WESTWARD EXPANSIONMR. PALMER / US HISTORY

COLUMBUS- In 1492, he was contracted by Spain to find a route to Asia

by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean- Ended up landing on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and

Hispaniola- Never actually set foot in America (common myth)- His discoveries still pleased the Spanish monarchy and

they funded three more voyages to colonize these lands

IMPACT OF EUROPEANS…- …on Native Americans

- Arrival devastated Native Americans- Used as slave labor- Exposed to death and disease- Thousands died

- …on Africans- Colonists turned to Africa for slave labor- Atlantic slave trade (triangular trade) demolished African

societies- Drained Africa of at least 10 million people

- …on Europeans- Sparked migration across the Atlantic- Overseas expansion inflamed national rivalries

- Treaty of Tordesillas: Spain and Portugal agreed to divide the Western hemisphere

COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

FIRST ENGLISH COLONIES- Jamestown

- Led by John Smith (the guy from Pocahontas)- Settlers ignored farming in search of gold and many

eventually died due to disease and hunger- Colony almost failed but was eventually saved

- Plymouth- Led by the Pilgrims (Puritan Separatists)- Wanted to separate from the English Church and “purify” it

of Catholic influence- Massachusetts Bay

- Puritan society dominated the Massachusetts colony; taxes supported the Puritan church and laws required church attendance

- John Winthrop was a notable Puritan influence

KING PHILIP’S WAR- Native Americans helped first settlers

by providing them with land and agricultural advice

- Disputes soon arose over land and religion

- Metacom, the Wampanoag chief, organized his tribe and others into an alliance to wipe out the “invaders”

- War lasted for over a year; mass bloodshed and brutal destruction

- Native Americans eventually fled or surrendered due to food shortages, disease and heavy casualties

THIRTEEN COLONIES- More British colonies were founded throughout the 1600s

and 1700s- Existed primarily for the benefit of England- Exported a rich variety of raw materials to England- Imported manufactured goods from England- Thirteen colonies founded over a period of 125 years- Represented a wide variety of people, skills, motives

industries, resources and agricultural products

MERCANTILISM- Mercantilism

- Began in the 16th century where nations competed for wealth and power

- New economic system in which a nation could increase its power in two ways

- 1. obtain as much gold and silver as possible- 2. establish a balance of trade where it sells more goods

than it buys- Ultimate goal for a nation was to become self sufficient so

that it didn’t have to depend on other countries for goods

NAVIGATION ACTS- Purpose was to tighten control on colonial trade- These acts enforced the following rules:

- Goods had to be shipped in English or colonial vessels- All crews had to be at least three-quarters English or colonial - The colonies could export certain products only to England

(tobacco, sugar, indigo, cotton, wool, ginger, copper ore, molasses, furs, iron, lumber and other)

- Almost all goods shipped between the colonies and the rest of Europe had to pass through and English port

- Obviously benefitted England - Proved to be good for most colonies as well- By limiting trade to English and colonial ships, it created a boom

in the shipbuilding industry and paved the way for other colonial industries

ENLIGHTENMENT AND GREAT AWAKENING- During the 1700’s, the Enlightenment and the Great

Awakening influenced peoples’ thinking throughout the thirteen colonies

- Enlightenment- Intellectual movement that began in Europe- Philosophers valued reason and scientific methods

- Great Awakening- A colonial religious movement- Challenged the authority of established churches

ENLIGHTENMENT (AGE OF REASON)- Emphasized reason, analysis and individualism

- Reason: the process of the mind to think and form judgments using logic

- Analysis: detailed examination of something- Individualism: being independent/self-reliant

- Focused less on traditional authority- Challenged the authority of deeply rooted institutions- Looked for ways to reform society through the use of tolerance,

science and skepticism- Tolerance: the ability to tolerate or accept something one does not

necessarily agree with- Science: the study of the physical and natural world through

observation and experiment- Skepticism: the attitude of doubting something

LASTING EFFECTS- Both movements caused people to question traditional

authority- Also stressed the importance of the individual

- Enlightenment: emphasized human reason- Great Awakening: de-emphasized the role of church

authority- Important in creating the intellectual and social

atmosphere that eventually gave birth to the Revolution- Essentially, these movements helped people think for

themselves and inspired them to fight for their individual rights

THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION

BEGINS!