APUSH STUDY SESSION #1Pre-Columbian America through 1692 (Chapters 1-4)

PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA

NATIVE AMERICANS IN PRE-COLUMBIAN NORTH AMERICA Native Americans are most likely descendents of

migrants who crossed the Bering Strait Migration took place between 20,000 and 40,000 years

ago 21-26 million lived here when Columbus arrived

Most were hunters and gatherers Believed in animism and reverenced nature Had minimal impact on the environment

Success of groups often depended on their environment Tribes were independent and competed against

one another for resources Made them slow to unify against European settlers

EARLY COLONIZATION OF THE NEW WORLD (1492-1650)

EARLY COLONIAL ERA: SPAIN COLONIZES THE NEW WORLD Vikings arrived first in the 11th century Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492

Started period of sustained contact between Europe and the Americas Eventually led to the establishment of the

Columbian Exchange He had the resources and technology to establish

colonies far from home Started a long period of European expansion and

colonialism in the Americas

Spain was THE colonial power in the Americas for a century Conquistadors dominated Native Americans and the

Spanish Armada prevented other powers from sending their own expeditions

Settled along the coast in Central and South America and the West Indies

Exploited regions they conquered Natives were enslaved on encomiendas Locals were slaughtered or died from exposure to

smallpox Natural resources were extracted and sent to Europe

Lost their advantage when the English Navy defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588

THE ENGLISH ARRIVE England’s first attempt at colonization failed at

Roanoke in 1587 First successful colonization occurred at

Jamestown, VA in 1607 Funded by a joint-stock company called the Virginia

Company Group of investors who bought the right to establish

plantations in the New World from the king Location was terrible and English gentlemen couldn’t

adapt Only succeeded because Captain John Smith

imposed harsh martial law During the starving time of 1609-1610, some resorted

to cannibalism while others abandoned the settlement

Powhatan Confederacy taught the English which crops to plant Hoped alliance with the British would help them

overpower rival tribes Growth of tobacco helped the colony tremendously

Required vast acreage and depleted the soil, so it led to rapid expansion of the colony

Also led to the development of plantation slavery Area became known as the Chesapeake

Included modern Virginia and Maryland

People migrated to the Chesapeake for financial reasons Overpopulation in England limited opportunities Many were attracted to America because of indentured

servitude (75% of immigrants) In return for free passage, indentured servants

promised 7 years’ labor and then received their freedom They also received land which helped them survive and

vote Virginia Company introduced the headright system in

1618 to attract new laborers for the tobacco plantations Gave 50 acres to settlers Wealthy investors accumulated land by paying

passage for indentured servants and gaining a headright for each person they sponsored

Became the basis for the emerging aristocracy Hindered development of democracy Infringed on rights of Native Americans

House of Burgesses was established in 1619 All property-holding white males could vote

FRENCH COLONIZATION OF NORTH AMERICA French initially colonized modern Canada

Quebec was established as the first French colony in 1608

Similar to Spanish and English colonization French Jesuits tried to convert Native Americans to

Roman Catholicism Spread diseases Wanted to exploit the New World’s natural resources

and find a shortcut to Asia

Also differed from Spanish and English colonization Had a smaller impact on the Native Americans Few French settlers traveled to America and those who

did were single men Many stayed on the move as fur traders

Played a significant role in the French and Indian War from 1754-1763, but didn’t impact the development of North America as much as the British Edict of Nantes (1598) spared Huguenots from

persecution and kept them from leaving France

PILGRIMS AND MASSACHUSETTS BAY COMPANY Puritans were English Calvinists who wanted to

purify the Anglican church of Roman Catholic practices and who founded Plymouth Persecuted in 17th century England Separatists left for Holland but then decided to

immigrate to the New World in 1620 They were called pilgrims and set sail for VA

Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact while on their journey Created legal authority and an assembly Said that the government’s power derives its

consent from the governed

Puritans accidentally landed in MA and founded Plymouth

Also received life-saving assistance from the Native Americans Squanto interpreted and taught the pilgrims how to

farm effectively Interacted less with Native Americans because those

in MA had suffered from a devastating plague Did not grant religious freedom

Congregationalists founded a larger and more powerful colony called Massachusetts Bay in 1629 Governor John Winthrop helped create this colony

which embraced Puritan ideals Called for colonists to be a “city upon a hill”

Settlers were strict Calvinists whose beliefs affected their daily lives

Also developed a plantation colony dependent on slave labor

Did not grant religious freedom Roger Williams was banished and founded Rhode

Island Allowed religious freedom

Anne Hutchinson was tried and convicted of heresy and banished

Puritans stopped migrating during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, but resumed under the Stuart kings

English Puritans had different experiences in the Chesapeake (VA and MD) and New England (MA etc.) Chesapeake

Immigrants were often single males and families were smaller

Lived in smaller, spread-out farming communities New England

Immigrants often traveled with their whole family Climate was more hospitable, so families were larger Settled in large towns that were close to one

another Because of strong sense of community and absence of

tobacco as a cash crop More religious and often settled near meetinghouses

Puritans stopped migrating during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, but resumed under the Stuart kings

OTHER EARLY COLONIES Connecticut was a proprietary colony settled by

the English (Proprietary were owned by one person who usually received the land as a gift from the king) Had a fertile valley with sea access Pequot Indians resisted English settlements in the

Pequot War Pequot were nearly destroyed

Produced the Fundamental Orders, which were considered to be the first written constitution in British North America

Maryland was a proprietary colony granted to Lord Baltimore Became a haven for members of all Christians First major Catholic enclave in the New World When Protestants outnumbered Catholics, Maryland

passed the Act of Toleration (1649) Protected most Christians

New York was a royal gift to James, brother of the king New York was initially settled by the Dutch, who called

it New Netherland English waged a war against the Dutch

Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered along with 400 civilians

