The American
Colonies
Emerge
Chapter 2
Spain’s Empire
in the Americas
Section 1
Main Idea
Throughout the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish
conquered Central America and portions of North
America.
Why It Matters Now
Spanish language, religion, and architecture
continues to influence the Americas
Why was Cortés interested in
the Aztec empire?
He was interested in the territory and vast wealth of
the Aztec empire.
What factors enabled the
Spaniards to conquer the
Aztec?
The Spaniards superior weapons, the diseases that
accompanied them, and the support of other
native peoples.
Why did the Spanish begin
to use African slaves on their
plantations in the New
World?
They needed the slaves to work in the mines and
plantations after the Spanish monarchy abolished
the encomienda.
Why did the Spanish build a
road between Santa Fe and
Mexico City?
As a means by which goods could be transported
back and forth.
Why did the Native
Americans of New Mexico
revolt against the Spanish
settlers?
The settlers had forced the Native Americans to pay
tribute. Those who failed to pay or who were
caught practicing their native religion were abused
physically.
Spain established a profitable
empire in the Americas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Cortés conquers the Aztec
Spain took gold and silver from Mexico
Spaniards established the encomienda
system
Many natives died from disease
Spaniards established settlements from
Mexico north to Florida and New Mexico
Do you agree or disagree
with the statement:
The Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, which
led to the creation of Mexico, was neither a
triumph nor a defeat?
If you agree:
 Large
mestizo population in Mexico –
reflecting mixed Spanish and native
heritage
If you disagree:
 The
native peoples were conquered by
force, depleted by disease, and
subjugated under a harsh labor system,
and therefore had little choice but to
submit to Spanish influence.
The Spaniards’ exploration and
settlement north of Mexico and their
interaction with Native Americans there



Early Spanish explorers failed to find much
gold, so settlement was limited to far-flung
missions and defensive outposts.
Spanish missionaries provided Native
Americans with material goods, education,
and protection, but sometimes abused them
and suppressed their culture.
Some Native Americans converted to
Christianity, but others resisted violently
What can you infer from the fact that
approximately 17,000 Native Americans from
all over New Mexico took part in Popé’s
rebellion?
 The
Native Americans were well
organized.
 The Spanish priests had alienated a large
number of Native Americans during the
previous decades.
Geography Skill Builder
Page 39
How many voyages to the
Americas did Columbus
make?
 Four
In what years did England and France
sail to the Americas and which regions
did they explore?
English
I.
A.
B.
1497, 1609, and 1610
They explored the east coast and upper
Canada
French
II.
A.
B.
1524 and 1534-1535
In 1673 and 1682, they explored parts of
Canada and the mid-western and
southern United States
An English
Settlement at
Jamestown
Section 2
Main Idea
The first permanent English settlement in North
America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia in
1607
Why It Matters Now
English colonies in Virginia developed into the
present states of the southern United States
What factors contributed to
the near failure of
Jamestown?
Disease, the unwillingness of many colonists to work,
and the hostile actions of the Powhatan.
Why was tobacco so
important to the Jamestown
colony?
Tobacco became very popular in Europe and
proved to be a high profitable cash crop.
How did the conditions of
indentured servitude differ
from those of the headright
system?
The headright system allowed settlers to purchase
their own land. Indentured servants worked for a
landowner for a limited period of time, usually four
to seven years.
What factors led to the
importation of slaves to
Virginia?
 As
the number of indentured servants in
the colony declined, colonists needed
laborers to work the tobacco plantations.
 An increase in wealth enabled them to
pay for more expensive slave imported
from the Caribbean
Why were the colonists in
conflict with Powhatan?
 Still
angry because of Powhatan’s
treatment of them during the Starving
Time, the settlers began demanding
tribute.
 Plus, the colonists kept moving further and
further into Powhatan territory
Why was Nathaniel Bacon
frustrated with Governor Berkley?
 Bacon,
like many settlers, was frustrated
because Berkley had levied taxes on poor
settlers and failed to use the money he
gained from those taxes to build forts and
protest settlers from hostile Native
Americans.
Timeline of the major
developments in the colonization
of Virginia









