DISCOVERY AND COLONIZATION OF AMERICA

Prepared by:Jesse G. Caling

AB History-3

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:

Discuss the geographical setting and features of America;

Characterized the people living in the United States and;

GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING

The United States, the foremost champion of democracy in contemporary times, is one of the richest and strongest powers in the world.

She consists of 50 states, 48 of which occupy the vast land mass of middle North America, while Alaska (49th state) is on the northwest corner of the continent and Hawaii (the 50th state) in mid-Pacific. Her total area is 3,615,210 square miles, almost the size of Europe.

The Climate of the United States varies from the arctic cold of Alaska to the desert heat of the Southwest. Most delightful is the climate of Hawaii, the “Paradise of the Pacific”, which is mildly tropical the year round.

God has generously endowed the United States with rich natural resources, such as fertile farmlands, favorable climate, vast forests, abundant mineral deposits, excellent harbors, and plentiful lakes and rivers.

THE AMERICANS

The American people number 185,000,000, representing all races of mankind. There is truth in the popular saying that the United States is “melting-pot of races”. The vast majority of Americans, descendants of European immigrants belongs to the white race.

The minorities are the Indians, offsprings of the aborigines, who belong to the red race; the Negroes, descendants of the African slaves, who represents black race; the chinese, koreans, and Japanese, who belong to the Yellow race; and the Filipinos who represent the brown race.

Americans are lovers of freedom and democracy. They are energetic, broadminded, and intelligent, with high sense of justice and a sparkling humor. They are friendly and cheerful, with a heart as big as their continent. Although not militaristic, they are valiant in war.

THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

About 20,000 years ago, many centuries before Columbus was born, America was discovered by Asian Pioneers who crossed the landbridge which then linked Asia and Alaska and peopled the continent. They were the ancestors of the Indians and Eskimos, the aborigines of America.

Much later, about 1000 A.D, Leif Ericson, a Viking leader from Scandinavia, reached a place on the Atlantic coast of North America which he named Vinland because of the wild grapes growing there.

Neither he nor the prehistoric Asian pioneers received any recognition for discovering America because there were no historical records to authenticate their exploit.

History recognizes Christopher Columbus, a Genoese navigator in Spain’s service, as the “discoverer” of America. He landed at San Salvador (now Watling Island) in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. This was the “discovery” of America. Columbus erroneously thought that he had reached the Indies; hence, he called the natives, “Indians”.

AMERICA NAMED AFTER AMERIGO

Columbus made three more voyages to America, in 1493-96, 1498-1500, and 1502-04, and never suspected that he found a New World. He died in 1506 unhonored and unrewarded.

In 1507, a year after Columbus’ death, the German geographer Martin Waldensenmuller named the New World America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci (1452-1512), a florentine mariner, who had publized his trips to the New World.

The naming of America after Amerigo was a Colossal error which robbed Columbus, the rightful discoverer, of eternal glory that is due him. In truth, America should have been named Columbia in honor of Columbus.

SPANISH EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

Columbus’ “discovery” of America gave Spain her title to the New World. Immediately she began to build up a vast colonial empire.

In 1504 the city of Santo Domingo (now Trujillo City) was founded in Hispaniola (now Dominican Republic). This became the base of Spanish exploration and Colonization in the New World.

Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Cuba were soon conquered and Colonized. In 1513 Ponce de Leon, in search of the “Fountain of Youth,” reached Florida.

In the same year (1513) Balboa saw the Pacific Ocean.

In 1519-21 Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico, while another Spanish conquistadors pushed South and conquered Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay.

In 1540-42 Francisco de Coronado, coming from Mexico, explored the areas north of the Rio Grande as far as the Grand Canyon of Colorado.

In 1541 Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River. Finally, in 1565, Menendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine (Florida), the first permanent European settlement and oldest existing city in the United States.

ENGLISH EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

Although Spain claimed all lands in the New World, except Brazil, England and France sent out their explorers.

