Transcript Document
Chapter 2 – European Colonies in America
Section Notes
Video
European Settlements in North
America
The English in Virginia
The Northern Colonies
The Middle and Southern Colonies
Maps
European Colonies in America
Plymouth Colony
European Explorations of the
Americas, 1492–1682
A Foothold in the New World
Northern Colonies
Middle and Southern Colonies
Quick Facts
Images
History Close-up
The English Colonies in the
America
Visual Summary: European
Colonies in America
The Spanish in America
Jamestown and Plymouth
Pocahontas Engraving
Pocahontas by Henry Brueckner
European Settlements in North America
The Main Idea
In the 1500s and 1600s, European nations, led by Spain,
continued to explore, claim territory, and build settlements
in America.
Reading Focus
• Which Spanish conquistadors explored North America, and what
were they seeking?
• How did Spain build an empire?
• What other nations explored North America?
Spanish Conquistadors
• Spanish explorers of the 1500s were called conquistadors,
Spanish for “conquerors.” They traveled to spread Christianity,
find wealth, and win fame.
• Ponce de León explored Puerto Rico and became its governor.
• In 1513, he left to search for gold and a “fountain of youth.” He
was the first Spanish explorer to touch mainland North America
when he landed on the Florida coast.
• Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico to conquer the Aztec Empire.
• Was successful with the help of the Aztecs’ enemies that he
had gathered as his allies
•
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca traveled from the present-day Texas
coast near Galveston through New Mexico and Arizona, then
down the Mexican Pacific coast. His tales may have given rise to
the legend of Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola, cities rich in gold.
Spanish Conquistadors
Expeditions in search of the Seven Cities legend
• Hernando de Soto explored from Florida to the Carolinas and
Tennessee. He was the first European to see the Mississippi
River. Also explored Arkansas
• Francisco Vásquez conquered the Pueblo peoples. Then his group
split up; one of his men was the first European to see the Grand
Canyon. The others traveled to present-day Arizona, New Mexico,
Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
• Juan Cabrillo explored the coast of California.
• The Spanish never found gold in the American Southwest, so
they turned their attention to mining in Mexico.
• Pedro Menendez de Avilés founded St. Augustine in Florida.
Today it is the oldest city in the United States.
Spain Builds an Empire
• The government of Spain established colonial
governments while conquistadors were exploring
North America.
• Spain set up viceroyalties, provinces that were
ruled by a representative of the monarch.
• New Spain was a viceroyalty and included much
of the American Southwest and present-day
Mexico, Florida, Central America, part of
Venezuela, and some Caribbean islands.
Spain Builds an Empire
Social Structure
• Peninsulares: people who came
from Spain. Considered
themselves superior to the
creoles
• Creoles: people born in the
Americas of pure Spanish
descent
• Mestizos: mixed Spanish and
Native American descent
• Lowest on social scale were
people of mixed Spanish and
African descent, pure-blooded
Indians, and Africans
• Catholic missionaries ran
missions and taught Native
Americans Christianity,
European farming, herding,
and crafts.
Land and Labor
• Spain tried to use Native
Americans as laborers,
encomienda system
• Many laborers were worked to
death on huge estates called
haciendas.
• As Native American population
declined from disease and ill
treatment, landowners came to
depend on African slaves for
labor.
Spain Builds an Empire
The Pueblo Revolt
• Juan de Oñate was sent to settle New Mexico in 1598.
• Missionaries wanted all native religions replaced by
Christianity.
• In 1680 the Pueblo Indians, led by a shaman named Popé,
revolted in Santa Fe to take back their ways of life.
• Many villagers joined the revolt.
• After a 10-day siege, the Spanish settlers fled.
• Popé tried to restore their traditional ways and wipe out all
traces of Spanish culture.
• In 1692 Spanish soldiers retook Santa Fe.
Other Nations Explore
• In 1497 King Henry VII of England sent John Cabot,
an Italian navigator, on an exploration voyage.
• Cabot landed in Newfoundland and claimed it for
England. He thought he was in Asia.
