1. Who was Nathaniel Bacon? an impoverished nobleman 2. Who was Sir William Berkeley? Virginia’s Governor 3. After reading the background description, who do you think their respective audiences may be? Berkeley’s audience is the upper class Virginians and Council member’s Bacon’s audience is the middle class and poor farmers 1. With what failures does Bacon charge Governor Berkeley? Unjust Taxes, Inability to improve colony infrastructure, Abusing the Justice system, Having monopoly over the beaver fur trade, Aiding the natives, Trying to make peace with instead of destroying the natives. 2. In Bacon’s view, how is Governor Berkeley corrupt? He does favors for his supporters 3. How does Bacon assess Governor Berkeley’s job of defending the colony against attacks by American Indians He stopped the armies just before they could fully destroy the enemy, allowing them to continue doing “evil acts” 4. Which group does Governor Berkeley target with the army? Jamestown 5. Why does Bacon call Governor Berkeley a traitor to the colony? He doesn’t act in the interest of the people 6. What does Bacon demand of Governor Berkeley and his supporters? They give themselves up in 4 days or their property will be con scated 7. How does Berkeley defend his actions as governor? He simply follows the orders and requirements of the king 8. How does Governor Berkeley describe Bacon’s actions in taking up arms against the royal colonial government? He says it is treason against England itself 9. How does Governor Berkeley compare his record to that of Bacon? How does he insult Bacon? He believes that although bacon wants to do a “noble” thing any act against the king is a crime 10. How does Governor Berkeley promise to treat friendly versus hostile American Indians The allied natives are spy’s and intelligence until any form of retaliation is hinted. Then any opposition will be destroyed. Watch this BRI Homework Help video on the Columbian Exchange for a review of the main ideas in this essay. Review Questions 1. The global transfer of plants, animals, disease, and food between the Eastern and Western hemispheres during the colonization of the Americas is called the a. b. c. d. Middle Passage Columbian Exchange Triangular Trade Interhemisphere Exchange 2. Which of the following provides evidence of the cultural blending that occurred as a result of the Columbian Exchange? a. b. c. d. The adoption of Aztec holidays into Spanish Catholicism The willingness of the Spanish to learn native languages The refusal of the Aztecs to adopt Christianity Spanish priests’ encouragement to worship the Virgin of Guadalupe 3. Which item originated in the New World? a. Sugar b. Smallpox c. Horses d. Potato 4. How did the Columbian Exchange affect Europe? a. Domesticated animals from the New World greatly improved the productivity of European farms. b. Europeans suffered massive causalities form New World diseases such as syphilis. c. The higher caloric value of potatoes and corn improved the European diet. d. Domesticated animals from the New World wreaked havoc in Europe, where they had no natural predators. 5. How did the Columbian Exchange affect the Americas? a. Domesticated animals from the Old World greatly improved the productivity of Native Americans’ farms. b. Native Americans suffered massive causalities from Old World diseases such as smallpox. c. The higher caloric value of crops such as potatoes and corn improved Native Americans’ diets. d. Native Americans learned to domesticate animals thanks to interactions with Europeans. 6. Which item originated in the Old World? a. Sugarcane b. Pumpkins 1. To provide defense against a French counterattack, George Washington built a fort called a. b. c. d. Fort Necessity Fort Ticonderoga Fort Duquesne Valley Forge 2. Despite its name, the French and Indian War was fought between a. the French and Indians b. the French and the Spanish c. the French and the Dutch along with their respective American Indian allies d. the French and the British along with their respective American Indian allies 3. George Washington had his first experience of military authority when leading a group of soldiers from a. b. c. d. Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia Massachusetts 4. Another name for the French and Indian War is a. b. c. d. King George’s War the Glorious Revolution the War of Spanish Succession the Seven Years’ War 5. What natural resource was so abundant in the Ohio River Valley that the American Indians, the French, and the British all desired it? a. b. c. d. Timber Gold Fur-bearing animals Coal 6. Why did the French send troops to secure the Ohio country in 1753? a. To connect their imperial strongholds in Canada and Louisiana b. To negotiate a treaty with the Indians c. To build forts to protect French settlers d. To clear the land for farming Free Response Questions 1. Explain the extent to which the French and Indian War was an imperial conflict, as well as a frontier conflict. 