Early America PP Notes

Early British Colonies
Beginning in the early 1600s, the English establish colonies along the eastern shore of North America
The English Settle at Jamestown
A Disastrous Start
• In 1607 the English establish Jamestown, a colony in North America
• Groups of investors who hope to profit form joint-stock companies
• Colonists seek gold, suffer from disease and famine
• John Smith forces colonists to farm; gets help from Powhatan
Tobacco Requires a Supply of Labor
• Indentured servants—pay for food, housing, and passage with labor
• Indentured servants and slaves provide labor
for tobacco growth
” Puritans Create a “New England”
Puritans
• Puritans want to rid Church of England of Catholic rituals
• In 1620 a Separatist group, the Pilgrims, found colony at Plymouth
The Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Puritans found colony in Massachusetts Bay, centered in Boston
• John Winthrop, a Puritan leader, wants to create “City upon a Hill”
Dissent in the Puritan Community
• Roger Williams flees to Rhode Island for religious freedom
• Anne Hutchinson banished for speaking
against church
Native Americans Resist Colonial Expansion
• Native Americans help settlers survive in new environment
• Disputes between Native Americans and Puritans over land, religion
King Philip’s War
• Tensions between natives and colonists grow for 40 years
• In 1675 chief Metacom leads several tribes in King Philip’s War
• Native Americans surrender due to casualties, disease, and famine
Settlement of the Middle Colonies
The Dutch Found New Netherland
• Dutch set up New Amsterdam as center of fur-trading colony (1625)
• Dutch take over New Sweden on the Delaware River (1655)
• British duke of York takes colony, renames it New York (1664)
The Quakers Settle Pennsylvania
• William Penn, a Quaker, founds Pennsylvania (“Penn’s Woods”)
• Quakers, the Society of Friends, are pacifist Protestants who
- worship without formal ministers
- believe in equality, cooperation, religious toleration
England and Its Colonies Prosper
Thirteen Colonies
• From the 1600s to 1700s, thirteen British colonies are established
• Georgia is founded as a debtor haven, crown assumes control in 1752
• Colonies export raw materials, Britain manufactures goods
Mercantilism and the Navigation Acts
• Mercantilism—economic system to make a nation self-sufficient
• Nation obtains gold, silver, and establishes a favorable balance of trade
• British pass Navigation Acts in 1651 to control colonial trade
Colonial Governments
• Colonies run by a governor, who is appointed by the Crown
• Governor appoints judges, oversees local assembly and colonial trade
• Colonial assemblies pass laws; governors have veto power
Growing Spirit of Self-Determination
• Colonies want greater political and economic freedom
• Desire for freedom eventually leads to rebellion
The Colonies Come of Age
Even though both Northern and Southern colonies prosper, many colonists begin to question British authority.
A Plantation Economy Arises in the South
Life in a Diverse Southern Society
• English, German, Scots, Scots-Irish settlers; mostly small farmers
• Plantation owners control much of the South’s economy and politics
The Middle Passage
• Triangular trade—trade between Africa, West Indies, and the colonies
• Middle passage—sea route to West Indies, used to transport slaves
Africans Cope in Their New World
• 80-90% of slaves work in fields, 10-20% as servants or artisans
• Slaves keep their culture alive; some resist
or rebel
Commerce Grows in the North
Colonial Cities and Trade
• Northern colonies develop trade-based economy, some industries
• Philadelphia becomes Britain’s second largest port after London
• Colonial merchants trade as far away as California
• Northern colonies attract Jews, Dutch, Germans, and others
Farming in the North
• Northern farms produce varied cash crops, use less slave labor
• Slavery and anti-black prejudice exist in the North
The Enlightenment
European Ideas Inspire the Colonists
• Renaissance scientists look for rational explanation of world
• Discover that the earth revolves around the sun
• Enlightenment—intellectual movement that values reason and science
• Benjamin Franklin, colonial politician, embraces Enlightenment ideas
The Great Awakening
Religious Revivals
• Puritans lose influence in Massachusetts, lose dedication to religion
• Great Awakening—revivals to restore Puritan dedication and intensity
• Jonathan Edwards preaches people are sinful; must seek God’s mercy
• Great Awakening revives religion, leads many to change congregations
Effects of the Great Awakening and
Enlightenment
• Both movements lead people to question authority of church and state
• Movements create atmosphere that leads to American Revolution
The French and Indian War
Britain and France
• France and Britain fight three inconclusive wars in 1600s and 1700s
• French and Indian War—conflict reignites in colonies in 1754
Rivals for an Empire
• French colony based on fur trade, allies with Native Americans
War Erupts
• French build Fort Duquesne in land claimed by Virginia (Ohio Valley)
• French crush Virginia militia under George Washington in 1754
• 1755–1756, French and allies continue to
defeat British militia
Britain Defeats an Old Enemy
• British troops capture Quebec in a surprise attack in 1759
• William Pitt, British politician, leads Britain to victory
• Treaty of Paris ends war (1763), France gives up almost all its land
Changes for Native Americans
• Ottawa leader, Pontiac, fears loss of land; captures British forts
• British use smallpox as a weapon; Native Americans greatly weakened
• Proclamation of 1763—colonists can’t settle west of Appalachians