Chapter 17: The Diversity of American Colonial Society, 1538-1770 Flashcards
What transferred from the New World to the Old World in the Columbian Exchange?
corn, potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, manioc/ cassava
What transferred from the Old World to the New World in the Columbian Exchange?
horses, pigs, chicken, cattle, malaria, smallpox
What did early settlers from Spain and Portugal seek to create?
Societies based on their homelands: hierarchical, Catholic, and patriarchal
What was the social hierarchy like in Spanish colonies?
Europeans
Creoles (Europeans born in the Americas)
Mixed- MEstizos and Mulattoes
Amerindians and African slaves
How were Spanish colonies governed?
Council of Indies- supervised all government, ecclesiastical, and commercial activity in Spanish colonies.
It had direct control because the crown was far away.
The highest ranking Spanish officials were viceroys of New Spain and Peru. They each divided into judicial and administrative districts.
What were Spanish and Portuguese conversion efforts like?
The justified American conquests by claiming the obligation to convert native populations to Christianity. However, they discovered that many were secretly observing old beliefs and rituals. They tortured, executed, and destroyed native manuscripts to eradicate these beliefs.
Who was Bartolome de Las Casas and what did he do?
He was a priest and defender of Amerindians. He was moved by the deaths and misdeeds of the Spanish and entered the Dominican Order. HE enacted the New Laws of 1542, outlawing enslavement of Amerindians and limited forced labor.
Were the Europeans successful in transmitting Catholic Christianity without alteration?
No. They were defeated by the size and linguistic diversity of Amerindian populations. Amerindian Christianity was instead created, blending European Christian beliefs with native cosmology and ritual.
What was Spanish economy based on?
Mining, especially silver.
How was work divided in Spanish colonies?
Encomienda- Amerindian peoples were divided among settlers and forced to provide them with labor, textiles, food, or goods.
Mita and free wage laborers were also used. Due to population decline from epidemics and mistreatment, some villages were forced to mine every 1-2 years.
What did sugar plantations of colonial Brazil (Portuguese) depend on?
Slave labor. Amerindians were used at first but they died in epidemics so they used African slaves because they were more productive and resistant to disease.
What were creoles?
whites born in America to European parents
What distinguished colonial Brazil from Spanish America?
The absence of rich and powerful indigenous civilizations like the Aztecs and Incas, lower levels of European immigration. By the 17th century, Africans and American-born descendants were the largest racial group in Brazil
What were mestizos?
mixed Amerindian and European offspring. They came to occupy a middle position on the social hierarchy.
What were mulattos?
Individuals of mixed European and African descent
What were some common characteristics between the North American colonial empires of England and France and the colonies of Spain and Portugal?
- hoped to find easily extracted forms of wealth, great indigenous empires
- responded to native peoples with diplomacy and violence
- African slaves= crucial to development
What was the first English settlement?
Jamestown. 80% died in 15 years. There was no mineral wealth, passage to Asia, or exploitable native population.
The English settlement of Chesapeake Bay added what new system of compulsory labor?
indentured servants- migrants who paid for passage to the Americas by agreeing to work for a set term from 4-7 years.
What governed the English South?
A colonial government administered by a governor, council, and representatives meeting together as the House of Burgesses
What were the main crops in the English South?
Rice, indigo, tobacco
What two groups colonized New England?
Protestant dissenters- Pilgrims and Puritans
Who were the Pilgrims?
They wanted to break completely with the Church of England, which they believed was still essentially Catholic.
They established the colony of Plymouth.
Who were the Puritans?
They wanted to “purify” the Church of England, not break with it?
They also wanted to abolish the hierarchy of bishops and priests, free it from government interference, and limit membership to those with shared beliefs.
How did Massachusetts (New England) differ from Chesapeake and South Carolina (South)?
- Most people arrived with their family, so there was a normal gender balance which led to a rapid population increase.
- Representatives were elected, and a legislative house was created
Who established the Middle England thing?
The Dutch West India Co. established the colony of New Netherland. It was poorly managed, and merchants established trading relationships with the Iroquois Confederacy.
What was NYC/ Middle England’s main export?
Grain.
What did Pennsylvania begin as?
A proprietary colony and refuge for Quakers
What set Middle England (Pennsylvania,) apart from other colonies?
Diversity. There was a large population of black slaves and freedmen, not a lot of slavery.
Who produced most of the grain in Pennsylvania?
Free workers on family farms
What was French social life like?
Indigenous people were more independent and had control over land than colonies in Spain. They were treated as trading partners and allies.
What was the main trade in French America? What did this cause?
Fur trade. This led to a decline in beaver and deer populations, which led to competition among natives which promoted warfare. It also led to overhunting.
What were the courers de bois?
Runners of the woods/ young Frenchmen sent to live among native peoples. They often began families with indigenous women and helped direct the fur trade.
What happened to all European colonies in America during the last decades of the 17th century?
They experienced a long period of economic and demographic expansion. Administration and economic controls in colonies increased. Reform efforts led to imperial wars. France lost its North American colonies. Colonial populations became more aware of separate national identities and more aggressive in asserting local interests.
What caused Spain’s colonial administration and tax collection? How was it reorganized?
Spain’s Habsburg dynasty ended when Charles II died without an heir. Phillip V and his heirs cancelled their reliance on convoys and made it so that more colonial ports could trade with Spain. Intercolonial trade expanded, creating new commercial monopolies. The navy was strengthened and contraband was more policed.
What did Spanish and Portugues kings seek to do?
Decrease the power of the Catholic Church in their colonies. Disputes began to undermine the support of the clergy, and Jesuits were expelled.
Bourbon reforms limited who’s access to offices, new taxes, and monopolies?
Creoles (Europeans born in America). This led to violent confrontations due to monopolies on tobacco, cacao and brandy.
Who was Tupac Amaru II and what did he do?
He was a Peruvian Amerindian leader who initiated a rebellion in 1780. He sought to redress the grievances of Amerindian communities suffering under mita and tribute obligations.
What happened in Brazil after 1700?
It underwent a period of expansion. New admin positions were developed, and monopoly companies were given exclusive rights to little developed regions
A more intrusive colonial government imposed new taxes, which led to rebellions.
They depended on a n increase in slave trade.
What did the Navigation Acts do?
They sought to severely limit colonial trading and production that competed directly with England. James II tried to increase royal control over colonial political life, and royal governors replaced charters.
What happened in English colonies in the 18th century?
There was renewed economic growth, a new wave of European immigration, and social divisions were evident. The colonial population was more urban, divided by class and race, and vulnerable to economic downturns.
