Chapter 17

Ember Rensel

The Columbian ExchangeTransferred goods between the Eastern hemisphere and the New World• People (slaves)• Animals• Plants• Technologies• Diseases (from Old

World to New)

Trades- Intended and accidental

• The natives of the Western hemisphere were killed by many of the diseases-Smallpox, influenza, measles, diphtheria

-Malaria and yellow fever arrived with African slaves

• Wheat, olives, grapes, vegetables, rice, bananas, sugar cane -- to America

• Maize, potatoes, manioc – to Old World• Large amounts of livestock arrived in the Americas from

Europe -Natives found the horse most useful

The Spanish Colonies•The Spanish controlled - The Caribbean Islands- Mexico- American Southwest- Central America- Caribbean and Pacific

coasts of South America

- Andean highland- Plains in Argentina,

Uruguay, and Paraguay

Colonial development

• Portugal controlled much of the coast of Brazil• Viewed society as a vertical hierarchy of estates,

mainly Catholic, and a patriarchal extended-family network

• Natives influenced the development of the colonies and formed alliances or marriage ties with the settlers

State and church

• Council of the Indies-1524-developed in Spain, supervised government, ecclesiastical, and commercial activities in the colonies

- Limited power because of geography and time- Viceroys were of the highest power in the colonies- Judicial and administrative districts- Mexico City- capital of New Spain- Lima- capital of Peru- Bahia- capital of Brazil

State and church cont’d…

• Catholic churches became popular and locals began to convert to Christianity

- Provided for European spiritual needs- Promoted intellectual advancement and formal education• Settlers used the church as an excuse to justify their conquests• Bartolomé de Las Casas- defended the Amerindians in the

early colonial period• Missionary efforts were thwarted by geographical, linguistic,

and cultural differences.• The church became the richest institution in the Spanish

colonies

Economy in the colonies

• Peruvian silver mines and Mexican sugar plantations dominated

• Gold was extracted in Latin America• Potosí- now Bolivia- the richest silver deposit• Encomienda- forced labor of the natives• Mita- a labor tax • Brazilian sugar plantations depended on slave labor• Illegal trade relations were formed between the

Spanish, English, Dutch, and French

Society• Hidalgos- lesser nobles• Creoles- whites for in America to European parents• The loss of life undermined the rich and cultural society• Slavery brought about racism and lower social ranking for blacks• Quilombos/ paleques- runaway slaves• Brazilian culture was influenced more by the Africans then the Amerindians• Slaves could buy their freedom• Mestizos- mixed Amerindian & European• Mulattos- mixed African & European• Castas- mixed peoples groups

The French Colonies

• Jaques Cartier- first stirred interest in America- explored Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence Strait

• The French were committed to missionary work and encouraged the extraction of fur and natural resources

• New France-settled in Quebec (1608)- Allied with the Huron and Algonquin• Beaver fur trade fueled settlement• Métis- mixed French and native-

assisted in fur trade and communication

French colonies

• Firearms made indigenous people deadly• Horse + gun = good military power• Epidemics made conversion hard for natives• The French were the most independent• Treated natives well- as allies and partners• English took over in 1760 after the French and Indian

War when they captured Quebec

The English Colonies• The English colonies were located

along the Eastern coast of North America and some regions farther north.

• In the North:- Roanoke in North Carolina= failed (2x) - Newfoundland in Canada= failed• In the South:- Jamestown in Virginia(1606) = success!1. Expected easy profits2. Survived by natives’ generosity 3. Many settlers died from diseases4. Government forced to dissolve the

Virginia Company

English colonies cont’d• Economy based on furs, timber, and tobacco• No significant city developed in Virginia, unlike Latin America• Indentured servants- white, 80% of colony’s population, signed a

contract to be a slave for 4-7 years in order to pay for voyage to the New World

• Slave populations grew rapidly as life expectancy increased• House of Burgesses- government system where a Crown-appointed

governor and his council and representatives would meet and formed a democratic ruling system.

• Southern settlements benefitted most from fur trade• Stono Rebellion-1739- largest slave uprising• Colonial South Carolina= most hierarchical society in British N.

America

New England• Pilgrims- wished to break away from the Church of England - Settled in Plymouth, Mass• Puritans- wanted to “purify” the Church of England, separate

it from government- Mass. Bay colony• Gender balance• Became more “American”-independent

Mid-Atlantic region

• Manhattan Island-Dutch merchants- set up alliance with Iroquois Confederacy- gave access to rich fur trade

• New York colony- diverse population-trading center• Pennsylvania- refuge for Quakers- 1682- William Penn- Philadelphia became the largest city in the British colonies- Peaceful relations with natives

Reforms

• Both Spanish and British America had to reform in order to encompass economic growth and resources.