Chapter 17
Colonies
Carleen Long
Terms
• Columbian Exchange- the transfer
of people, animals, diseases, and plants between
New and Old Worlds.
• Pilgrims- First settlers in America
Terms
• Puritans- Christians looking to “purify” the
Catholic church
• Iroquois Confederacy—an alliance among the
Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and
Seneca peoples
Spanish
• Society divided into hierarchy of estate
• 1524-Council of the Indies in Spain supervised
the government, ecclesiastical, and commercial
activity in the Spanish colonies.
Spanish (cont.)
• Geography and technology limited power
• Justified the exploration of the Americas by
saying they were spreading Christianity to the
Amerindians.
• The priest Bartolomé de Las Casas (1474–1566)
was the most influential defender of the
Amerindians during the early colonial times.
Spain cont.
• Silver mines were a big influence on economy
▫ Most located in Peru
• The Sugar plantations also helped the economy
▫ Most sugar plantations in Brazil
• The most important years of silver mining took
place in Mexico in the 1530’s and 1540’s
Silver Coin
Spain cont.
• Missionaries
▫ Worked with the Amerindians
▫ Tried to teach religion and ways of life
▫ Frusturated by language and cultural
differences
▫ Cruelty was typically the result of frustration
Spain cont.
• New Laws of 1542—outlawed the enslavement of
Amerindians and limited other forms of forced
labor
• Amerindian population had a sharp decrease in
1600s because of disease, epidemics, and other
natural causes
English/ British
• First journeys to the Americas can be described as
failures.
• London’s investors colonized what is now Virginia
• Jamestown was abandoned for better land further
inland
• Main problems bringing settlers over- Not enough
men.
• 84% of white settlers were male in Virginia in 1625
• More women in Massachusetts= much higher
population growth
English/British
• Massachusetts became the best off area in
America
• Problem- Didn’t have good enough soil or long
enough growing period for cash crops like
tobacco and rice
Map of
Colonies
English/ British
• New York and New York City developed and
became the trading and communications center
of the colonies
• Pennsylvania was developed by William Penn
and the Quakers
William Penn
French
• Settled in a similar way to Spain and Portugal
• Trading
▫ Traded with amerindians
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Fur
Guns
Iron weapons
Utensils
Textiles
Alchohol
• Resulted in a population decrease of beavers and
deer
French
• France’s North American colonies were
threatened by wars fought by France and
England
• The neighboring English colonies were a threat
because they were better off.
• The “French and Indian War” was the final
contest of France in colonial America
Amerindian
Map
Summary
• Spain, england, and France all set out for new
land
• Spain succeeded
• England’s success can be argued
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Didn’t come where they had planned
Didn’t bring enough women
Did form successful colonies
Did successfully continue to grow
Summary cont.
• France was a failure
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Were ok at first
started trading with indians
Gave them firearms in exchange for furs
Leveled the playing fields and ultimately gave the
Amerindians victory by giving them weapons and
technology
▫ Led to “French and Indian War”