MIDTERM Flashcards
all lifted from lectures or ppts
native american established society
- advanced and organized
- kinship ties
- religious
- farmers
why did europeans explore (to asia)
- 1300s, europe importing vast quantities from asia
- when the mongol empire collapsed, flow of goods declined
- europeans searched for a new route to asia
(spain, portugal, england, france)
portugal early exploration
- best prepared
- prince henry the navigator opened first school to teach navigation and map making
conquistadors
spanish explorers
- god, spread christianity
- gold, wealth, spices, etc
- glory, to gain fame
new spain
- south america, mexico, florida, the southwest us
new netherlands
- seen as wedge between north and south English colonies
- 1664 english take over
christopher columbus goals
1st exploration
- find a new route to asia
- spread christianity
2nd exploration
- gold
- slaves
columbus voyage
- first landed in bahamas, thought he reached the indies so he called the natives “indians”
- found cuba and thought it was the coast of china
between christopher columbus and the english colonization of america
- england did not try to colonize for 80 years after christopher columbus
- government is broke!
- john cabot found no gold (what)
christopher columbus - total profile
- 4 trips across atlantic
- his journey was a catalyst to centuries of exploration and exploitation
columbian exchange
- blending of old world and new world plants, animals, and diseases
- natives introduced ueorpeans to crops, europeans introduced tech & livestock
columbian exchange negative effects
- europeans brought bacteria and viruses
- natives had never encountered these diseases before and had no immunity
- north america introduced different bacteria to europeans but it didn’t cause catastrophic collapse of population
salutary neglect
- england’s policy of little interference in the colonies
- colonies given “relative autonomy” or freedom to rule themeslves
why did salutary neglect happen
- inability to enforce laws: no effective enforcement agencies
- distance and transport: 3000 miles to travel
- complex logistics: required difficult coordination of people, facilities, and supplies
- politically too risky: dissastified and discontented colonists would ally with france
colonial governments in 1700s
- 2 house legislative bodies
- upper house and lower hours
(somewhat representative)
although most colonies had a form of legislative body, they all had governors appointed by the crown
navigation act economic PROs
- guaranteed consumer to buy crops
- guaranteed to be able to buy manufactured goods
- gave protection to merchant ships
navigation act economic NEGs
- increased prices to buy imported goods
- increased cost of business of merchants
- limited competition for trade
- limited growth of the economy
- one-crop virginians -> indebted because of importing goods
sedition
any action, spoken or written, that encourages people to disobey their government and incite a rebellion against authority or lawl
libel
a written form of defamation; false statement that can hurt one’s reputation
libel then and now
- today, libel means tha published written words are both false and intended to cause harm
- at the time, libel charge simply meant that zinger published content that was publicly critical of the governer, which was against the laws
john zenger
- 1734-1735
- publishing information about royal governer
- zenger was trying to make ends meet as a printer
> prosecution: attorney general bradley
defense: andrew hamilton
zenger trial sides
- trial objective: zinger wrote libel about the ny governer (appointed by king, therefore insulting king of england)
- hamilton’s defense argued right to trial and defend actions, and that zenger wrote is the truth. he advocated to freedom of the press/speech
- bradley, the prosecutor claimed it would cause more lies and stories and less support to government
zenger trial results
- not guilty
1) truth of a printed statement is a complete defense in a libel case
2) jury may decide on the truth of the statement - zenger’s case did not immediately change the law, but it was the first step on the path to support for freedom of expression (1st admenment)
john winthrop
- founder/gov of massachusetts bay colony
- puritain (part of great migration)
- city upon a hill
- the great experiment: upholds promise of god, model for christian charity, unity of the world
- exceptionalism
enlightenment
- challenge authority of church with rationalism
- believed natural laws applied to social, political, and economic relationships
john locke: born with blank slate - minds shaped by society & natural rights
before the great awakening
most colonies had two established religions:
- congregationalism: largest religion in New England (puritans and other dissidents who broke away from the church of england)
- anglicanism: largest religion in New York and the southern colonies (same as church of england)
the great awakening
revival of religious feelings
- many americans embraced european religious movement
- centered around farmers, workers, and slaves
the great awakening leaders
johnathon edwards: “born again”
george whitefield: challenged authority
old lights vs new lights
traditionalists vs reformers
new lights: presbyterianism, methodism, baptism
old lights: congregationalists, anglicans
effects of great awakening
- churches grew as a result of the GA
- challenged authority and hierarchy of established churches
- anyone can be converted and born again
gave way to…
1) national unity
2) attitude that went against deferential english political and religious thinking
3) individualism
george whitefield’s popularity
- charitable - orphan houses
- excellent and convincing orator
- representative of god - save souls, save world, individual power, inclusion, rebellion against other religious leaders
eetriangular trade
- europeans were looking for a labor force to work in america
- europeans produce manufactured goods, traded for african slaves
- slaves taken to america, sold for money to buy raw materials (middle passage, 10-15% died)
- raw materials taken to europe to make manufactured goods
status of africans during 17th century
- some were permanently slaves
- some testified against white people in court
- one county: black slaves who were baptized successfully sued for their freedom
- some tolerance of interracial marrages
indentured servants
free after service term, allowed to own property and marry after a term of service
black slaves vs white servants
- colonists began to distinguish between their status
- va was the first colony to declare it was not a crime to kill an unruly slave in the course of punishments
factors that led to enslaved africans
until mid 1660s, white indentured servants met labor needs
- however English birth rates had fell and few workers were competing
- great fire of 1666 burned London and there was a need for labor to rebuild the city
- chesapeake region planters turned to enslaved africans to replenish labor force
indentured servants burdens
1) slaves didnt need their own land
2) slaves didnt become free
3) slaves were “better investments”
4) slave codes controlled labor
bacon’s rebellion
1676, friction between farmers, former indentured servants, and coastal planters in VA exploded
- nathaniel bacon(wealthy landowner) lead the rebellion
- burned the capital at Jamestown, plundered plantations, offered freedom to indentured servants
- bacon felt the govt failed to protect colonies from natives
result of bacon’s rebellion
- bacon died during revolt of disease
- uprising collapsed
- fear of servant unrest encouraged planters to replace white indentured servants with black slaves
- number of slaves tripled from 4.5k to 12k in just 20 years.