King Charles II gave the colony to his brother, James (the Duke of York)

New Jersey was a royal colony given to friends by Charles II They sold it to Quaker investors

Pennsylvania became a royal colony given to William Penn by Charles II Quakers received their own colony Penn allowed religious freedom and extensive civil

liberties Recruited settlers through advertising Treated the Native Americans more fairly than other

colonies Carolina was a proprietary colony that split into

two North Carolina was settled by Virginians and was

modeled after Virginia South Carolina was settled by English descendents who

had colonized Barbados Marked the beginning of the slave era in the colonies

Eventually, most proprietary colonies became royal colonies Ownership was taken over by the king who could

control their governments By 1775, only Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania,

and Maryland were NOT royal colonies

SLAVERY IN THE EARLY COLONIES Indentured servants initially provided most of the

labor Enslavement of Native Americans was difficult Extensive use of African slaves began when

English colonists from the Caribbean settled in South Carolina Tobacco and rice cultivation required more workers African s were easier to control and were less likely to

escape English rationalized slavery because they viewed dark

skin as a sign of inferiority

The majority of African slaves went to Brazil and the Caribbean 500,000 slaves were transported to the English

colonies by 1775 700,000 blacks were slaves in the US by 1790

Slaves were transported via the Middle Passage in a triangular trade route that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas This was incredibly inhumane

Slavery flourished in the South Chesapeake and the Carolinas focused on labor-

intensive crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo Treatment of slaves was vicious and sadistic

Slaves sent to the North often served as domestic servants

THE AGE OF SALUTARY NEGLECT (1650-1750)

SALUTARY NEGLECT Referred to British treatment of the colonies up

until the French and Indian War England regulated trade and government in its

colonies, but interfered in colonial affairs as little as possible

Colonies governed themselves and developed a high degree of autonomy This eventually fueled revolutionary fervor

A new American culture took root during this time period

ENGLISH REGULATION OF COLONIAL TRADE Mercantilism was the prevailing economic theory

Economic power was rooted in a favorable balance of trade and was based on the control of hard currency

Believed colonies were most important for economic reasons

British encouraged manufacturing in England in order to guarantee a favorable balance of trade Passed protective tariffs on imports that might

compete with British goods A number of these, including the Navigation Acts,

were passed between 1651 and 1673

Navigation Acts helped England while hurting the colonies Required colonists to:

Buy goods from England alone Sell certain goods only to England Buy non-English goods in English ports and pay a

tax on these imports Not produce a number of goods that England

produced Sought to control colonial commerce and were

moderately successful It was easy to smuggle goods in and out of the

colonies British attempted to strengthen the Navigation Acts

Military courts were established without a jury Boards of Trade were set up to better regulate

commerce and to review colonial legislation Colonists didn’t protest because they depended on

England for trade and military protection

COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS Colonists had political autonomy although they

experienced economic restrictions British never tried to establish a powerful central

government in the colonies Had a governor appointed by the king or

proprietor Depended on colonial legislatures for their salaries

All of the colonies except Pennsylvania had bicameral legislatures

Colonists attempted to create a centralized government with the New England Confederation Had no real power but dealt with disputes among

members Allowed colonists to meet together

LIFE IN THE COLONIES Population grew very quickly

Large numbers of Scotch-Irish, Scottish, and German immigrants challenged English dominance

Black population swelled 90% of colonists lived in rural areas

Inequality was most pronounced in the cities Children and women were completely subordinate

to men Blacks mostly lived in the country and in the South

Slaves who lived on large plantations and who developed special skills had easier lives

Developed extended kinship ties and strong communal bonds

City conditions were poor when compared to the countryside They did offer contact with different people and with

the outside world They served as centers of progress and education

Education was rare and colleges were for training ministers

COLONIES DEVELOPED DIFFERENTLY New England centered on trade

Population farmed for subsistence Subscribed to rigid Protestantism

Middle colonies focused on farming (NY, PA, NJ) Population farmed for trade Population was more heterogeneous than New England

Carolinas concentrated on growing cash crops like tobacco and rice Slavery was crucial for success on plantations Majority of southerners were subsistence farmers with no

slaves Chesapeake colonies combined features of the middle

colonies and Carolinas (MD, VA) Slavery and tobacco were important but so was grain Developed major cities

MAJOR EVENTS OF THIS TIME PERIOD

Bacon’s Rebellion occurred in VA in the 1670s Showed backcountry farmers’ discontent with

coastal elites and the colonial government Skirmishes with the Native Americans and lack of

governmental protection made them feel like they were being used to shield wealthy colonists in the East

Attacked Native Americans and burned Jamestown to the ground

Early populist uprising in America Disenfranchised all combined against the upper class

King Philip’s War was the bloodiest English-Native American conflict up to that point Occurred in New England in the 1670s English took native lands and tried forced

assimilation Natives responded by attacking several settlements

Native American tribes united and destroyed a number of English settlements

English eventually devastated the tribes by selling many natives into slavery in the West Indies

Marked the end of a formidable Native American presence in New England

Salem Witch Trials took place in New England in 1692 Not the first time that witches had been tried,

but it was the first time so many were tried simultaneously In the summer of 1692, 130 witches were jailed or

executed in Salem Hysteria resulted from political, religious, and

economic factors Puritanism had lost some of its power in England and

MA became a royal colony in 1691 All Protestants could now vote, which weakened the

power of the Puritans in MA Puritans felt that commercialism was undermining the

only true religion—theirs Halfway Covenant boosted number of Puritans in MA