• Sebastian Cabot, John’s son, launched a voyage
looking for a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean,
creating a shorter sea route to Asia.
Other Nations Explore
England’s Navy
New France
New Netherland
• Queen Elizabeth I
built England into a
sea power.
• 1524 Giovanni da
Verrazano explored for
France along coast
from present-day
Carolinas to Maine.
• In 1609 the Dutch
sent Henry Hudson
to search for a
Northwest Passage.
He found what is
now called the
Hudson River.
• Sir Francis Drake
circumnavigated the
globe while
plundering Spanish
ships and towns on
the Pacific coast of
South America.
• Spanish Armada
sent to invade
England was
defeated by
superior English
navy
• Jacques Cartier
discovered St.
Lawrence River.
• Samuel de Champlain
founded France’s first
permanent settlement
in New World.
• Sieur de la Salle
claimed land from
Great Lakes to mouth
of Mississippi.
• The Dutch claimed
territory along the
Atlantic coast.
• The colony of New
Netherland drew
settlers from all
over northern
Europe.
The English in Virginia
The Main Idea
After several failures, the English established a permanent
settlement at Jamestown, Virginia.
Reading Focus
• Why were the first English colonies established?
• What helped the Jamestown colony survive?
• How did Virginia grow and change during the 1600s?
The First English Colonies
• English settlers had many reasons to come to the New World.
• There were economic problems in England, and many wanted
new opportunities.
• English farm workers were unemployed, and small farmers were
struggling.
• In the wealthy class, large plots of land had been divided among
heirs for years until land was scarce.
• Young men who did not inherit land were looking for adventure.
• King James issued a charter that divided America between the
Plymouth Company and the London Company.
• The two groups were joint-stock companies. They were to
govern and maintain the colonies. Profits from the colonies went
back to the companies’ investors.
The Jamestown Colony
The First Settlers
• In 1606 the London Company sent three ships and 144 men to
Virginia. 100 survived the crossing.
• They built Jamestown 60 miles up the James River.
• Site was low and swampy, filled with malaria-carrying
mosquitoes.
• Jamestown was in the territory of the Powhatan Confederacy, led
by Powhatan.
• Water supply wasn’t safe; some settlers died of malaria or
dysentery from drinking it.
• Other settlers became too weak to work, while others spent
more time looking for treasure than for food.
• Many were English gentlemen, unused to physical labor.
• Only 38 were alive when more English colonists arrived.
The Jamestown Colony
• Captain John Smith helped trade for food with the Native
Americans, built houses, and explored the area.
• When the Powhatans captured him and were about to kill
him, Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas, intervened. Later
she helped keep the peace between the Powhatans and
the colonists.
• In 1608 Smith became the leader of Jamestown.
– Organized raids to steal food from the Indians
– Imposed a law that if a man wanted to eat, he had to work
• More settlers came in 1609. That winter was called the
starving time because the Indians, who were angry about
the food raids, killed the settlers’ livestock and prevented
them from hunting.
The Jamestown Colony
• Growing tobacco finally made Jamestown profitable.
• John Rolfe was the first settler to grow tobacco.
• Rolfe and Pocahontas married. Their marriage secured
peace between the settlers and the Powhatans.
• Conflicts with Powhatans arose by 1622. Both Pocahontas
and Powhatan were dead.
• The English farmers were taking over more Indian lands to
farm tobacco.
• In 1622 the Indians launched a surprise attack on
Jamestown, killing many settlers, including John Rolfe.
• Attacks persisted for twenty more years.
Virginia Grows and Changes
• The Virginia Company offered
headrights, 50-acre grants of
land. There were various ways
to obtain them
• The Virginia Company formed
America’s first legislature, the
House of Burgesses.
• The company brought in
skilled artisans to help the
economy grow
• Members were white male
landowners.
• The company also sent 100
women to marry the colonists
and make society more stable
• This group had the power to
raise taxes and make laws.
• The majority of colonial workers were indentured servants.
• They were contracted to work for a certain number of years.
