EUROPEAN NATIONS SETTLE
NORTH AMERICA & THE
ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
Chapter
20.2 & 20.3
COMPETING CLAIMS IN NORTH AMERICA
 Colonies began with the goal of
finding trade routes to Asia
 The French set up the colony of New
France
 East coast of modern day Canada and
the Northern United States
 Quebec would be the base of operations
for French conquest of the Americas
 French would expand territory into
Great Lakes region and Northern
Mississippi
 Would claims all the lands of the
Mississippi
 French colonists had little desire to
build towns or raise families
 Very focused on bringing in money
 Most engaged in the fur trade
New France - 1702
NEW FRANCE – 1750
THE ENGLISH ARRIVE
 English inspired by French and Spanish
 Jamestown – First settlement
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Very little organization
More interested in adventures then establishing infrastructure
At first 7-10 would die from conflict/starvation
Eventually would thrive on Tobacco
PURITAN NEW ENGLAND
 The second colony would be founded in Plymouth and
Massachusetts Bay
 Both colonies founded by groups who faced religious
persecution
 Faced dif ficulties but stabilized quickly due to large amount
of families
THE DUTCH AND NEW NETHERLAND
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Founded by Henry Hudson
Areas around modern day Hudson River
Established as a trading posts
Dutch not quick to settle the area with
towns
 Used primarily for financial reasons
 Would open its doors to many other
cultures to promote settlement with some
success
 The Dutch, English, and French would also
establish colonies in the Caribbean.
 Lucrative agricultural centers
 Required large steady work force
 Primary cause for African slave trade
THE STRUGGLE FOR NORTH AMERICA
 The English need Dutch lands to unite their colonies
 Seized the territory with a simple show of force, no shots required
 England and France go to war
 English desire for more territory brings them in contact with the
French
 War breaks out in Ohio River area
 This war would include skirmishes all over Caribbean and Indian
colonies
A FEW ACRES OF SNOW
NATIVE AMERICANS RESPOND
 French and Dutch settler develop a relatively peaceful
relationship with Native Americans
 English relationships started good but ended very poorly
 English sought to populate colonies
 Required pushing Native Americans off their land
 Vast amount of land was needed for Tobacco production
 English settlers saw Native Americans as heathens or people without
faith
SETTLERS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
BATTLE
 Conflict begans as early as Jamestown
 King Phillip’s War
 Metacom, or King Phillip, led Indian
attacks on Massachusetts villages
 Hundreds of people would lose their lives
 Ultimately, the Native Americans
would succumb to European diseases
 No immunity led to massive Smallpox
outbreaks
 Easy expansion led to more land to
farm, more land to farm led to a need
for a bigger workforce, which will lead
to adopting slavery
THE CAUSES OF AFRICAN SLAVERY
 The American colonies are booming
with growth but need more workforce to
keep up production
 Slavery in Africa
 Slavery existed in Africa for centuries
 Increased when Muslim invaders took over
regions of Africa
 In both African and Muslim societies slaves
had some rights
 Also had some social mobility
 Portugal first reaches Africa in the
1400’s but primarily interested in gold
AMERICAN DEMAND FOR AFRICANS
 Why Africans over Native Americans
 Africans had been exposed to European
diseases and had immunities
 They had experience in farming
 Did not know the land so could not
escape
 Skin color made them stand out
 Between 1500-1600 nearly 300,000
African slaves were transported to
America
 1 .3 Million by 1700
 9.5 Million by 1870
SLAVERY SPREADS THROUGHOUT THE
AMERICAS
 Spain began bringing slaves to the Caribbean
 Plantation, gold, silver mines
 Portugal was bringing slaves to Brazil
 Sugar plantations
 England would come to dominate slave trade
 Brought to Caribbean islands and the modern day United States
AFRICAN COOPERATION AND
RESISTANCE
 Many African rulers and merchants played
willing roles in the slave trade
 European traders would meet merchants
on the coast
 African rulers and merchants would
capture and sell trade
 Several African rulers did oppose this
practice
 Nonetheless, the slave trade continued to
grow as merchants would work around
African leaders not willing to participate
TRIANGLE TRADE
 Along the way millions of Africans died
 Were part of Triangle Trade system
 Europeans traded manufactured goods to Africa for slaves
 Europeans sold slaves in the West Indies
 Brought back tobacco molasses and coffee back to Europe
A FORCED JOURNEY
 Millions of Africans died on
route to the colonies
 Brought along the Middle
Passage
 Known as such because it was the
middle leg of the Triangle
 Sickening cruelty characterized
this journey
 Slaves were crammed into dark
holds
 They endured beatings and
whippings from merchants
 Many would jump overboard to
avoid torture
 Others were overboard if
determined to be sick or a
threat
SLAVE SHIPS
SLAVE SHIPS
SLAVERY IN THE AMERICAS
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Those who survived faced an equally dif ficult life
Slaves were auctioned of f to the highest bidder
They work in mines, fields, or as domestic servants
Worked long days and suf fered beatings
Living conditions were terrible
Working for freedom very rare
RESISTANCE AND REBELLION
 Slaves managed to keep oral
storytelling and music alive
 They also found a way to
resist
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Would lower productivity
Break tools
Uproot plants
Thousands ran away
Would occasionally break out in
open revolt
CONSEQUENCES OF THE SLAVE TRADE
 In Africa numerous cultures left
generations of their strongest members
 African families were torn apart
 It also introduced guns to the continent
which would plunge it into warfare
 Slavery did help the early colonies
survive, many of which may not have
without the labor
 African culture also impacted the
growing American culture
 Africans were not the only cargo
travelling across the Atlantic and around
the world
 Next we will study the Columbian
Exchange & Global Trade
SECTION 2 – QUESTIONS
 Why were France’s North American holdings so sparsely
populated? (Might want to look -up what sparsely means).
 How did Jamestown and the Massachusetts Bay colonies differ?
 How did the Dutch and French colonies differ from the English
colonies in North America?
 Why were the French and Dutch able to coexist in peace with the
Native Americans?
 Why did the issues of land and religion cause such problems
between Native Americans and English Settlers?
SECTION 3 - QUESTIONS
 What were some characteristics of Muslim and African
slavery?
 What advantages did Europeans see in enslaving Africans?
 Why did many African ruler participate in the Atlantic Slave
Trade?
 In what ways did enslaved Africans resist their bondage?
 What are some of the contributions that Africans have made
to the Americas?