Chapter 1Colonization

1.1 Age of Colonization

Europe’s Age of Exploration• Late 15th century– European nations explored & established colonies.• Asia, Africa, and the Americas

– Factors• National leaders could afford to finance voyages.• New technology allowed travel across vast oceans.

– Compass, telescope, advanced engineering in ship building

– Motivations • God, gold, and glory

– Discovery of new territories & trade routes would make them rich.– Expansion was seen as a way to spread Christianity.– Explorers could gain personal wealth and glory.

Portuguese Explorations• Portuguese were first to

impact the age of exploration.

• Ventured into Africa– Brought back resources &

black Africans. (slaves)• Reached the Americas– Established settlements in

Brazil.– Brought slaves & introduced

Catholicism to Natives.

Spanish Exploration

• Christopher Columbus– Financed by Spain.– Sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of route to

Asia.– October 1492 arrived in the Americas.

• Explored coast of Cuba and landed in Hispaniola (Haiti)• Thought he had reached Asia.

– Four Voyages• Caribbean Islands and parts of Central America.http://www.history.com/shows/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us-columbus-sails-west

Hernan Cortes• Landed on eastern coast of Mexico in 1519.– Small force of fewer than 600 men.

• Formed alliances with Native Americans.– Didn’t like being ruled by the Aztecs.

• Aztec empire ruled much of Mexico.• Conquered the Aztec

The Spanish Colonies• 16th century Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico &

South America.– conquerors

• Spanish colonies– Mexico– parts of South America– southern & southwest United States– Some regions remained under Spanish control until the early

19th century.• Colony – a territory that a country claims in a foreign

land.– Colonies provided natural resources and wealth.

European Diseases

• Many Native Americans died from European diseases.– smallpox, measles, and influenza

• Native peoples had never experienced these illnesses.– Immune systems were not prepared to fight.

• Native Americans died by the thousands.– Easier for Europeans to conquer Native American

territories.

Spanish Mission• Spain was a Catholic nation.– Allowed Catholic Church to set up Catholic missions in

the new world.• Missionaries preached Catholic faith to colonists &

Native Americans.• Set up schools and served the poor.• Taught Native Americans to speak Spanish, to adopt

European customs, & to be loyal to the Spanish king.

• Missions helped the Spanish government to secure it control over new territories.

French Colonization

• 1608 the French established 1st permanent settlement in North America.– Samuel de Champlain– Quebec along the St. Lawrence River in Canada.

• French settled territories– North of the Ohio River– along the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico

1.2 The British Colonies

• Spain, France, and Great Britain (England) claimed colonies in North America.

• Spain– Occupied much of the southern part of the continent.

• France – Used rivers and inland waterways to occupy much of the

North American interior.

• England – Established colonies along the eastern coast between

the Atlantic Ocean and the Appalachian Mountains.

British Colonies• English settlers came to North America with the

intention of staying long term.– Colonies from Georgia to Maine.

• Different motivations and the geographic diversity of the land.– Contributed to economic, political, and social diversity.

• English colonies divided into 3 geographic regions.– New England Colonies– Middle Colonies– Southern Colonies

Southern Colonies

Jamestown, Virginia• 1st successful English settlement.• Founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company– Joint-stock company that hoped to make money off of products

and raw materials.• Tough beginning.– Cold winters, disease, and starvation killed many settlers

• Native Americans helped, allowing Jamestown to survive and grow.

• John Rolfe discovered tobacco.• headright system– Instituted by Virginia to attract settlers/labors– Promised 50 acres of land to those who would settle in the colony.

Economy (Southern Colonies)• Tobacco became incredibly popular in Europe.– Important cash crop for Virginia, Maryland, & North

Carolina.• South Carolina & Georgia– Hot, wet climates made rice and indigo important crops.

• Colonies also produced tar, pitch, and turpentine from the abundant forests.

• Staple crops– Crops in large demand and provide a bulk of a region’s

income.– South relied on. (tobacco & rice)– Led to the rise of the plantation system.

Plantation System• Huge farms owned by wealthy landowners.– Raised cash crops.– Required lots of manual labor.• Indentured servants & slavery became important parts of the

southern economy.

• indentured servants– Could not afford to come to North America.– Agreed to work for a landowner for up to seven years in

exchange for the landowners paying for their trip.– Eventually gave way to slavery.• System in which people are owned like property.

• mid-1600s– Slavery was firmly rooted throughout the colonies.• Especially the South• 1700s, slaves outnumbered free Europeans in South Carolina.

• South did not develop the major centers of commerce and large cities that arose in the North.– Plantations tended to lie along rivers & inland

waterways.– Owners had direct access to shipping without having to

first transport their products over land to major ports.

Southern Society• Divided between rich plantation owners, poor

farmers, and slaves.

• Tended to accept class distinctions and the idea that the wealthy, upper class is superior to the lower, poor class.– gentry – wealthy upper class

• Belief that male members of the upper class should be in positions of power and authority.

• Southern Colonies were established predominantly for economic reasons.– Unlike colonies further north.– Maryland the exception.• Started as a colony for Catholics.

• Rich landowners tended to remain part of the Church of England.– Best for political and economic interests.

• Methodist and Baptist congregations became common among poorer southerners.

New England Colonies