2. Explain how the French and Indian War changed the relationship between the British and the American colonists. AP Practice Questions Important Topics from Chapters 4 & 5 Life in the Early Colonies Life in the early Southern colonies (meaning the colonies settled in the Chesapeake area) was very difficult. Fifty percent of the people born in the early Southern colonies did not reach their twentieth birthday. Disease was rampant and the colonies had to be restocked through fresh immigration. In 1650 the male to female ratio was 6 to 1. Most marriages broke up due to death and therefore family values were tough to establish. As time went by, things improved. Native born colonists developed immunity and more women came to these colonies. As a matter of fact, by 1700 Virginia was the largest colony with 60,000 people. Life in the early New England colonies while also tough but was much better than in the South. The cooler climate allowed for a life expectancy of almost seventy. In addition, New England immigrants generally came as families rather than as individuals, and so the population began to grow from natural reproduction quickly. The long life expectancy allowed for family values to develop and meant many children had not only parents but grandparents around to instill these values. Indentured Servants and Slaves Once tobacco became the staple crop of Jamestown and then Maryland, plantation owners needed a large labor force. At first, this was predominately indentured servants who came over from England in hopes of eventually improving their lives. Using indentured servants worked at first because tobacco growing was relatively easy to learn and not overly labor intensive. This also allowed for population growth as many of the immigrants to the Southern colonies in the 1600’s were indentured servants. The popularity of indentured servitude began to decrease in the 1670’s for a few reasons. One, the indentured servants already in the colonies were not really able to find great success after their time as a servant was up. This caused them to grow disenchanted, and it created friction and sometimes conflict, such as Bacon’s Rebellion. This caused many of the plantation owners to turn to slaves which they saw as a less volatile and more controllable workforce. Second, as new colonies, such as South Carolina, emerged, they had different staple crops like rice that were more difficult to grow and more labor intensive. This caused them to use slave labor. Immigration Colonial America was a melting pot from the beginning. Germans made up about 6 % of the colonial population in 1775 and settled predominantly in the backcountry of Pennsylvania. Scots-Irish (Scottish lowlanders who could not find success in Northern Ireland) accounted for 7% in 1775 and also presided mostly in the Pennsylvania backcountry. There were also Dutch, French, Scots Highlanders, Swiss, Welsh, and other European groups who lived throughout the colonies and made up another 5 %. The single largest non-English group was Africans who made up almost 20% of the population in 1775 and lived predominantly in the South. These immigrant groups had no loyalty or love of the English crown and many contributed to the conflict and fighting with the British. All of these groups also saw their native culture permeate the colonies which helped create a distinct American culture. The Triangular Trade As the colonies grew, so did trade and commerce. This was one of the surest ways to amass wealth quickly. They had a number of trading patterns, but the most well-known was the Triangular Trade. This was a pattern of trade in which slaves were brought from the African Gold Coast to the West Indies where they were traded for sugar or molasses and then that was brought to New England where it was traded for rum. There were also trade patterns involving England and Europe. Technically, the colonists were only supposed to trade within the English empire, but they also traded with other European countries and the French West Indies. In 1733 London passed the Molasses Act that sought to end colonial trade with the French West Indies. American merchants bribed and smuggled their way around this law, and it was a foreshadowing of future conflict with the British government and the colonists. The Americans would rather revolt than have Britain take their livelihood. The Great Awakening In all of the colonies, people found religion to be less fulfilling and were therefore less enthusiastic during the early eighteenth century than in the preceding seventeenth century. This set the stage for a rousing religious revival known as the Great Awakening. It exploded in the 1730’s and 1740’s. It was first ignited by the preacher Jonathan Edwards who believed that only God’s grace and not good works alone could save a person’s soul. He gave fiery sermons, the most famous of which was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” As this revival moved forward, preachers came to be divided into two groups. The Old lights were deeply skeptical of the threatrics and emotionalism that dominated the Great Awakening. The New Lights defended these practices and credited them with revitalizing American religion. The Great Awakening undermined the older authority and encouraged greater competition amongst different denominations. More important, because the Great Awakening spread to all colonies, it was one of the first examples that Americans are one people with common interests, ideas, and goals. This will be helpful as conflict develops with England and the colonists head toward the Revolution. Freedom of the Press The Zenger Trial took place in New York. John Peter Zenger’s newspaper had made accusations against the corrupt royal governor. Zenger was charged with libel and hauled into court. Zenger argued that what he said was true, while the prosecution said whether it was true or false did not matter. The mere fact it was printed should be enough to convict. The jury, swayed by Zenger’s lawyers eloquent arguments, came back with a not guilty decision. This was a banner decision for freedom of the press and for the health of American democracy. It helped establish the doctrine that true statements about public officials could not be prosecuted. Newspapers were thus free to print powerful criticisms and hold public officials accountable. This is another example of a developing colonial identity that is the basis for American identity.