mercantilism ideas
1) there is a set amount of wealth in the world, and the goal of every country is to control as much as possible
2) countries should have colonies where they harvest raw materials and sell products
3) export more than import!!!
mercantilism: mother country
good for mother country:
- increased trading opportunities
- exports made them wealthy
- motivated european imperialism
bad for mother country
- overly dependent on colonies
- continuous management of colony
- tense competition in europe
mercantilism: colony
good for colony:
- traders and merchants have a definite buyer
- supply of silver/gold form spain - advantage
- colonies economy can boom due to exports
bad for colony
- trade restrictions, stifles competition & capitalism
- cannot trade to country of choice
- less opportunity for jobs and social mobility
- vulnerable
- resentment over restrictions
trade and navigation acts
1) good shipped on british and colonial ships
2) foreign goods shipped via british ports
3) limits on colonial manufacturing
4) enumerated commodities: only shipped to gb
first colony
- first colonies located on eastern coast: JAMESTOWN! 1607
- sponsored by virginia company of london (group of investors wanting to profit from expansion of other europeans nations, seek a northwest passage, and convert native americans to the anglican religion)
second settlers - pilgrims
settled 13 years after Jamestown in 1620
- “pilgrim fathers” left england searching for religious freedom
- mayflower, 100 people
- on board, 41 men signed the “mayflower compact”
- settled in Plymouth, now massachusetts
early colonial interaction with natives
- pilgrims discovered natives
- seized them, put them into slavery, or killed them via the plague
dutch settlers
- 1624
- settled along the hudson river and called it NEW AMSTERDAM
- eventually dutch driven away by english settlers and renamed it to new york
colonial religion
- early american colonists were very religious
- there were no churches established yet, so people went to houses to pray
- immigrants brought religion
- by the end of 18th century, catholicism & judaism developed in america
colonial government & law
- colonies had governors chosen by english king
- many had assemblies similar to parliament in england
- passed laws and collected taxes
- those who paid taxes and owned land could vote
- women couldn’t vote, married women couldn’t own land
- people needed to be of a religion to vote
british govt. passed laws for colonies
social hierarchy in cities
- wealthy merchants controlled trade via imported clothes, mansions, and carriages
- artisan skilled workers were 50% of the population
- 30% of population worked as harbor/servants
- 10-20% enslaved africans
new england
massachusetts, connecticut, new hampshire, rhode island
new england climate
bitterly cold winters and mild summers
new england geography
- flat land, close to the coastline. hilly and mountainous farther inland
- soil was generally rocky, making farming difficult
new england religion
puritans: mainly in MA
- reformers seeking to “purify” christianity
- strict rules and was intolerant of other religions
- life in new england was dominated by church – there would be consequence for failure to attend
- singers and celebrating holidays were prohibited
quakers/presbyterians - more religious freedom in RI
new england economy
dependent on oceans and rivers
- fishing was most important
- grew wealthy through triangular trade
middle colonies
mid-atlantic region of america
new york, pennsylvania, new Jersey, delaware
middle colonies climate
warm summer and cold winters
middle colonies geography
ideal for agriculture. coastal plains along the coastlines - good for shipping, rolling hills in the middle, and mountains farther inland
middle colonies religion
religion varied: no single religion seemed to dominate the region. religious tolerance attracted immigrants from a wide range of foreign countries
- many quakers in PA & NJ
- catholics, jews, lutherans, and presbyterians had significant numbers in middle colonies
southern colonies
maryland, virginia, north and south carolina, georgia
southern colonies climate
hot summers and wild winters
- advanced diseased
southern colonies georgaphy
- costal plans in east to piedmont farther inland
- westernmost regions were mountainous
- perf for farming
southern colonies religion
- mostly anglican (baptist or presbyterian)
- original settlers from the maryland colony were catholic; safe haven for catholics
- religion was not center of community, people live on plantations that were often distant and spread out
southern colonies economy
- largely based on agriculture
- cash crops (tobacco) grown on large plantations where slave and indentured servants works
- charleston, sc: center of american slave trade
how did britain seek control over the north american empire
- imperalism
- mercantlilism
- navigation acts
how did british pay for the f&i war
- war left britain deeply in debt
- george greenville thought colonists had gained so much from the war that they should tax the colonists
sugar act (1764)
tax on sugar and molasses imported from foreign colonies (hurts trade)
stamp act (1765)
