Origins of a New American Society

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Origins of a New American Society

• America Until 1754

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Beringia

• Why did people cross over the land bridge?
• What other ways did people come to North America?

1,000 mile grassland steppe that linked Asia to
North America occurring during the last ice age
allowing animals to travel in each direction.
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Settlement of the Americas

• During the last ice age sea depths decreased 300
  feet, exposing a land-bridge at Beringia. The
  first people then came from Asia, as it appears
  they followed animals across (nomadic).
• Over thousands of years they developed unique
  societies with a variety of languages and
  customs.

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Different Locations Different Societies
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Customs and Beliefs of the Natives

• Traditions within the native societies were
  passed down throughout generations orally.
• Societies were organized by kinships (family
  relationships) and these provided all of the
  functions that government provides today
  including health care, child care, and education.
• Most believed in rituals and religious ceremonies
  to prevent bad things such as disasters.
• Trade was conducted between groups to satisfy
  needs and build relationships.

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From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
What did the social hierarchy look like during
the Middle Ages? What was the change away from
the Catholic Church, and who led it?
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Social Hierarchy
King
Lords
Vassals
Knights
Peasants
Serfs
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Growth of Cities

• Cities developed where merchants sold their goods
  along the trade routes and along the water
  routes. Following the Middle Ages this first
  occurred in Italy. This created a new middle
  class that didnt exist during feudalism (largely
  merchants), it recreated the money economy, and
  helped breakdown the feudal economy.

Why did cities first develop in Italy/Why did the
Renaissance first occur in Italy? What major
historical event first caused Europeans to begin
to look past their situation within the Middle
Ages?
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Rise of Monarchs and Magna Carta

• Because it was the monarchs that protected trade
  routes and controlled the military, they won the
  support of the middle class. As English monarchs
  continued to increase taxes to fund the Crusades,
  or simply to make themselves richer they lost
  favor with the nobles.
• King John in 1215 was forced to sign the Magna
  Carta shaped British law and government and was
  the foundation for American ideas of liberty and
  justice.

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The Printing Press

• Prior to the invention of the printing press,
  monks would meticulously copy books (almost
  always religious in nature). Gutenberg invented
  the printing press in 1455 and it is widely
  considered the most important invention as it
  set into motion a communication revolution as
  millions of books would be copied with the
  moveable type copies.

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Columbus

• Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 (an important
  trading city) and grew up middle class.
• He was focused on becoming a wealthy traveler and
  so he went to Portugal. While still in his
  twenties he became a very knowledgeable navigator
  through voyages to Iceland, Ireland, and the west
  coast of Africa.
• He was deeply religious and also very moody,
  arrogant and socially distant.
• He petitioned a number of European monarchs to
  grant to financial backing for the voyage and
  Ferdinand and Isabella finally granted him
  ability to make the trek to the Indies.

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Reasons for Spanish Conquest
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Colombian Exchange

• New foods came from the Americas (such as
  potatoes, which helped to end famines in Europe),
  Europeans brought new technologies into the
  Americas such as wheat, and domesticated animals
  (cow and horse), and European laws, languages and
  customs into the Americas.

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Spanish Explorers

• The Spanish were the first to really begin to
  colonize the Americas as many were excited by the
  information provided by Columbus four voyages.
• De Leon discovered and named Florida while
  searching for the fountain of youth. Balboa
  found the isthmus of Panama and became the first
  known Europeans to see the Pacific Ocean from the
  Americas.
• Magellans crew became the first to
  circumnavigate the globe (though he died before
  they made it there).

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Spanish Methods of Conquest

• The Spanish method of conquest mirrored the
  Reconquista that expelled the Muslims from Spain.
  They were also aided by disease brought over to
  the new world, and advanced technology.

What methods did the Spanish use to conquer the
natives?
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Cortez

• Spanish conquistador who was sent to conquer the
  Aztecs.
• He used the hatred that other Native American
  groups felt for the Aztecs and recruited them to
  take on the Aztecs.
• Cortez and his soldiers took down Tenochitlan and
  the Aztecs.

Why were other groups willing to ally with the
Spanish against the Aztecs? Did all Spanish agree
with the treatment of the natives?
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Pizarro

• Sent to conquer the Incas, and was allied by
  other Native groups, as well as smallpox and
  other diseases was able to conquer the Incas.

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Cabot

• 1st known explorer for the English to cross the
  Atlantic. It is believed that he reached present
  day Newfoundland. His first voyage was
  successful and there was much celebration upon
  his return.
• His second trip is still debated as to whether he
  was successful or not only one ship returned
  after being damaged in a storm he never returned.

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Henry Hudson

• Explored for both the English and the Dutch, and
  most significantly he explored the Hudson River
  and the state of New York.
• He was looking for the Northwest Passage, but
  instead discovered the Hudson Bay in 1610.
• In 1611 his crew mutinied and he was never seen
  again.

