Exploration and Colonization
Unit One
The World: Pre-Columbus
I. Early Exploration
• Late 1400s: European nations begin
exploring and establishing colonies in:
1) Asia
2) Africa
3) The Americas
• How were these nations in Europe able
to begin this “Age of Exploration?”
1) National leaders had grown in power and
wealth and could afford to finance
voyages.
2) New technology (compass, telescope,
improved ships) allowed explorers to travel
across vast oceans.
Portuguese “Caravel”
• What convinced kings and queens
to pay for expeditions?
1) “God”…Expansion was seen as a way to
spread Christianity.
2) “Gold”…Countries hoped to discover
lands that would make them rich!
3) “Glory”…Explorers and monarchs would
become heroes.
• Portugal was the first nation to impact
the Age of Exploration.
Sailed into and around Africa –
returned with resources and African
slaves
Eventually reached the Americas and
est. settlements in what is today
Brazil in South Am.
Brought slaves to the New World and
attempted to convert Native
Americans to Christianity
• Spain was the next nation to explore the
Americas.
1492: Christopher Columbus
explored islands in the Caribbean
1499: Amerigo Vespucci wrote
letters describing these new lands
(“America”)
Spain considered these lands open to
colonization, even though many
native peoples already lived there
• Columbian Exchange: the exchange of
resources and goods between Europe and
the Americas
-benefited Europeans, not Native
Americans (slaves, death)
Early 1500s: Spanish conquistadors began
conquering Mexico and South Am. (ex:
Hernan Cortes overran the Aztecs in 1519)
1519: Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida
for Spain
1595: St. Augustine, FL became the first
permanent European settlement in North Am.
-oldest city in the US today
Castillo de San Marcos
 Spain established missions to teach Native
Am.’s the Catholic faith, the Spanish lang.,
and how to be loyal to the King
 These missions also served the poor and set
up schools
 Spain established colonies in present-day…
1) Mexico
2) Parts of South America
3) Southern and Southwest US
The
Spanish
Empire
• European diseases killed millions of
Native Americans
 The natives had no immunity to such
diseases as small pox, measles, the
flu, etc.
 This made it easier for Spain and
others to conquer Native Am. lands
• France established their first permanent
settlement in North Am. at Quebec in
present-day Canada (1608).
 Some settled along the Ohio and
Miss. Rivers and the Gulf of Mexico
 Most came for economic reasons
 Est. a profitable fur trade with the
Native Am’s.
 Most French, unlike other nations,
viewed their time in Am. as
temporary
• The Netherlands (Holland) established
New Amsterdam in 1626 (now NYC)
II. The British Colonies
• The British established colonies along the
eastern coast of North America
 Between the Atlantic and Appalachian
Mts.
 From Georgia to Maine
• Roanoke, NC: first major attempt at
British settlement in the New World –
failed twice
 1585: starving settlers returned
back to England
 1587: ended in a great mystery –
only empty buildings were found
• Jamestown, VA: first successful British
settlement (1607)
 Established by the Virginia Company
who hoped to profit from the raw
materials
 Most of the early settlers died (brutal
winters, disease, starvation)
 John Rolfe saved Jamestown by
bringing tobacco to the colony
 House of Burgesses: first example
of self-government in the colonies (two
houses)
Jamestown (1607)
“Starving Time”
• THE FAMISHED
JAMESTOWN
COLONISTS BEGAN BY
EATING THEIR
HORSES.
• THE HORSES WERE
FOLLOWED BY RATS,
MICE, DOGS, CATS,
SNAKES AND ...
BOOTS.
• THEN THEY BEGAN
EYEING EACH
OTHER!!!!
• THEY WOULD LATER
CALL IT THE "STARVING
TIME," WINTER 1609-10.
• SOME COLONISTS DUG THEIR OWN GRAVES AND
•
•
•
LAY DOWN IN THEM, RESIGNED TO DEATH.
THEY BOILED THEIR FANCY COLLARS, OR RUFFS,
FOR THE STARCH.
THEY ATE THEIR DEAD.
GEORGE PERCY, ONE OF JAMESTOWN'S EARLY
LEADERS, IN ABOUT 1625 PROVIDED WHAT IS
PROBABLY THE BEST-KNOWN AND MOST
GRUESOME ACCOUNT.
HE DESCRIBED A "WORLDE OF MISERIES" THAT
INCLUDED HUNGER-CRAZED COLONISTS DIGGING
UP THE DEAD, AND ONE MAN WHO KILLED,
"SALTED" AND CARVED UP HIS PREGNANT WIFE
FOR FOOD.
• Plymouth, MA: established by a group of
Puritans, the Pilgrims, in 1620
 Came for religious freedom
(persecuted by the Church of Eng.)
