World History:
The Earth and its Peoples
Chapter 17
The Diversity of American
Colonial Societies,
1530-1770
Objectives
• Understand and be able to illustrate with concrete examples the
ways in which the exchange of peoples, plants, animals, and
diseases led to environmental, cultural, and economic changes in
the Old World and particularly the New World.
• Be able to make a comparative analysis of the economies and
labor systems of the Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English
colonies.
• Be able to explain the causes and long-term implications of the
different social structures and political institutions of the Spanish
and the English colonies.
• Understand the ways in which eighteenth century economic
growth and political reform in the Spanish, Portuguese, and
English colonies undermined relations between the colonial
powers and their American colonists.
European Influence in the Americas
Themes
1) Amerindian adaptation
2) End of Amerindian isolation
3) Complexity of colonial society
Columbian Exchange
– Disease
• smallpox and yellow fever
– syphilis
• very high death rates
• conservative vs liberal estimates
– Plants
• maize, potatoes, manioc
– growth of European population
• beans, squash, tomatoes
Columbian Exchange
European Influence in the Americas
Columbian Exchange
– Animals
• cattle, pigs, sheep
– natural predators
– negative effects
– positive effects
• horses
– efficiency of hunters
– military capacity
Spanish America and Brazil
• Spain
– Caribbean, Mexico, C. America,
Andean highlands, Rio de la
Plata
• Portugal
– Brazilian coastline
Amerindian Influence in Colonial Society
Amerindian Impact
–
–
–
–
–
marriage
alliances
colonial courts
religious beliefs
agricultural techniques
Government
• Council of the Indies - 1524
– government, church, commercial
control to Spain
• distance
• Viceroyalty of New Spain-1535
– Mexico, C. America, Caribbean
• Viceroyalty of Peru - 1540
– S. America
Spanish Administration
• Portugal
– lacked mineral wealth or empire
– Capital at Salvador - 1549
– 1st viceroy - 1720
Church
– Catholic Church
• primary agent for European
culture
• conversion ‘obligation’
– superficial
• torture and eradication
– Bartolome de Las Casas
• Dominican Order
• native advocate
• New Laws of 1542
– richest institution
Colonial Economy
Spain
– silver mines - Mexico & Peru
• Potosi - (1545-1680)
– labor / environment
Portugal
– sugar - Brazil (1550s)
– slave labor
• interior raids / Africa
• Labor
– encomienda
• forced labor or tribute
– free-wage laborers
• mita
• Trade
– monopoly commerce
– convoy systems
Colonial Society
Society
– Hidalgos
• encomenderos
• church and government
– creoles
• agriculture / mining
– ‘Indians’
• blending of classes
– black population
• declined with slavery
• sabotage, malingering,
rebellion, running away
• manumission
– castas
• mestizos
• mulattoes
Colonial Comparisons
Commonalities
– riches, diplomacy / violence,
slaves
Differences
– later, less govt, more private
England
– early failures
• 1583 Newfoundland
• 1587 Roanoke
– Virginia Company
• Jamestown - 1607
– 80% casualty rate
– furs, timber, tobacco
English Southern Colonies
Virginia Colony Labor
– indentured servants
• 80% of settlers
– slaves - 1660
• cost ratio issue
Virginia Colony Govt. - 1660
– Governor
• council
– House of Burgesses
Fur Trade Effect
–
–
–
–
provision of furs and deerskins
dependency on European goods
natural balance
hunting / agriculture disrupted
English Southern Colonies
Carolinas
– Caribbean and Brazilian models
– rice and indigo
– black majority
• Stono Rebellion - 1739
New England
• Protestant Dissenters
– Pilgrims
• 1620 Plymouth Colony
• ‘breakers’
– Puritans
• 1630 Mass. Bay Colony
• ‘purify’
– abolish hierarchy
– family-oriented
Middle Atlantic Colonies
New Netherland
– Manhattan Island - (1624-1664)
– Dutch West Indies Co.
• Iroquois Confederacy
– trading alliance
• New York
– James - Duke of York
– shipping center
– diverse population
Pennsylvania
– Quakers
– proprietary colony
• William Penn
• economic prosperity
French America
Purpose
– conversion
– resource extraction
• Jacques Cartier - 1524-42
– Newfoundland / St. Lawrence
• Samuel de Champlain
– New France (Quebec) - 1608
– Iroquois
• coureurs de bois
– ‘runners of the woods’
– furs, firearms, metal tools
• Jesuits
French and Indian War (1756-63)
– Canada and Louisiana
Colonial Conflict
Late 17th Century
– political and economic controls
– cost of administration / defense
• Spain
–
–
–
–
shift in economic focus
blame on failures to Crown
Creole disaffection
Tupac Amaru II
• Amerindian rebellion - 1780
• mita / tribute obligations
• England
– Navigation Acts - 1651 & 1673
• limit colonial competition
• replacing of charters
• NY / Mass ‘revolts’