Eight men responsible for the mutiny returned to
Europe after the mutiny and were arrested but
never charged with a crime, presumably because
they had information about the new world
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Jamestown Settlement

• After the failure of another attempt to colonize
  North America Roanoke, Jamestown was chosen. A
  joint-stock-company was formed and with the
  permission of the king, 100 colonists were sent
  to Jamestown in 1607.
• There was a conflict between the Natives and
  these settlers and they were vastly outnumbered.
  There was a tense uneasy truce.
• Many of the settlers were aristocratic, and saw
  only an opportunity to get wealthy, and put
  little effort into the settlement. Starvation
  was a problem, and without help from the Natives
  they would have died. Leadership was also an
  issue, John Smith was one of few quality leaders
  and he had to leave because of injury.

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Tobacco its Impact

• Tobacco was one of the few reasons that the
  settlements didnt fail. John Rolfe sent some
  tobacco to Europe, and it became the economic
  basis of the colonies.
• In 1616 2,500 pounds of the crop was sent to
  England and by 1640 3 million pounds a year was
  sent.
• Settlers moved out of Jamestown and into other
  locations to cash in and have their own
  plantation.

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Conflict With Native Americans

• Despite the Natives helping the Colonists there
  were still incidents of violence from both sides.
• The English and Spanish began to interact in ways
  that mirrored the way they dealt with people in
  Europe (Irish, Muslims). Irish were massacred by
  the English and the Muslims were killed by the
  Spanish with the Reconquista which demonstrated
  the ways they interacted with the natives.
• They wanted to completely remake the cultures
  they overtook, for the English it was all or
  nothing, for the Spanish they expected the
  natives to become Spanish.

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Bacons Rebellion

• Started by backwoods Virginia settler Nathanial
  Bacon over the anger against Virginia authorities
  (governor William Berkeley) who refused to raise
  an army to put down Indian raids.
• Bacon turned his army on Berkeley, and attacked
  and burned down much of Jamestown. Bacon died
  suddenly, and the rebellion crumbled.
• Important for 2 reasons 1.) showed that
  frontiersmen were frustrated with the government.
  2.) Showed that poorer settlers were unwilling
  to accept a government they were unhappy with.

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Varrazano

• Italian who sailed for France in 1524.
• Looked for Northwest Passage, and searched the
  coast of North America from North Carolina to
  Newfoundland.

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Cartier

• Made 3 voyages to Canada (1534, 1535, 1541).
• Explored the St Lawrence and based on his
  discoveries, claimed Canada, and parts of
  Northern US for the king and France.

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Champlain

• Founded the 1st successful French colony in North
  America in 1608 (Quebec).
• Also mapped the Atlantic shores as far south as
  Massachusetts and discovered Lake Champlain,
  and Lake Huron.

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Plymouth Colony

• Group in England unhappy with Anglican ideas as
  they believed it continued too many Catholic
  ideas Puritans.
• Pilgrims were 1st group of separatists to go on
  Mayflower across Atlantic.
• Mayflower Compact kept non-Pilgrims happy after
  arrival and is first self-governing document.
• Endured terrible hardships ½ died in the 1st
  winter alone learned to grow corn and had 1st
  Thanksgiving 1621.

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Massachusetts Bay Colony

• 1630- 1000 colonists came over as part of Great
  Migration.
• Came over for religious toleration, but they
  required everyone to go to Puritan church in the
  colony.
• Wanted to purify the church from within. Created
  praying towns for Natives where they learned
  Christianity.
• Very structured disciplined lifestyle.

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Salem Witch Trials

• Women were expected to conform to the expected
  lifestyle and to devote themselves to their
  children and husband.
• In 1692 several young women claimed that older
  woman had caused the devil to take control of
  them (at this time women that were unmarried or
  were unable to have children were suspicious.
• 20 women were put to death in the ensuing months
  before it was put to a stop.
• Puritan dissenters created new colonies such as
  Roger Williams (Providence), Thomas Hooker
  (Connecticut) etc.

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Pequot War

• The Puritans responded to sporadic Pequot
  violence with an attack from their army. (they
  burned down their village, killing more than
  500).
• The Pequots were allies of the Dutch and the
  English allied with the Pequots enemies
  (Narrangsetts very warlike group who were
  deeply troubled by this attack).

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King Philips War

• Metacom (King Philip) was raised within English
  (spoke it, dressed like them etc), and initially
  thought highly of them.
• He was forced to sign over land to English he
  formed alliance with the Narragansetts English
  used as an excuse to attack.
• The war went well for the Natives initially, but
  when they appealed to the Iroquois, the Iroquois
  attacked them.
• 4,000 Algonquins died (including Metacom) and
  2,000 colonists died.

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William Penn

• William Penn received a huge grant from King
  Charles II of England to settle a debt (to Penns
  father).
• Penns land for the Quakers (members of a
  Protestant group that suffered persecution in
  England) was different than other colonies in
  that it promoted religious tolerance, and he made
  agreements with the natives about land use and
  forged a good relationship with the natives.
• Pennsylvania became a haven for people of every
  faith.

