Midterm Review - Evan and William

Question 1

What were the major patterns of Native American Life in North America before Europeans arrived?

Answer 1

Huge civilizations centered in Central America and Peru (Incas Aztecs, and Mayans) They made roads and bridges to connect towns. Vast trade networks. Religions and rituals. Hierarchy of king, priests, and commoners.

Question 2

How did Indian and European ideas of freedom differ on the eve of contact?

Answer 2

European freedoms dealt largely with the ownership of property. If you owned property, you had the ability to vote, to own yourself, to control your own labor, etc. If you didn’t own land, you were not considered free. To the Indians, though, freedom had nothing to do with property, since they did not believe in owning land (land was sacred, natural, and shareable to them. It was not quantifiable in terms of ownership). The Indians believed freedom meant equality, autonomy, and not being controlled by an upper power.

Question 3

What impelled Europeans explorers to look west across the Atlantic?

Answer 3

They wanted a trade route to Asia so that the they wouldn’t have to trade with people in Africa to get tea and spices from Asia. It cut out the middleman making trade cheaper for them.

Question 4

What happened when the peoples of the Americas came in contact with Europeans?

Answer 4

When Europeans came over to the Americas, they brought with them many diseases and new products that the Indians had never been exposed to before. Among these were guns, horses, and alcohol, which all proved to be catastrophic in the Indians’ lives. The diseases wiped out mass numbers of them, the horses and guns made tribal warfare much more possible and prevalent, and alcohol caused many addictions and abuses.

Question 5

What were the chief features of the Spanish empire in America?

Answer 5

Mined for gold. 
Used natives as slaves. 
Were in Mexico and Peru. 
Headed by lawyers and bureaucrats
Catholicism was the religion
Encomiendas 
racial hierarchy- European birth- peninsulares; Spanish+Indian- mestizos; Spaniard+mestiza- castizo; Indian+mestiza-coyote; Indian+African woman-chino

Question 6

What were the chief features of the French and Dutch empires in North America?

Answer 6

The French empire had no desire to settle down in the New World. Their goals were to discover gold and locate a Northwest Passage, neither of which could be found where they were searching. They also established trading posts. Their population was made up of mostly 25-year-old Catholic men.
The Dutch, on the other hand, ended up being interested in settling down and forming a mass trade network out of what is now New York City. While they originally had the same goals as the French, their plans changed when they discovered the Hudson River and recognized the potential it posessed. Their empire was founded on religious freedom and freedoms for women, which made it the most free place in the New World.

Question 7

What were the main contours of English colonization in the seventeenth century?

Answer 7

Young men wanting to mine for gold so they could be rich
England wanted to “liberate the new world from the tyranny of the pope”
Wanted to free the Indians from Spain
Wanted land for their empire

Question 8

What obstacles did the English settlers in the Chesapeake overcome?

Answer 8

There was a bad economical situation in England so poor people came to this region in hopes of gaining riches through sugar or tobacco farming. There was also slavery and indentured servitude. Slaves never had the opportunity to gain freedom and indentured servants usually died from harsh labor before their freedom was gained or their master kept extending their labor period. There was little chance to buy land because most settlers were poor single men.

Question 9

How did Virginia and Maryland develop in their early years??

Answer 9

In Jamestwon people were only worried about finding gold so they neglected to farm so they all died of starvation and dysentery. The Virginia Company forced the settlers to abondon their search of gold and to grow their own crops. They partnered and tried to maintain friendly relations with Powhatan and his tribe through Pocahontas. Tobacco played a big role in stabilizing the colonies, it became the basis of their economy and formed the political classes. There wasn’t a lot of children because many women were indentured servants so they didn’t live long enough to have children. Maryland was made as a refuge place for Protestants and Catholics to live in peace and Jamestown was just a place to make a profit.

Question 10

What made the English settlement of New England distinctive?

Answer 10

The area was made up of families who were mainly Puritan. They hated Catholicism and believed they were part of the “elect” group. They were an extreme religion who believed there were two groups, the elect and the damned, and they believed nothing you did could move you from one group to another. The men were seen as in charge of everything, but women were spiritually equal. Men became full members of the church by provong they were righeuous by giving to the church. Religion and government went hand in hand, and there was an established religion. Children went to school to learn to read the Bible.

Question 11

What were the main sources of discord in early New England?

Answer 11

Puritans and Roger Williams believed church and state should be seperated.
Puritans didn’t believe in an established church
Anne Hutchinson taught about religious issues between men and women and believed good works, devotinal practices of efforts did not determine salvation.
Hutchinson was a public women, which was frowned upon by ministers and traditional gender roles.
Puritans punished those who went with the Indian (savages)
Puritans want Indian lands and were very focused on religion.
Monoplies grew as commerce became profitable.
Declining population of the church.

Question 12

How did the English Civil War affect the colonies in America?

Answer 12

Concept of freedom was changed: All Englishmen should get rights.
Magna Carta was signed: Protected English freedom and King had rule of law.
Freedom of Speech and Press.
Religious toleration
Right to vote
Stop of public financing of Anglican Church
American people wanted rights after hearing about this.
Hangings and mistreatments declined.
Maryland created a haven for Protestants (religious toleration).