- first direct tax imposed by britain on american colonies
- taxed all printed materials including news papers, pamphlets, legal documents, dice, and playing cards
quartering act (1765)
required the colonies to house british soldiers in barracks provided but he colonies
currency act (1766)
- parliament assuming control of colonial currency system
- hard currency system based on the pound sterling
townshend act (1767)
- indirect taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea
- eventually exempted all taxes except tea
colonial reactions to the act
- sons of liberty - intimidation
- stamp act congress - appealing to king (first time in 150 years colonies came together for common interest) (declaration of rights and grievances - only own reps can tax)
- boycotts continue - hurt merchants and workers in britain (1/3 of british exports went to america)
colonial reaction overview
- shortage of hard capital would further exacerbate situation
- stamp act lead colonists to fear and resent the wealthy
- all stamp distributors were elite, seen as privileged servants of london
- colonists wanted to raise their own taxes (they did raise 10k soldiers yearly for 3 years)
british response to colonial reactions
- repealed stamp act
- passed declamatory act, gave parliament the right to pass laws, increase taxes in colonies
- parliament looked weak when stamp act repealed, so dec. act was weak
bread riots
- british tried taxing wheat on england
tea act
- eliminates taxes on british east india company in england
- however, colonists still pay taxes on british tea
- the company sells tea lower in america than dutch tea, but could lead to monopoly
- most colonies buy british tea anyway because smuggled tea is risky
tea tax STATS
- gb started taxing tea mid 1600s
- tea tax accounted for 10% of britain’s income
- tea culturally & politically significant, consumption increased 200 fold and 15 million ponds were imported
boston tea party
- patriot group sons of liberty protested monopoly
- seized 342 chests of tea in a midnight raid and threw them into the harbor
coercive acts
- closed boston port to cripple economies and put pressure to pay for tea that was destroyed
- prevented town meetings
- require colonists in MA to have british soldiers sleep and eat in their homes
- central issue between B & colonies: intolerable acts
writs of assistance
- another restriction on the colonists pose tea act
- general search warrant issue by superior provincial court to assist british govt in enforcing trade and navigation laws
problem explodes
- 1770: boston massacre
- 1773: boston tea party
- 1774: intolerable acts
> first continental congress
> lexington and concord
boston massacre
killing of five colonists by british regulars
- result of tensions in american colonies against british
- tensions since royal troops first appeared in ma 1768
- troops arrived to enforce heavy tax burden from the townshend acts
- 4k soliders: 15k colonists
lexington & concord
- shots heard round the world
- paul revere and other riders sounded the alarm
- confrontation at lexington began fight, british retreated
- colonists proved they stood a chance
paul revere
- never shouted legendary phrase “british are coming”
- operation was meant o be discreet since british troops were hiding out in ma countryside
- colonial americans still considered them british then
common sense
- author: thomas paine
- 26 page pamphlet
- plain, simple language to express concerns over british control
- encouraged the colonies to seek independence
possible causes of fi war
- controlling resources
- controlling trade
- inability to coexist
- social darwinism
seven year war actors & locations
- austria, france, great britain, prussia, sweden
- battles fought in europea, india, na
french and indian war name origin
american theatre
french and indian war
- britain vs france
- tensions were building towards conflict since late 1600
- fought over colonial domination in na, caribbean, and indian
- fought over control of ohio river valley
france and england
- several conflicts in homeland
- spilled over into north america
- france had greater success of winning indian support, spain joined its side
f&i war alliances
france, spain, alogonquins, hurons VS great britain, iroquois
britain in f&i war
- england urged the colonists to become aligned with the iroquois (they controlled western ny)
- homeland lacked interest in war
- colonies raised troops in america to support british
> borrowed money from colonies to pay for war in europe and in north america
> reimbursed the colonies for raising troops
significance of peace conference treaty 1763
- ended the f&i war
- strengthened colonies
- removal of european rival to north and south
- opened mississippi valley for westward expansion
treaty of paris (1763)
- ended the war
british: canada from france and all land east of mississippi and florida from spain
france: keep west indian sugar islands
spain: gave up louisiana & florida & gained land west of mississippi
colonies founded or ruled by royal charter
virginia, new york, new hampshire, massachusetts, new jersey, north carolina, south carolina, and georgia
colonies owned by a family or individual
pennsylvania, delaware, and maryland