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Maryland

• Started by George Calvert after mistreatment as a
  Catholic in England and thought a well-run colony
  could be profitable.
• His son (Lord Baltimore) finished the charter,
  but the law said any non-Christian would be
  persecuted and put to death.

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Georgia

• Created as a buffer between English territory and
  Spanish Florida and was led by James Oglethorpe.
• They lived at peace with the natives, and only
  Protestants were allowed to live there and
  initially there was no slavery.

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English Civil War

• 1640-1660 King Charles I and Parliament faced off
  over the power of taxation (which Parliament had
  and that Charles wanted to control).
• Members of Parliament believed that Charles was
  trying to limit the power of Parliament as well
  as the rights of property owners.
• Parliaments loyal troops won out, and Charles was
  executed, putting Oliver Cromwell (strict
  Puritan) in charge until his death in 1658 and
  after two decades of Parliamentary rule they
  reinstated the monarchy with Charles son Charles
  II in power.
• Significant for many reasons, one being that the
  colonies were ignored by the English.

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Mercantilism

• Mercantilism was the idea that the colony existed
  for the betterment of the mother country, and
  that the imperial nation should try and attain as
  much gold and silver as possible through a
  favorable balance of trade.
• 1 step in this process was that the power have
  colonies where they could extract resources so it
  wouldnt have to purchase materials from its
  competitors.
• To ensure that the colonies would buy
  manufactured goods from the parent country, they
  werent allowed to buy from anyone else.

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Southern Colonies

• The economy was based upon growing staple crops
  (tobacco, rice)
• It was difficult work which most free laborers
  were unwilling to do. This caused them to
  purchase slaves from Africa (in 1650 there were
  500 Africans in VA, by 1700 there were 16,000).
  Few cities in the south during this time.

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Middle Colonies

• Mix of farming and commerce, specializing in
  growing grains.
• Philadelphia New York grew to be among the
  largest cities in North America.
• Ships from all over the Atlantic world arrived in
  these ports. The population of New York and
  Pennsylvania were very diverse

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Northern Colonies

• Composed of small farms and towns that required
  long-distance trade, and did not rely on local
  crops for commerce.
• They were a carrying trade society as goods
  were shipped from all over the world

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Colonial Women

• The status of colonial women was determined by
  the men in their lives.
• Most of the women of the time had little to no
  status.
• Married women could not own property, women could
  not vote or serve on a jury.
• Common law stated that a woman was under her
  husbands control (beating your wife was not a
  criminal offense, and men had unlimited power in
  colonial households and divorce was very rare.
• Women performed many of the duties that were
  necessary to keep the home operating, cooking,
  gardening, cleaning etc.

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Middle Passage

• The middle passage was one leg of the triangular
  trade between America, Africa, and Europe, and
  refers specifically to the transporting of slaves
  to the Americas.
• The conditions were horrible, as many died on the
  voyage. Because the slave traders feared revolt
  they took excessive measures to ensure they
  wouldnt revolt (being heavily armed, slaves were
  put in deplorable conditions, which included
  shackled, floggings, and forcing them to live in
  their own filth.

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Slavery in the Colonies

• The type of slavery that the Africans saw varied
  dramatically in the north they worked and talked
  regularly with the whites, in the Chesapeake they
  lived close together, in the deep south they had
  more freedom in their daily lives, but they were
  also worked extremely hard.
• The size of the plantation played a role in how
  autonomous they would be, and how bad the
  conditions were. On large plantations there was
  little contact with whites and therefore the
  slaves held on to a lot of their customs (Gullah
  language is an example as it was a mix of African
  languages and English).
• In the deep south slaves made up the majority of
  the population, while they were the minority
  anywhere else. In the Chesapeake, there was a
  lot more interaction between Europeans and
  Africans.

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Laws Controlling African Americans and Revolts

• Every colony had its own slave laws and these
  were adjusted over time (Georgia permitting
  slavery for example).
• Punishments for a variety of crimes were very
  harsh (whippings, death), and they werent
  permitted to leave the town, or board any vessels
  without a pass making a revolt very difficult.
• 1739 in Charleston, SC more than 20 whites were
  killed in the Stono Rebellion, and began to march
  to Spanish Florida, they were captured and killed.

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Expansion and French Native Response

• The colonial population continued to expand
  rapidly as it doubled every 25 years. The number
  of immigrants increased dramatically, and they
  began to need to occupy more land (moving to the
  west).
• The move of colonists west increased tensions
  between the English settlers and the French and
  natives who already lived there.
• Some natives were forced to move to land already
  occupied by other native groups.
• The French also became increasingly concerned
  that the westward push may cause conflict with
  their already established trading posts.

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Religious Tensions and the Great Awakening

• Many believed that the congregations had moved
  away from the church and that a revival within
  the church must take place Great Awakening.
• Thought to have begun in the 1730s under the
  leadership of people like Jonathan Edwards who
  was a minister, who eventually was overtaken as a
  leader by George Whitefield.
• The Great Awakening led to a revival of peoples
  faith as well as caused people to speak for
  themselves and rely less on religious authority.