In the summer of 1497 John Cabot, Venetian navigator in the service of King Henry VII of England, explored the Southern Coast of Newfoundland. The next year he and his son explored the Atlantic coast of North America as far south as Delaware.

The early English efforts to colonize America were unsucessful. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert, half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, sailed to New foundland to plant an English colony there, but he met a storm and perished at sea. Also unsucessful were the two attempts (1585 and 1587) of Raleigh to Colonize Roanoke Island, Virginia. Raleigh’s to colonize Roanoke Island became known as the “Lost Colony” because it mysteriously vanished.

After destroying Spain’s Invincible Armada in 1588, England resumed her colonial venture in the New World. In 1607 the London Company founded Jamestown in Virginia.

This Colony, named after King James I, was the first permanent English settlement in America. As it prospered, more English immigrants came to Virginia. In 1619 the first Negro slaves from Africa were landed in Virginia and sold to the settlers.

Of dramatic interest was the arrival of the Pilgrims on board the Mayflower at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On November 21, 1620, before landing, they signed the famous Mayflower Compact which was a sort of constitution for their government. Three years later they introduced Thanksgiving Day in autumn, as an expression of their gratitude to God for giving them a bountiful harvest.

FRENCH EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

In 1524 Giovanni da Verrazano, Florentine navigator in the service of King Francis I of France, explored the North American coast from Newfoundland to Florida.

Ten years later Jacques Cartier, French navigator, explored the St. Lawrence River as far as the present site of Montreal. His exploration gave France her title to Canada.

The great French colonizer, Samuel de Champlain, founded Quebec in 1608 and explored the Great Lakes, one of which was named after him.

In 1639 Montreal was founded. Meanwhile Father Marquette (French Jesuit Missionary) and Joliet (French fur trade) explored the Mississipi Valley up to the Arkansas River.

A French noblemen, Robert de la Salle, continued the exploration of the Mississipi to the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1682 he claimed the whole Mississipi Valley for France and named it Louisiana in honor of his sovereign, Louis XIV.

New Orleans was founded in 1718. By this time French rule was firmly established in Canada (New France), the region of the Great Lakes, and the entire Mississipi Valley down to the Gulf of Mexico.

DUTCH AND SWEDISH COLONIZATION

In 1609 Henry Hudson, English navigator in the Dutch service, discovered the Hudson River. This gave Holland the right to participate in the Colonization in North America.

In 1626 the Dutch merchants bought the island of Manhattan (now New York City) from the Indians for only $24 worth of goods.

They built their town on this island, naming it New Amsterdam. The whole Dutch colony, called New Netherlands, included Manhattan Island and the Hudson Valley.

Meanwhile, in 1638, the Swedes settled in Delaware. Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Netherlands, objected to the presence of the Swedes in Delaware, which he claimed was within the limits of New Netherlands territory. In 1655 he captured the Swedish colony and annexed it to New Netherlands.

Stuyvesant’s triumph was short-lived. Nine years later (1664) war broke out between England and Holland because of trade rivalry.

King Charles II sent a British fleet to America and captured New Amsterdam. He gave the Dutch colony to his brother, the Duke of York, for whom it was named.

ANGLO-FRENCH STRUGGLE FOR AMERICA

After eliminating the Dutch, England fought a series of colonial wars with France for supremacy in America. These wars were linked with their world-wide struggle for supremacy.

The first colonial wars in America was King William’s war (1690-97), called the War of the Augsburg League in Europe. It was ended by the Treaty of Ryswick (1697) which brought no territorial changes.

The second war was Queen Anne’s war (1702-13), known as the War of the Spanish Succession in European history.

It was ended by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), in which France ceded Newfoundland, Acadia (Nova Scotia), and the Hudson Bay region to England.

The third war was King George’s war (1744-48), called the War of the Austrian Succession, in Europe. It is terminated by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) which gave no benefit to the American Colonists.