Question 13

How did the English empire in America expand in the mid-seventeenth century?

Answer 13

Merchantilism through monopolies, special bounties, and other measures regulated by the government. From the conquest of New Netherland the English gained vital trading posts and a base to fight off the French. Covenant Chain with Indians was set up where the English helped the Indians fight off enemy tribes and the Indians helped the English fight off the French.The charter of liberties was backed by the idea that the colonies were being deprived of their rights as Englsihmen to not be taxed without representation. Pennsylvannia was founded by William Penn, a Quaker, who envisioned a place where all religions and white men and Indians can live in harmony. The healthy climate and inexpensive land also helped expand Pennsylvania.

Question 14

How was slavery established in the Western Atlantic world?

Answer 14

Indentured servitude was decreasing so the need for slaves was increasing. The death rate for servants was high in the past so many people veered away from it. Also large plantations required lots of harsh labor so it was hard to get servants to come to do that work. The decrese of English emigration because of the increase of England’s conditions led to a decrease on people needing to go into indentured servitude.

Question 15

What major social and political crises rocked the colonies in the late seventeenth century?

Answer 15

William of Orange was made king showing that even the king was subject to the law and the English Bill of Rights and the Toleration Act were made. The dominion of new england was established to raise more money from America in order to reduce dependence on Parliament they combined all New England colonies into one, and it was a dictatorship. Boston reinstalled their old government by seizing and jailing Edmund, an English official, and the split back off into their respective governments. Another crisis was the Salem witch trials. People were randomly accused for anything out of the ordianry, and were labeled witches. It became an epidemic where everyone was pointing fingers at each other, and it resulted in many hangings.

Question 16

What were the directions of social and economic change in the eighteenth-century colonies?

Answer 16

With all of the emigration to New England, England lost a huge chunk of their workforce like skilled craftsmen, carpenters, teachers, ministers,and weavers. With all of the people moving out of the Mother country, they had to get people to stay and work. The new immigrants came from all over europe. In the backcountry of the New World (the area stretching from central Pennsylvania southward to the North parts of the carolinas) many settlers hunted and traded and enjoyed their small farms in the country. In the middle colonies of New England, commerce was popular amongst growing grain for using and trade.

Question 17

How did patterns of class and gender roles change in eighteenth century America?

Answer 17

The womens roles of working along sides their husbands in the fields began to end. The women now were more confined to the home and they were not allowed to work in those kinds of roles anymore. They were brought back to their basic jobs of cleaning and making clothes and other tasks inside the home.

Question 18

How did African slavery differ regionally in eighteenth-century North America?

Answer 18

African american slavery differed in different regions. In the north during late 1700’s, the population of blacks wasn’t as big as the south so they didn’t have to set harsh laws in order to keep the slaves under control. Blacks could marry, testify in court, own land, and pass their land onto their sons. In the south on the other hand, slaves had absolutly no freedoms.

Question 19

What factors led to distinct African-American cultures in the eighteenth century?

Answer 19

The slaves, no matter where they were from were all focred to live together. They no longer really kew where they came from after one genreation becuase they were often split from their families who were the only ones who knew their ancestorial background. All they relly knew was they were from Africa and thats how they got the name African-Americans.They combined they´re numerous religion with christianity and had very unique ceremonies whch the white people called voodoo becasue of the difference from their own religion.

Question 20

What were the meaning of British liberty in the 18th century?

Answer 20

Liberty for the british in the 18th century was the idea or republicanism. Republicanism celebrated active participation in public life by economically independent citizens as a feeling of liberty for the people. It assumed that only property owning citizens possessed virtue. Also it assumed freedom is having a say in the government like voting.

Question 21

What concepts and institutions dominated colonial politics in the eighteenth century?

Answer 21

The right to vote, assembly, press, religion and politics. The ideas of republicanism and liberalism were major parts of colonial life. The local elected assemblies were major parts of colonial politics because, the british government basically left them to rule themselves for many years so they set up their own governments.

Question 22

How did the Great Awakening challenge the religious and social structures of British North America?

Answer 22

The great awakening called for people to snap out of the Enlightenment and trust their traditional faith. Supporters of the great awakening,like the Wahhabism, urged people to be more religious and this caused lots of preachers speaking in a new way. Priests would be loud and intensely emotional. This challenged the old religious structures of Briatin because it split the religions in North America and introduced a bunch of new religions.

Question 23

How did the Spanish and French empires in America develop in the eighteenth century?

Answer 23

The spanish empire held land from california into the great plains, texas and florida. They contin ued to try to push their land holdings north of the rio grande further into america. The french empire largley relied on the economy of the fur trade and their outposts in canada. They kept trying push farther south of the great lakes and down the mississippi.

Question 24

What was the impact of the Seven Years’ War on imperial and Indian-white relations?

Answer 24

Virginia had given Ohio half a million acres of land which threatened the Indians. They had also created the Proclamation line which prohibited further colonial settlement west of the Appalacian mountains. This led to the colonists getting angry because they were stuck in the back country.

