Unit 1 Review

Bullets for Unit 1

Beginnings

o Native Americans-came from Asia across the Bering Strait on a land bridge.

o Europeans coming out of Middle Ages thought earth was flat

o Renaissance- world was round, invented compass, astrolabe, new sails

o Christopher Columbus-credited with discovering America in 1492

Colonization Begins

o Crusades – Pope sent Europeans to take back Jerusalem

o Spices/Silks- Crusaders brought spices and silks back

o Muslims (middle men) charged high prices to allow Europeans to buy spices

o Europeans wanted to find a way to Asia without going overland by the Muslims and having to deal through them.

Colonization Begins

o Columbus sails for India and finds Hispaniolao Thinks he is in India- calls natives Indianso Spanish settle Florida, the Caribbean, Central

and South America, and southwestern U.S.o Spanish looking for gold and to bring

Christianity to the “savages”o Brought death and destruction to the native

population

Colonization Begins

o French colonize Canada and along the Mississippi River.

o Mostly interested in furso Did not increase the size of their settlementso They were able to get along best with Indians

because they were not taking much lando Northwest Passage – Henry Hudson and others

looked for a northern route through North America to the Pacific Ocean

Colonization Begins

o English – came to North America after the other European countries

o Came for several reasons – religious freedom in New England, religious freedom and to better their lives in Middle, and for profit in the Southern colonies.

o Roanoke Island – started by Sir Walter Raleigho Called the Lost Colony/ it did not last

Jamestown

o First permanent English colonyo Established in 1607o Swamp land was poor choiceo Mosquitoes, starvation, Indianso John Smith saved Jamestown o “No work, no food”o Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life (he was

adopted into the tribe)

Jamestown

o John Rolfe – introduced tobaccoo It became a “cash” crop and allowed

Jamestown to thriveo House of Burgesses – first democratic

legislature in colonies (now known as the General Assembly of Virginia)

o In 1619, to help ensure that male colonists stayed, 90 women were sent to the colony

Colony of Virginia (Jamestown)

o The first Africans arrived in 1619 when a slave ship stopped to trade.

o 20 Africans were purchased as “Christian servants,” not enslaved people (slaves).

o They had been baptized, and at that time English law said Christians could not be slaves.

o A desire for land and feelings of superiority led to conflicts with Native Americans.

Virginia

o To entice new settlers to Virginia, the Virginia Company introduced the headrights system.

o Settlers who bought a share in the company or paid passage for themselves were granted 50 acres of land.

o They were given 50 more acres for each family member or servant over the age of 15 whose passage they paid for.

Virginia

o There was plenty of land for tobacco farmers but not enough labor to work it.

o England had the opposite problem.o Tenant farmers had been forced off the land

during the enclosure movement, creating high unemployment and a large number of people willing to sell labor for a chance to start over.

o To pay for their passage, they became indentured servants.

Virginia

o Tobacco and other cash crops in the south led to the plantation system.

o This led to distinct social classeso Planters who could afford to bring in many

slaves or indentured servants received much larger land grants.

o They could produce a much larger cropo The result was a society where the wealthy elite

controlled most of the land and labor.

Virginia

o These wealthy elite were often referred to as the Southern gentry or the planter elite.

o Most landowners in the colonial south were actually small farmers living in the “backcountry” farther inland.

o They are sometimes referred to as yeomen to distinguish them from the gentry.

o Another name for the wealthy were “cavaliers”

Virginia

o By 1660s, wealthy planters led by the governor, Sir William Berkeley, dominated Virginia’s society.

o The most important issue for most Virginia colonists was land.

o Indentured servants and tenant farmers wanted to own their own farms eventually and backcountry farmers wanted to expand.

Virginia

o Most wealthy planters lived near the coast in the region known as the Tidewater.

o By the 1670s, the only land left for the backcountry farmers was owned by Indians.

o The wealthy planters did not want to risk war with the Native Americans and opposed expanding the colony into the Indians’ lands

Virginia

o A well-to-do planter named Nathaniel Bacon took up the backcountry farmers cause.

o He led these men against the Indians and then against Berkeley.

o They burned Jamestown and chased Berkeley south

o Berkeley returned with his own army and Bacon and his men fled into the swamp where Bacon died.

Virginia

o Bacon’s Rebellion convinced many wealthy planters of the need for slaves

o Slaves would not have to be freed and therefore would not need their own land

o In 1638 Maryland became the first British colony to formally recognize slavery when it denied Africans the same rights as English citizens.

Virginia

o New laws in Virginia and Maryland gradually lowered the status of all Africans, regardless of their religion, and changed slavery into a hereditary system based on race.

o In 1705, Virginia pulled all of these different laws together into a slave code.

o Slave code – a set of laws that formally regulated slavery and defined the relationship between slaves and free people.

Massachusetts

o Pilgrims on the Mayflower known as Separatists

o Led by William Bradfordo Aided by Squantoo Plymouth (covenant community) -

Mayflower Compact

Massachusetts II

o Puritans led by John Winthropo City on a Hillo Heretics (Roger Williams-Providence and Anne

Hutchinson-Portsmouth) o Town Meeting – a gathering of free men in a

New England town to elect leaders, which developed into the local town government

o Selectmen – the men chosen to manage the town’s affairs in New England

Rhode Island

o Founded by Roger Williamso Land peaceably acquired from Indianso Based on religious freedoms that Williams

promotedo Church and the government are separate

(separation of church and state)

Connecticut

o Founded by Thomas Hookero Wanted more religious freedom than

Massachusetts allowedo Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (first

constitution in the nation)o New Hampshireo Owned by Captain John Masono Royal Colony

Pennsylvania

o Founded by William Penno Quakers – Religious group who practiced

worship without ministers and were pacifistso Philadelphia – “City of Brotherly Love”o Fair treatment of Indianso Thriving colony – merchantso Good port

Maryland

o George Calvert (Lord Baltimore)o Established as safe haven for English

Catholicso Toleration Act guaranteed religious freedomo Catholics were soon outnumbered

New York & New Jerseyo Known as New Netherland by the Dutcho Henry Hudson (Hudson River)o New Amsterdam (Manhattan Island)o England’s King Charles II gave this land to his

brother James (Duke of York) and renamed the land New York

o Gave some of the land to George Carteret who was from the island of Jersey

o Named this new area New Jersey to honor Carteret

Delaware

o Land bought by Penn from the Duke of Yorko Georgia – last original colonyo James Oglethorpeo Haven for debtorso Also a buffer from Spanish Florida

North and South Carolinao Royal colony named after King Charleso Grew wealthy from trade (rice and indigo)o Charles Town became major port cityo Large slave populationso Became the riches English colonyo North Carolina created as refuge for the poor

and dissenterso North Carolina did not have a good harboro Tobacco was their main crop