AP US History Unit 2 Review: European Colonization (1607-1754)

Spanish Colonization

Extraction of Wealth

• Spain colonized the Americas primarily to extract wealth.

  • This was achieved through the cultivation of cash crops like tobacco, sugar, and cotton, as well as the mining of precious metals such as gold and silver.

Subjugation and Conversion

• The Spanish conquistadors and colonizers subjugated the native populations, forcing them into labor.

  • They attempted to convert them to Christianity through missionary efforts. This often involved the destruction of indigenous cultures and religious practices.

Caste System

• Spain established a rigid caste system based on racial ancestry called the Sistema de Castas.

  • This system ranked individuals based on their perceived purity of Spanish blood, with those of European descent at the top and indigenous and African people at the bottom. This system determined social status, rights, and opportunities.

French Colonization

Trade-Focused Policies

• French colonial policies centered on trade rather than extensive conquest.

  • They primarily focused on valuable commodities such as fish and fur. The French established extensive trading networks with American Indian tribes.

Limited French Population

• Compared to Spanish and English colonies, the number of French settlers in North America was relatively small.

  • This was partly due to the French government's policies that discouraged mass migration.

Trading Settlements

• The French established trading settlements around North America.

  • The first permanent settlement was in Quebec, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Other significant settlements included Montreal and Detroit.

Indigenous Partnerships

• French traders frequently married American Indian women to strengthen trading partnerships.

  • These alliances provided mutual benefits, with the French trading iron cookware, firearms, and other manufactured goods for beaver skins and other furs prepared by the Indians.

Dutch Colonization

Fur Trading Center

• In 1609, the Dutch established a fur trading center on the Hudson River, in what is now present-day New York. This was led by Henry Hudson's exploration of the area.

Economic Goals

• The primary goals of Dutch colonization were economic, focused on establishing trade routes and exploiting resources in the New World.

  • The Dutch West India Company played a significant role in these endeavors.

Religious Tolerance

• The Dutch showed little interest in converting natives to Christianity, despite being Protestant. Their focus was mainly on trade and economic gain.

New Amsterdam

• By 1624, they established New Amsterdam (present-day New York City), which quickly became a hub of trade attracting traders, merchants, fishermen, and farmers from various backgrounds.

British Colonization

• British colonization is most relevant for United States history.

Motivations for British Colonization

Economic Issues in Britain

• The Columbian Exchange significantly altered the British economy, introducing new crops and resources but also creating economic instability.

• Wars with France and the conquest of Ireland placed a significant financial burden on Britain.

• Prices rose, and the value of money decreased, leading to economic hardship for many.

• The noble class saw their wealth diminish, while the lower classes faced increased hardship.

• The enclosure movement reduced the amount of land available for farming, displacing many rural workers.

Motivations

• The lure of new economic opportunities and land in the New World.

• The desire for religious freedom and improved living conditions, especially for groups like the Puritans and Quakers.

British Colonial Settlements

Chesapeake Region

Jamestown

• In 1607, Jamestown was established as the first permanent English colonial settlement in North America.

Joint-Stock Company

• Financing was through a joint-stock company, where private investors pooled money and collected profits. The Virginia Company was instrumental in funding Jamestown.

Profit-Seeking Venture

• Jamestown was primarily a profit-seeking venture, with settlers hoping to find gold and other valuable resources.

Early Challenges

• Disease and famine killed nearly half the settlers in the first two years.

• Cannibalism occurred due to starvation during the harsh winter months.

• High Mortality Rate: By 1610, seven out of eight settlers were dead due to disease, starvation, and conflict with Native Americans.

Tobacco Cultivation

• In 1612, John Rolfe began cultivating tobacco, which reversed the colony's fortunes.

Marketable Crop

• Tobacco became a marketable crop, leading to an influx of investment and new settlers.

Indentured Servitude

• Indentured servants were the major labor system.

  • These individuals couldn't afford passage to the New World, so they signed labor contracts.