Question 25

What were the roots and significance of the Stamp Act controversy?

Answer 25

The English first decided to tax the colonists through acts. The Stamp Act was one of them and affected all colonists whether you were black or white, and male or female. The Stamp Act went through the press of the newspapers, books, court documents and commercial papers. It also acted as if Parliament challenged the colonists and went against the local elites. Many colonists thought that Parliament had no right to tax them at all because they did not have a House of Commons and the House of Burgesses said that the colonists should have the same liberties, privileges as people of the mother country.

Question 26

What key events sharpened the divisions between Britain and the colonists in the late 1760s and early 1770s?

Answer 26

There were many things that broke the bond between the colonies and England, one of them being the Boston Massacre. English troops were sent in to control riots when the outbreak of a riot occured because they were there. The crowd started throwing things like snowballs at the troops and it led to five Bostonians being killed which made England look really bad. Another thing that happened was the Boston Tea Party.

Question 27

What key events marked the move toward American Independence?

Answer 27

They first created the Suffolk Resolves which told Americans to refuse obediance to any new laws, withhold taxes and prepare for war. The Continental Congress got the best leaders from the colonies and were looking to find the reason of why they were being taxed. One thing that showed the unification of the country was they started viewing themselves as Americans instead of New Yorkers and Virginians.

Question 28

How were American forces able to prevail in the Revolution War?

Answer 28

Even though the American forces were at a large disadvantage in almost every aspect of the war they were still able to defeat the British forces even though they had a lot more people in their army, better trained soldiers, navy, and better trained military commanders American forces were able to pull out a victory. The colonists also had some blacks that joined the army to help them win the war. They would tell them they could earn their freedom if they fought for them so some joined. The American forces also had the advantage on fighting on their own soail for the war. When we won the Battle of Saratoga it showed France that we were actually able to compete with Britain so they helped fund the war and helped us fight.

Question 29

How did equality become a stronger component of American freedom after the Revolution?

Answer 29

The new idea of freedom that came from the Revolution was that they rejected the crown and the principle of hereditary aristocracy. Many Americans also rejected the society of priveledge. Those that were in militias said that they need to have the right to vote on their officials whether they had met voting requirments or not. Politics in Pennsylvania showed that artisans and lower-class people can have political rights.

Question 30

How did the expansion of religious liberty after the Revolution reflect the new American ideal of freedom?

Answer 30

The new American ideal of freedom had changed after the American Revolution because it allowed for the the people to choose whatever religion they wanted to practice and the government could not keep them from practicing any religion. Also there is not religious requirments for holding office and voting. The founding thought that it would be good to keep the nation from unruly passions and violent conflicts.

Question 31

How did the definition of economic freedom change after the Revolution, and who benefitted from the change?

Answer 31

There were two views to ecenomic freedom. One of these views was the traditional view that men should sacrafice for the public good. The other view was the believer in free trade which thought that economic development arose from economic self-interest. The idea of “work” had changed from being unfree labor to paid domestic service into an occupation. The people working would have benefited from this change because they are now getting paid for their work.

Question 32

How did the Revolution diminish the freedoms of both Loyalists and Native Americans?

Answer 32

When the revolution occured the loyalists were seen as enemies and would be driven out of towns and beaten. Also there was nothing holding the colonists back. The british and french would ensure the native americans kept some land and the settlers wouldn’t take it , but now that they were independant they could do what they please.

Question 33

What was the impact of the Revolution on slavery?

Answer 33

It started the process of abloishing slavery in the north. The slaves were promised freedom if they fought for the colonies but after the war many weren’t granted what they were told was theirs.

Question 34

How did the Revolution affect the status of women?

Answer 34

It soldified the role of women that was not really focused on before the war. They started to get more educated so that they could better train the next generation . despite the women playing a huge role in the war , they were now expected to stay home, cook, clean, and train the next generation. This concept was known as republican motherhood.

Question 35

What were the achievements and problems of the Confederation government?

Answer 35

They had the northwest ordiance which made it so we could make new states. The bad parts were that the national government could not tax. We also had no national currency,and no national army.

Question 36

What major disagreements and compromises molded the final content of the Constitution?

Answer 36

A major disagreement during the final constitution was that the central government would become too powerful. They decided to create seperation of powers to keep them from getting too powerful. One of the biggest compromises was that the bill of rights was added by the anti federalist. They wanted this to be added to ensure these rights were never violated while the federalist thought it was usless because they had pretty much talked about these rights in the constitution.

Question 37

How did Anti-Federalist concerns raised during the ratification process lead to the creation of the Bill of Rights?

Answer 37

they were scarred that the government would eventually take away rights because it was not specifically listed in it. So they decided they wanted to create a list of the rights americans needed so the government could not take it away.

Question 38

How did the definition of citizenship in the new republic exclude Native Americans and African-Americans?

Answer 38

They were were refferred to as “the others’ because they were seen as inferior. Almost not even human to the white europeans so there was no need to refer to them as citizens so it didn’t matter to them.