 1650, all Atlantic coast claimed by competing European powers; American Indians resisted European encroachment variably.
Dutch established New Amsterdam as a fur trading site, growing to approximately 9,000 inhabitants by the 1660s.
Jamestown struggled initially but later thrived due to tobacco cultivation introduced by John Rolfe in 1617.
Settlers in Virginia gained property rights and established the House of Burgesses in 1619, marking the emergence of representative governance in the New World.
Religious Influences on Colonies
Pilgrims in 1620 sought religious freedom from the Church of England, leading to the settlement of Plymouth.
Second group, the Puritans, arrived in 1628, aiming to reform the Church.
John Winthrop's vision of a “city upon a hill” emphasized creating a model Christian community.
Massachusetts enforced strict religious conformity; dissenters faced persecution.
Roger Williams founded Providence, Rhode Island, for religious freedom.
Anne Hutchinson challenged clergy authority, leading to her banishment.
Salem Witch Trials emerged in the 1690s from complex social factors, ending with accusations against town leaders.
Religious Diversity in the American Colonies
Lord Baltimore founded Maryland (1634) as a haven for Roman Catholics, promoting religious toleration initially before persecution arose in later years.
Table summarizing key colonies and their founding intentions:
Plymouth (1620): Religious freedom for Separatists.
Massachusetts Bay (1629): Religious freedom for Puritans.
Maryland (1634): Religious toleration for Christians.
Connecticut (1636): Religious divides with Puritans.
Rhode Island (1636): Same as above (escape from Puritans).
Pennsylvania (1682): Religious freedom for Quakers, founded by William Penn as a “holy experiment.”
The Great Awakening
From the 1730s to 1740s, a wave of religious revivalism known as the Great Awakening occurred.
Characterized by passionate evangelicalism to inspire emotional religious conversions.
Opposed rationalism from the Enlightenment and questioned traditional religious authorities.
Historians debate the impact of the Great Awakening on American society.
Mercantilism and Economic Relations
European nations operated under mercantilism, viewing wealth as finite and based on gold and silver.
Nations amassed wealth through colonies providing raw materials and consuming manufactured goods from the mother country, establishing monopolistic trade practices.
Example: British colonies required trade through British ports on British ships.
The Navigation Acts, introduced by Parliament in the 17th century, restricted trade with non-English entities.
The English seized New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it New York, reducing European competition in North America.
18th Century Rivalry between Britain and France
By the early 1700s, only Britain and France remained major powers in North America.
French territories stretched from Canada down the St. Lawrence River through the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys.
Rising tensions between French and British interests fueled conflicts on the North American frontier, leading towards the understanding of precursory conflicts leading to the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
Map Reference
A map showing the European settlements in North America as of 1750, highlighting geographic claims before the French and Indian War.