The last and decisive war that finally ended France colonial rule in America was the French and Indian War (1755-63).

ENGLISH SUPREMACY IN AMERICA

At the first the French, with the support of Indian allies, were sucessful. In July, 1755, they annihilated the British army near Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburg) and killed its commander, General Braddock.

A young Virginian, Colonel George Washington, was able to save the British Survivors by using forest war tactics during the retreat.

In 1756, a year after Braddock’s defeat, the French and Indian War became part of the Seven years’ war in Europe.

Until 1757 the British arms suffered disastrous defeats in America. When William Pitt assumed leadership in the British ministry, the tide of war turned in England’s favor.

He sent capable generals and better troops to America. In the summer of 1758 the British army, reinforced by the navy, captured Louisburg. In the same year General Forbes, assisted by 5,000 American militiamen, took Fort Duquesne.

In September, 1759, Quebec, capital of Canada, fell into British hands after furious battle, in which the gallant commanders of both combants General James Wolfe (British) and Marquis de Montcalm (French) died in action.

The British capture of Quebec heralded the end of French rule in North America. By the Treaty of Paris (1763), England aquired Canada, Cape Brereton, and the Eastern half of the Mississipi Valley from France and Florida from Spain, France’s ally. England became supreme in America.

LIFE IN

COLONIAL AMERICA

LIFE IN COLONIAL AMERICA

The thirteen English colonies prospered under British rule. Geographically, they were classified into (1) New England Colonies, (2) Middle Colonies, and (3) Southern Colonies.

The New England Colonies consisted of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

The winter was cold and the soil poor. The people were mostly of English stock. Their main industries were shipbuilding, fishing, and manufacturing. Religious bigotry was strong, especially in Massachusetts, where the non-Puritans were persecuted and those suspected of being witches were burned at the stake.

The Middle Colonies were New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The climate was less severe and the soil more fertile. The people were of English, Dutch, Irish, Swedish, and German bloods.

They were tolerant in religious matters. New York was Anglican while Pennsylvania was Quaker. The principal industries were farming, commerce, mining, and the manufacture of glass, pottery, and iron implements.

The Southern Colonies were Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. They were all situated south of the Mason and Dixon line.

The climate was favorable for agriculture and the soil very fertile. Farming lands were abundant and there were large plantation of cotton, rice, and tobacco.

Slavery became an institution, for thousands of Negro slaves were needed to cultivate the plantations.

Agriculture was principal industry. The planters came from aristocratic families of England, hence they introduced the English aristocracy and gracious living. They lived in beautiful mansions, surrounded by magnolias and other flowering plants, and employed tutors for their children.

POPULATION AND SOCIAL LIFE

In 1750 the population of the colonies was about 1,500,000. The majority of this population were English, who had migrated to America to escape the religious and persecutions in England or to seek a better life.

Others were the Dutch in New York; the Swedes in Delaware; the French Huguenots in New England, New York, and North Carolina; the Irish in New York; and the scots in North Carolina and South Carolina; and Germans in Pennsylvania.

The Colonists were pioneers whose life was simple and hard. Out of Wilderness, they carved out new settlements which eventually became towns and cities.

Their houses were made of rough logs, fastened together by clay and wooden nails. The men made their own tools and furniture. They raised food crops, hunted wild game, and fought off the Indians. The children helped their parents, working in the fields or at home. They had little or no schooling, thus the rate of illiteracy was high.

People in Colonial America seldom travelled because of poor roads. The only means of transportation were horses, carriages, or boats. There were few amusements or recreations.

Everybody’s main concern was survival. The three principal dangers that faced the settlers were famine, disease, and attacks by Indians.

SOCIAL CLASSES

The social classes in Colonial America were the following:

1. Colonial Aristocracy- This highest social class was composed of rich landowners, prosperous merchants, and shipping magnates.

