AP REVIEW: 1 & 2 Flashcards
Pre-Columbian Era
The period before Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the “New World”
Where did the Native Americans come from?
Asia, they walked across an ice sheet from Siberia to Alaska when the planet was significantly colder
Population of Native Americans when Columbus arrived
1 - 5 million in modern Canada and United States
20 million in Mexico
Tenochtitlan
More populous than any city in Europe, occupied by the Aztecs and the Maya
Maize
aka Corn, its domestication began in Mexico and it was the staple crop of much of North America. Created the transition from hunter-gatherer to agriculture society
Columbian Exchange
Europe sustained contact with the Americas and introduced a widespread exchange of many things
Who colonized America first?
Spain (coonsquistadors)
Spanish Armada
Spain’s navy, very strong, kept other countries from establishing colonies in the Americas
Jamestown
- funded by the Virginia Company
- half dead in three months
- during winter, 90% of survivors perished, with some resorting to cannibalism
- eventually learned to grow tobacco, made lots of money
Reasons for migrating to Chesapeake
- Overpopulation in England
- Indentured servitude (free passage and small property for seven years of labor)
- Mostly men who migrated
Headright System
To attract new settlers to the region, it gave new settlers about 50 acres of land for farming
House of Burgesses
Allowed any property holding, white male to vote. All decisions had to be approved by the Virgina Company
Four main colonizing powers
- Spain
- France
- England
- Netherlands
Mayflower Separatists
Puritan group called the pilgrims, their ship was originally headed for Virgins but landed in Massachusetts. They established a settlement called Plymouth
Massachusetts Bay
Its establishment created The Great Puritan Migration, lead by John Winthrop
Rhode Island
Established by Rodger Williams, who got kicked out of the Puritans, it allowed for the free exercise of religion
Chesapeake vs. New England
New England - Large families, more religious, stronger sense of community, less slavery
Chesapeake - Single men, tobacco farms, lots of slavery
King Philip’s War
Metacomet, leader of the Wampanoag tribe, did not like how white settlers were trying to convert Native Americans to Christianity:
- Led attacks on several settlements and destroyed them
- Eventually ran out of food and ammunition, Metacomet died
- Colonists devasted the tribes
Marks an end of a large Native American presence among New England colonists
Why were Black people enslaved over Native Americans
Native Americans:
- knew the land, could easily escape
- many died due to disease
Blacks:
- did not know the land
- easier to identify
- most did not speak the same language, made it harder for insurrections to happen
Where did most slaves go?
Caribbean and South America, there were still about half a million in New England
Why did slavery flourish in the South?
Labor-intensive crops (rice, tobacco, indigo)
Salutary Neglect (1650 - 1750)
Government interfered in colonial affairs as little as possible, American culture developed. Large degree of autonomy.
- Helped fuel revolutionary sentiments when the monarchy later attempted to gain control of the New World
Navigation Acts
Tl:DR = Sought to establish wide-ranging English control over colonial commerce, early example of rebellion against the crown
Government layout of colonies
Each colony had a governor appointed by the king, and a lower and upper house.
Lower house included people elected by the population
Upper house was made up of appointees, had some powers
Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
Nathaniel Bacon was mad that Native Americans kept attacking
- He asked the governor to allow him to create a military and attack the nearby tribes
- Governor said no way, Bacon did it anyway
- Got out of hand, they attacked Jamestown
- Bacon suddenly died, rebellion was over
Stono Uprising (1739)
Enslaved people stole some guns, killed a bunch of people, liberated more slaves, fled to Florida, got captured and killed
- Resulted in more restrictive laws and a larger fear of slave rebellion
Salem Witch Trial (1692)
130 “witches” were jailed or executed. People had been accused of witchcraft before but never so many so quickly. Accusers were mostly teenage girls, accusing the colony’s most prominent citizens
First Great Awakening
Religious revival after religion was becoming less prominent. Preached Calvinism and Evangelism. Influenced Ben Franklin
What percentage of colonists lived in rural areas?
90 Percent
Population growth of the colonies
Increased 5 times in 50 years (1700 - 1750)
Cities in the colonies
Very bad, not sanitary
Many immigrants settled there, paid too little and povery was widespread
New England society
Centered on trade, population farmed for survival, not trade. Most people were Puritans
Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, etc.) Society
More fertile land, focused more on farming. Major trade centers
Lower South Society
Cash crops, tobacco and rice. Lots of slavery. Majority farmed to survive with no enslaved people
Chesapeake Society
Slavery and tobacco played large role. Diversified economy. A few major cities