When the contract was up, they were free to go.
• By the late 1600s, there were fewer indentured servants.
• Landowners saw advantages to using slaves, such as not having
to pay slaves like indentured servants.
Virginia Grows and Changes
Conflicts among settlers
• Settlers on the frontier wanted to push farther
westward, into Indian lands.
• The governor, Sir William Berkeley, wanted good
relations with the Native Americans to protect his fur
trade with them. Wealthy frontier tobacco planter,
Nathaniel Bacon, formed an army after one of his
workers was killed in an Indian attack.
• Bacon’s army attacked Jamestown, which was burned in
the fight. The governor fled.
• Bacon’s Rebellion collapsed after Bacon suddenly
became ill and died.
• As a result, the House of Burgesses opened more
frontier land.
The Northern Colonies
The Main Idea
The pilgrims founded colonies in Massachusetts based on
Puritan religious ideals, while dissent led to the founding
of other New England colonies.
Reading Focus
• Why did the Puritans flee England?
• How did dissent among the Puritans threaten the New England
colonies?
• What was life like in New England?
Puritans Flee to Freedom
• Puritans wanted to “purify” the Church of England.
– Wanted simpler church service
– Objected to the wealth and power of bishops
• Separatists were more strict Puritans.
– Wanted to remove all traces of Catholicism from their religion
– Wanted total separation from the Church of England
• Church of England was the official church of the land.
– English subjects required to attend services and pay taxes to
support the church
– Dissenters were fined and put in prison
Puritans Flee to Freedom
Plymouth Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Some English Separatists moved
to the Netherlands in 1608.
• Puritan merchants formed the
Massachusetts Bay Company.
• Their children were becoming more
Dutch than English.
• In 1630 John Winthrop set out
with 11 ships and 700 people for
New England.
• War with Spain seemed near. They
were ready to move to the New
World.
• Led by William Bradford, 35
Separatists joined 66 others on the
Mayflower in 1620.
• Their sponsor, the Virginia
Company, intended they land near
the Hudson River. They landed
instead at Cape Cod.
• Founded Plymouth Colony south of
present-day Boston
• Colony never grew very large
• This colony grew faster than
Plymouth. Other towns were
established nearby.
• Massachusetts General Court was
formed.
• Success of Plymouth and
Massachusetts Bay colonies
inspired the Great Migration.
– Over 20,000 English men and
women came to settle in New
England.
Dissent among the Puritans
• Dissenters left the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled new
towns.
• Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister, and his congregation settled
in the Connecticut River Valley. They adopted America’s first
written constitution: the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. It
extended voting rights to all free men, not just church members.
• Roger Williams, a Separatist minister who believed in religious
tolerance and the separation of church and government. Bought
land from the Narragansetts to establish Providence, now Rhode
Island
• Anne Hutchinson believed that people did not need a minister’s
teachings to be spiritual. Was imprisoned, tried, and banished
from the Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Hutchinson’s brother-in-law left Massachusetts to start a
settlement in present-day New Hampshire. In 1679 it became a
royal colony, under direct control of the king.
Life in New England
Education
Government
Native
Americans
•
Massachusetts General Court passed education laws.
•
Girls learned reading, writing, and some arithmetic.
•
Boys had more education opportunities. By the 1700s
Harvard and Yale colleges were available to them.
•
By late 1700s most colonies were royal colonies. In town
meetings church members and land owners voted on
town matters.
•
Colonists became less dependent on the Indians for
survival. The Native Americans now had guns.
•
Some Puritans felt it was their duty to drive the Native
Americans out or kill them.
•
Land conflicts were behind the Pequot War and King
Philip’s War. Both wars nearly wiped out the Native
Americans involved.
The Middle and Southern Colonies
The Main Idea
Events in England during and after the English Civil War led
to a new wave of colonization along the Atlantic coast
south of New England.
Reading Focus
• What brought about a new era of colonization in America?
• Why were new southern colonies founded?
• Why did the Quakers settle Pennsylvania?