2. Middle Class- Neither rich nor poor, this class consisted of teachers, lawyers, physicians, writers, small farmers, and skilled artisans.

3. Free laborers- They were poor white men who worked for daily wages in shops and fields.

4. Slaves- They were African Negroes who were

sold as slaves. They worked in the fields or were servants in their masters’ homes.

EDUCATION IN COLONIAL AMERICA

Most of the colonists’ time was spent in wrestling a living room from wilderness. With exception of a few highly educated ones, the colonists were illiterate. Later the situation improve. The children were given some education, so that they could at least read the Bible.

Massachusetts was the first colony in America to show great interest in education. In 1647 the General School Act was passed by the colonial assembly providing that every town of 50 families should establish an elementary school, and every town of 100 families should have a secondary school. Other colonies followed her example in later years.

The first college in the colonies was founded by a Protestant pastor named John Harvard in 1636, twenty five years after the foundation of the College of Santo Tomas in Manila.

Harvard College eventually became a university, the first university in the United States.

Other Colleges and Universities founded after Harvard were: College of William and Mary (1693) in Virginia; Yale University (1701) in Connecticut; Princeton University (1746) in New Jersey; University of Pennsylvania (1749); Columbia University (1754) in New York; Rutgers University (1766) in New Brunswick, New Jersey; and Dartmouth College (1769) in New Hampshire.

ARTS AND SCIENCES

Arts and Sciences developed slowly in the Colonies. Several Colonial painters rose to prominence, such as Benjamin West of Pennsylvania, who became an official court painter in London in 1772 and later president of England’s Royal academy.

Other painters Wilson Peale and Gilbert Stuart were celebrated for their portraits of George Washington.

Some achievements in architecture were Faneuil Hall, the “Cradle of Liberty” in Boston, which was designed by an amateur architect who was the owner of a paint shop; and Monticello, a beautiful colonial mansion, designed by its owner, Thomas Jefferson.

Ther e was little scientific progress in colonial times. It was not until 1765 that the first medical school was opened in Philadelphia. John Bartram, a Quaker naturalist, became famous as the founder of the Botanical Garden at Philadelphia, the first botanical garden in the United States. The versatile Benjamin Franklin, diplomat, printer, philosopher, and scientist, won international recognition for his researches in electricity. He improved the printing press, invented the bifocal lens, and introduced new plants in America.

Another colonial scientist was Benjamin Thompson of Massachusetts, who became a famous military engineer. He was employed by the British War Office in London and was later raised to the nobility by Count Rumford, Bavarian ruler.

Books and News papers Few families in Colonial America had books

other than the Bible in their homes. Books and newspaper were not appreciated by the early colonist who were more concerned with making a living. As John Dickinson said on the eve of the Revolution: “We are all tillers of the soil from Nova Scotia to West Florida.”

The first book published in the colonies was Bay Psalm Book. It was printed at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640, forty-seven years after the publication of the first book in Manila, Philippines.

The first American newspaper was Publick Occurences Both Foreign and Domestick, whose first number appeared in Boston in 1690. But this newspaper did not last long. The first successful colonial newspaper, The Boston News Letter, appeared in 1704.

Most popular book in Colonial America was the Bible. Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard Almanac, first published in Philadelphia in 1732, ranked next in popularity. It contains maxims, poems, essays, and humurous stories.

Freedom of the Press Because some newspapers voiced bitter

criticisms against the royal and proprietary governors, strict censorship of the press was established. In 1735 John Peter Zenger, German publisher and editor of the New York Weekly Journal, was arrested and tried for publishing articles criticizing the royal governor. His trial aroused much interest, for the question of freedom of the press was at stake.

Andrew Hamilton, the ablest lawyer in the colonies, came from Philadelphia and defend Zenger. His powerful plea to the jury saved the editor from prison. Amidst wild cheering in the courtroom Zenger was acquited. Freedom of the press in America was saved.