  • They worked for about seven years in exchange for passage, then went free.

Land Acquisition and Tension

• Increased demand for tobacco led to the acquisition of more land from Native populations, increasing tension.

  • Indian raids led settlers to appeal to Governor William Berkeley for protection.

Bacon's Rebellion

• Berkeley refused, leading to Bacon's Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon

• Nathaniel Bacon led poor farmers and indentured servants against the Indians and then against Governor Berkeley.

Burning of Jamestown

• They burned plantations and caused significant damage.

Suppression of Rebellion

• The rebellion was eventually suppressed after Bacon's death.

Consequence

• Planter elites feared disgruntled indentured servants and shifted to African slavery, seeking a more controllable labor force.

New England Colonies

Pilgrim Settlement

• In 1620, Pilgrims settled in family units to establish a society, not a profit-seeking enterprise. They sought religious freedom from the Church of England.

Religious Goals

• Their goals were deeply tied to their Christian religion and the desire to create a pure religious community.

Family Economies

• They created family economies as farmers, focusing on self-sufficiency and community.

Early Challenges

• Fevers and disease killed about half the original settlers during the first winter.

• Eventually, they established a thriving colonial economy with agriculture, commerce, and shipbuilding.

British West Indies and Southern Atlantic Coast Colonies

##### Permanent Colonies

• In the 1620s, permanent colonies were established in the Caribbean (e.g., St. Christopher, Barbados, Nevis).

Year-Round Growing Season

• The warm climate allowed for year-round growing seasons, making these colonies highly productive.

Crop Diversification

• Initially, crops like tobacco were grown, but sugarcane became dominant by the 1630s due to falling tobacco prices.

Sugarcane Demand

• Sugarcane was in high demand in Europe but was labor-intensive, driving the need for a large labor force.

African Slave Trade

• High demand for African slaves to grow sugarcane.

  • By 1660, Barbados was majority black due to the extensive use of slave labor.

Strict Laws

• Strict laws were passed to govern the black population, defining enslaved people as property. These laws were known as slave codes.

Carolina Colonies

• The Carolina colonies were influenced by this system.

  • Planters from the Caribbean migrated to South Carolina and replicated the Caribbean system, establishing rice and indigo plantations.

Middle Colonies

Diverse Population

• New York and New Jersey had a diverse population and thrived on an export economy, mainly of cereal crops like wheat and barley.

Growing Inequality

• Growing inequality between classes, with wealthy urban merchants (elite) and laborers/orphans/widows/unemployed (lower working class).

Enslaved Africans

• Significant population of enslaved Africans, particularly in agricultural areas.

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, a Quaker and pacifist.

Religious Freedom

• Religious freedom for all was recognized, attracting settlers from various religious backgrounds.

Negotiation with Indians

• Land was obtained from Indians mainly through negotiation, fostering relatively peaceful relations compared to other colonies.

Colonial Governance

Democratic Tendencies

• Unusually democratic due to Britain's distance and leniency, allowing colonies to develop self-governing institutions.

Self-Governing Structures

Mayflower Compact

• Pilgrims organized their government on the model of a self-governing church congregation, establishing a framework for self-governance.

House of Burgesses

• (Virginia): A representative assembly that could levy taxes and pass laws, giving colonists a voice in their governance.

Elite Domination

• Representative assemblies were dominated by elite classes (e.g., wealthy landlords in New York, elite planters in the southern colonies), limiting broader participation.

Atlantic Trade System

• Trade became global with colonization in the Americas, creating a new Atlantic economy that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Triangular Trade

Merchant Ships

• Merchant ships followed a three-part journey, facilitating the exchange of goods and people across the Atlantic.

New England to West Africa

• Rum to West Africa.

West Africa to West Indies

• Rum traded for enslaved people.

Middle Passage

• Enslaved people transported to the West Indies under brutal conditions.

West Indies to New England

• Enslaved people traded for sugarcane.