• Why was Maryland founded?
A New Era of Colonization
• After the English Civil War, the reign of Charles II was called
the Restoration because it restored the English monarchy.
• Charles repaid political favors by establishing proprietary
colonies, grants of land to loyal friends. Four new colonies
were established: New York, New Jersey, Carolina, and
Pennsylvania.
– Colonies were governed by their Lords Proprietors.
• The king granted the Duke of York land that included the area
already claimed by the Dutch as New Netherland. Their town,
New Amsterdam, was thriving.
• In 1664 an English fleet sailed into the harbor and demanded
New Netherland’s surrender. Gov. Stuyvesant surrendered.
• By 1674 New Netherland was firmly in English hands.
• The duke renamed it New York.
Puritans Flee to Freedom
New York
• Had a diversified population: English, Dutch,
Scandinavians, Germans, French, Native Americans, and
enslaved Africans
• Grew and prospered under English rule
• A treaty with the Iroquois protected the fur trade.
• The Duke of York gave the land south of the Hudson River
to two of his political allies. They named it New Jersey.
• By early 1700s, New York and New Jersey became royal
colonies.
New Southern Colonies
The Carolinas
Georgia
• Gave themselves large estates
• James Oglethorpe, humanitarian
and member of English Parliament,
wanted debtors to have a new
start in life instead of going to
prison.
• Some people had to pay to bring in
boatloads of settlers.
• He and 20 other trustees received
a charter to settle Georgia.
• Southern Carolina
• In 1733 he founded city of
Savannah, Georgia, with a
boatload of colonists.
• Was co-owned by eight men
• Had a port in Charles Town
• Had prosperous estates of
aristocrats
• Plantation owners from West
Indies moved there with their
enslaved Africans.
• Northern Carolina settlers were
small farmers without slaves.
• They did not have a good harbor.
• The trustees governed but did not
own land or expect a profit.
• Georgia’s population included
former debtors, impoverished
British craftspeople, religious
refugees from Germany and
Switzerland.
• By 1770 nearly half of the
population was made of enslaved
Africans.
Quakers Settle Pennsylvania
• Of all the Nonconformist groups, the Quakers upset people
the most.
• They believed in direct, personal communication with God;
they had no ministers or hierarchy of priests and bishops.
• They had simple meetings where their members rose to
speak.
• They believed in the equality of all men and women.
• They were pacifists who refused to fight in wars.
• They were only welcomed in Rhode Island.
Quakers Settle Pennsylvania
A tolerant colony
• William Penn named his colony Pennsylvania and named
the city Philadelphia, Greek for “City of Brotherly Love.”
• In the 1600s, wars in Europe ruined farms and trade, and
religious clashes caused social upheaval.
• Penn offered refuge for Quakers and others suffering
religious persecution. He offered opportunities and land at
reasonable prices.
• German Protestant sects such as the Amish and
Mennonites moved to Pennsylvania. French Protestants,
called Huguenots, settled there, too.
Delaware
• In 1638 small colony of Swedes settled near presentday Wilmington, Delaware
• In 1655 the Dutch took over New Sweden.
• Later the colony was seized by England.
• William Penn persuaded the duke of York to make him
the proprietor of an area along the Delaware River and
bay.
• This was the area that would later became the colony of
Delaware.
• Control of this waterway gave Pennsylvania access to
the Atlantic Ocean
The Founding of Maryland
• The founding of the Church of England as the nation’s official church
made life difficult for Roman Catholics living there.
• Some English Catholics were influential.
• George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, converted to Catholicism,
and it ended his career.
• He wanted land in America, as a haven for Catholics and for personal
wealth.
• Calvert founded a settlement in Canada, but it was too cold for him.
• He tried to move to Jamestown, but was banned because of his
religion.
• He asked King Charles for land around Chesapeake Bay.
• Calvert died before the land was granted, but his son received the
rights and founded Maryland.
• Because of clashes between Catholics and Protestants, the
Toleration Act was passed to protect the right of all Christians to
practice their religion in Maryland.
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