 Mayflower Compact: first efforts at
self-government in New England
-est. an elected legislature and said
the gov’t derived its power from the
people
• Over the next 150 years, England
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
established 13 colonies in the New
World:
Massachusetts 8) North Carolina
Connecticut
9) South Carolina
Pennsylvania
10) Rhode Island
New York
11) Maryland
Virginia
12) New Hampshire
New Jersey
13) Georgia
Delaware
• Citizens living in these 13 colonies were
citizens of England as much as if they
had been living in London, England
3,000 miles away.
• Why did thousands make the trip to
the British Colonies?
1) Religious Freedom
2) Political Freedom
3) Economic Opportunity
• The British Colonies can be divided into 3
geographic regions, each with its own
economy and way of life:
1) New England Colonies
 Founded on religion and strongly
influenced by the Puritan faith
 After the Pilgrims landed, other
Puritans settled farther north and
est. the Massachusetts Bay
Colony
Some left Mass. and est. colonies
elsewhere (RI, CT, NH) – often left
because of disagreements with the church
Fundamentals Order of Connecticut:
stated that the govt’s power came only
from the “free consent of the people”
Shipbuilding, trade, and fishing were
important industries – farms were very
small
Salem Witch Trials (1692): Accused of
being witches, several girls in Salem,
Mass. were sentenced to death
Puritans were the first to promote public
education (everyone should be able to
read the Bible)
Generally, only boys attended school while
girls trained for “womanly duties” at home
The Salem Witch Trials were a fearful and disastrous time in
American history. As regular children and adults were accused of
being witches, families were torn apart. The once friendly
communities were now full of rumors and distrust, suspicion, and
dislike. Anyone could be declared a witch, even innocent widows or
young girls who were different in one simple way or disliked by one
Puritan person. The punishments for witches were often horrifying
and included hanging, water drowning, burning, and pressing the
"witches."
2) Middle Colonies
 Religious tolerance attracted many to
the region (Quakers, Lutherans,
Presbyterians, Mennonites)
 This was the most culturally diverse of
the 3 regions
 Eng. conquered New Amsterdam and
renamed it New York
 Pennsylvania became a homeland for
Quakers
New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia
were important shipping ports for trade
Had a mixed economy of farming and
commerce (business)
Wheat, barley, and rye were staple
crops (sold for profit)
3) Southern Colonies
 Est. primarily for economic reasons,
unlike New England
 Relied on staple crops such as rice,
tobacco, and cotton which needed a
large labor force
 Plantations, huge farms owned by
wealthy landowners, emerged in the
South
Farmers first used indentured servants
– people who agreed to work for up to 7
years in exchange for the landowner
paying for their passage to Am.
Slavery took hold by the mid-1600s
The South did not develop major port
cities because of the numerous waterways
leading to the Atlantic
Education was not emphasized, except for
the wealthy
• Colonial Women for the most part were
considered 2nd-class citizens
They tended to enjoy far more freedom
than women in Eng. but still could not
vote nor usually attend school
Their main responsibilities were raising
children and taking care of the home
Sometimes allowed to own property if
their husband or father was unavailable
Sometimes took on the traditional jobs of
men due to labor shortages
III. Colonial Governments
• Government Structure for each of the 13
colonies (greatly influenced by England’s
model):
1) The King of Eng. appointed an official to rule
or govern each colony – Governor
2) The Governor appointed a group of advisors
to help him rule - Council
 Played two important roles in the
government:
a. Served as the highest court of each
colony
b. Served as one house of each colony’s
lawmaking body
Note: The other house in each colony’s
lawmaking body was called a legislative
assembly which the people of that
colony elected
• Those that settled in the New World often
brought their ideas about the role and
function of govt with them, including the
British
• 4 Major Principles About Government
Transplanted From England to the
Colonies:
1) Limited Government: The idea that rulers
should not have total control over their people
– rulers do not have “absolute power”
2) Representative Government: Citizens
have the right to pick (elect) their own
leaders
3) Rule of Law: All people, including the govt,
must obey a set of written rules, or laws
4) Individual Liberty: Each person has
“rights”
• The colonists believed that they were entitled
to the same rights as English citizens.
 Many of these rights were contained in 2
important documents:
1) Magna Carta: signed by King John in
1215 – limited the power of the King,
protected the right of people to own
property, and guaranteed trial by jury
2) English Bill of Rights: a list of freedoms
that the govt promised to protect, required
Parliament to meet regularly, and said the
King couldn’t raise taxes without
Parliament’s consent
• For the most part, Eng. allowed the
colonists to rule themselves up until the
mid-1700s.
 Salutary Neglect: colonists were left
alone as long as they…
1) Sent raw materials back to Eng.
2) Bought British goods
3) Remained loyal to Eng.