1607 – Jamestown founded
1609 – The Starving Time began
1612 – John Rolfe developed new strain of tobacco
1618 – Headright system introduced
1619 – first slaves arrived in Virginia and House of
Burgesses first met
1622 – Chief Opechancanough led raids on settlers
1624 – King James I made Virginia a royal colony
1675 – Fighting erupts between settlers and Native
Americans
1676 – Bacon’s Rebellion
The success of tobacco farming in
Virginia had wide-ranging effects.
 Jamestown
colonists – revived a failing
colony
 Indentured servants – provided the
possibility for work and new life
 Powhatan – tobacco required much land
which the colonists took from them
 Planters – gained most of the tobacco
wealth
The following lines appear in
Michael Drayton’s 1606 poem,
“To the Virginian Voyage”
“When as the luscious smell of that
delicious land Above the sea that flows The
clear wind throws Your hearts to swell”
What do these lines tell you about the
expectations many colonists had
before they arrived in Virginia?
 The
poem suggests an idealized land,
where rich harvests provided a “delicious”
smell, the wind is “clear,” and invigorating
but not oppressive, where hopes and
dreams are possible.
Puritan New
England
Section 3
Main Idea
English Puritans came to North America, beginning
in 1620.
Why It Matters Now
The United States continues to use an expanded
form of representative government begun by the
Puritans.
How were the Separatists
different from other Puritans?
Separatists wanted to separate from the Anglican
Church, the state church of England. Other Puritans
wanted only to reform the Anglican Church from
within.
Why did the Puritans
leave England?
Some Puritans, such as the “Pilgrims,” left to break
with the Church of England. Other Puritans left to
escape political, social, and economic turmoil.
Who could vote in
Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Stockholders in the Massachusetts Bay Company
and all adult males who belonged to the Puritan
church.
What two principles did
Providence guarantee that
Massachusetts Bay did not?
•
•
Separation of church and state
Religious freedom
How did Native Americans
view land treaties?
Native Americans believed that land treaties were
agreements to share, not own, the land, and for a
limited period of time.
Cause and Effect
Cause
Effect
Persecution of Puritans in
England
Puritan immigration to New
England
Puritan belief in hard work
Rapid growth and success
of Massachusetts Bay
Roger Williams’s dissenting
beliefs
Founding of Rhode Island
based on his principles
Rapid colonial expansion in
New England
Conflict with Native
Americans
Defeat of King Philip
End of Native American
power in southeastern New
England
Anne Hutchinson
 Puritans
believed their way of worship was
the only way, that their leaders carried
out God’s will, and that society needed to
be tightly knit and behavior strictly
controlled.
 Puritans leaders may have felt especially
threatened by Hutchinson’s views
because she was a woman and the
church and society were maledominated.
Settlement of
the Middle
Colonies
Section 4
Main Idea
The Dutch settle New Netherland; English Quakers
led by William Penn settle Pennsylvannia.
Why It Matters Now
The principles of tolerance and equality promoted
in the Quaker settlement remain fundamental
values in America.
What were the important
characteristics of the colony
of New Netherland?
•
•
•
Ethnic diversity
Religious tolerance
Generally good relations with Native Americans
How did the Quaker beliefs
compare to the Puritan
beliefs?
Both groups believed in a personal experience of
God.
However, Puritans had ministers while the Quakers
did not
How did Penn’s attitudes
and actions toward the
Native Americans differ from
those of the Puritans?
Penn desired to gain respect and friendship and paid
Native Americans for their land.
Puritans generally viewed Native Americans as
heathens controlled by evil and eventually set out to
remove or destroy them.
New Netherland
 To
attract settlers, the Dutch of New
Netherland opened their colony to
people of all backgrounds, including free
Africans.
 Williams Penn followed the Dutch
example in Pennsylvania.
 From these actions resulted colonies of
extraordinary diversity and vitality.
Where’d the come from and
what’s their name?
Origin
Name of Group
England
English
Netherlands
Dutch
Sweden
Swedes
Finland
Finns
Germany
Germans
France
French
Scandinavia
Scandinavians
Europe
Europeans
Africa
Africans
Colonial Meeting Houses
(page 57)
1.
2.
Both favor a simple, unadorned exterior and
interior. Both are “meetinghouses” that
resemble regular houses. Puritans had
pulpits which emphasized the importance of
their ministers; Quakers had seats that faced
each other so that anyone in the
congregation could participate in the
service.
The central aisle leads to the alter which is
separated by a screen. The well-to-do had
highly decorated pews in accordance with
their socioeconomic status.
Compare New Netherland
and Pennsylvania
 New
Netherland only – founded by the
Dutch and built on fur trade
 Both – attracted colonists from many
ethnic groups, practiced religious
toleration, became a proprietary colony,
established good relations with Native
Americans
 Pennsylvania only – shaped by Quaker
ideals, avoided a land-owning aristocracy
Both New Netherland and
Pennsylvania encouraged
settlers to come from all over
western Europe.
Do you think this was a good decision for these
colonies? Why or why not?
 Good

Both colonies prospered and they both
practiced religious toleration
 Bad

decision
decision
Dutch were unable to hold New Netherland
and the Quakers on whose principles the
“holy experiment” was founded – soon
became the minority.
How did William Penn succeed in
achieving his goals for Pennsylvania,
and how did he fail?
 Penn
established freedom of religion and
a representative assembly, practiced
religious tolerance, and maintained
peace between colonists and Native
Americans for 50 years.
 Penn did not profit financially, Quakers
became a minority, and slavery was
introduced.
Other colonies
 Maryland
– Lord Baltimore set it up as a
haven for Catholics
 King Charles II awarded territory that
would become North and South Carolina
Georgia
 James
Ogelthorpe
 Wanted it to be a haven for debtors
 Prohibited slavery and the drinking of rum
 English officials hoped that Georgia would
buffer the rest of the colonies from
Spanish Florida