Return to New England

• Sugarcane transported back to New England to make rum.

Mercantilism

• An economic system where there was a fixed amount of wealth (measured by gold and silver) in the world.

Favorable Balance of Trade

• Each state's goal was to gain as much wealth as possible by maintaining a favorable balance of trade (more exports than imports).

Colonial Dependence

• Relied on establishing colonies for raw materials, which were then manufactured in the home country and sold back to the colonies.

Navigation Acts

• The British government tried to tightly integrate the colonies into the Empire.

  • Required merchants to trade with English colonies and use English-owned ships.

  • Certain valuable trade items had to pass through British ports, where they were taxed, increasing revenue for the British government.

Wealth Generation

• The Atlantic trade system generated wealth for elites and transformed America's seaports into thriving urban centers, such as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

Slavery in the British Colonies

Transatlantic Slave Trade

• Between 1700 and 1808, about 3 million enslaved Africans were transported across the Middle Passage on British ships.

Destination

• The majority were sold to planters in the British West Indies, where sugarcane plantations demanded constant labor.

Universal Participation

• Every British colony participated in the slave trade due to the wealth generated by coerced labor in export economies (tobacco, sugarcane, indigo).

Regional Differences

• New England farmers held relatively few slaves, while the Chesapeake and southern colonies held many, reflecting the differing agricultural needs.

Slave Codes

• Strict slave codes were introduced in Virginia, following the Carolinas and Barbados.

  • Slaves were defined as chattel (property), stripping them of all legal rights and protections.

  • Slavery was a perpetual institution passed down through generations to maintain a controlled labor force, ensuring a constant supply of labor.

Resistance

• Enslaved blacks resisted the system through covert and overt methods.

Covert Resistance

• Maintaining cultural customs, breaking tools, ruining stored seeds, faking illness to subvert the system and assert some control over their lives.

Overt Resistance

• The Stono Rebellion (1739) in South Carolina.

  • A group of slaves stole weapons, killed store owners, and marched along the Stono River, seeking freedom in Spanish Florida.

  • They burned plantations and killed white people, demonstrating their desire for liberation.

  • The South Carolina militia suppressed the rebellion, resulting in stricter slave codes and increased fear among white colonists.

Colonists and Native Americans

Poor Relations

• Relations with Indians were generally poor, characterized by conflict over land and resources.

Metacom's War

• Metacom's War (1675), also known as King Philip's War.

  • Metacom (King Philip) saw British encroachment as a threat to their way of life, including their hunting grounds and cultural practices.

  • They allied with other Indian groups and attacked white settlements throughout New England, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.

  • The British allied with the Mohawk Indians, who ambushed and killed Metacom, effectively ending the war.

Colonial Society

Religion

The Enlightenment

• A European movement emphasizing rational thinking over tradition and religious revelation.

  • Ideas spread through transatlantic print culture (John Locke, Voltaire, Emmanuel Kant), influencing colonial thought.

  • Introduced ideas like natural rights (given by a creator, not government), challenging the authority of monarchies.

  • Belief in the separation of powers to prevent tyranny and protect individual liberties.

  • Social contract: people give power to the government to protect their natural rights, and if the government breaks the contract, the people have the right to overthrow it, justifying revolution.

The Great Awakening

• A massive religious revival throughout the colonies generating Christian enthusiasm.

  • New Light clergy lamented the loss of faith due to the Enlightenment and sought to revive religious fervor.

  • Emphasized democratic principles of the Bible, empowering individuals and challenging traditional hierarchies.

  • Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were notable leaders of the Great Awakening.

  • Edwards preached in Northampton, and Whitefield traveled throughout the colonies, drawing large crowds and inspiring conversions.

  • A large-scale return to Christian faith and a sense of unity among colonists, contributing to a shared identity.

Other Aspects

- Colonists were gradually experiencing Anglicanization (becoming more English-like) through cultural exchange and political integration.