Civics
Unit 2 – The Beginnings of America
I. BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA
1. European Settlements
a. Spanish – St. Augustine, Florida – 1565
Southwest – Texas, New Mexico, Arizona – California, Florida
b. French – Canada, Mississippi River, Great Lakes
c. Dutch – New York
d. English – East Coast
2. First English Attempt
a. Sir Walter Raleigh
b. Lost Colony
c. John White
d. Virginia Dare – first European child born in America
3. English Settlements
a. Virginia Company (joint stock company) – Jamestown – 1607
b. John Smith – one of the leaders of Jamestown
c. Hard times – few workers, most were nobles, didn’t know how to work
d. Powhatan – Indian tribe near Jamestown that struggled with colonist
e. “starving time” – Period during the first winter when a large number of colonist perished from lack of food
4. Jamestown
a. More colonist came to help Jamestown – workers
b. 1st democratic gov’t – House of Burgesses (representative democracy)
c. Tobacco – became cash crop or Virginias’ gold
d. John Rolfe – First to commercialize tobacco overseas
e. Pocahontas – daughter of the tribal leader, married to Rolfe
f. Headright system – Each new colonist was given 50 acres
g. Indentured servants – traded passage to America for years of service
h. Slaves – came to America in 1619
5. Clash with Indians
a. Desire for land led to conflicts
b. Europeans feeling of superiority – no intermarriage with Indians
c. Fought wars with Powhatan Indians
d. Virginia becomes royal colony so that the King’s Army can protect them
6. First rebellion in the Colonies
a. Indian dispute on the frontier
b. Colonist ask for protection from Virginia Governor but were denied
c. Nathaniel Bacon – led the colonist in a rebellion against the Virginia gov’t
d. Discontent – 1st time the colonist showed their discontent with violence
II. COLONIES IN AMERICA
1. Religious Reasons
a. Henry VIII – starts the Anglican Church to divorce his first wife
b. Reformers want to rid the church of all Roman Catholic traditions
c. Puritans – Wanted to purify the Church of England, individual and congregational control of religion
2. Pilgrims –
a. Separatist (Pilgrims) – they wanted to practice their own religion
b. Plymouth, Mass. 1620
c. Mayflower Compact – set up a direct democracy for the colony
- colony struggled but received food from Indians
- Thanksgiving, Squanto
d. William Bradford – Pilgrim leader
3. Massachusetts Bay Company
a. Puritans – led by John Winthrop
b. City on a Hill – Winthrop wanted his colony to be an example for the world
c. Church and State – Believe that the church leaders SHOULD run the gov’t
d. Strict – absolute adherence to the Puritan rules
4. Puritan Dissent
a. Roger Williams – believes in separation of church and state. Williams will be exiled from the colony
b. Exile – Williams fled and founded Providence, RI
c. Anne Hutchinson – banished because of her individual worship belief, fled to RI
5. Indian Resistance
a. Dissent – disease, land and religion caused many disputes
b. Pequot War, 1637 – Massacre of Indians
c. King Philip’s War – lots of deaths on both sides but colonists win and Indian resistance fades
6. New Netherlands
a. Henry Hudson – Englishman sailing for the Dutch explored the Hudson River and Hudson Bay areas
b. New Amsterdam – Founded by the Dutch, offered religious freedom
c. New York – English take New Amsterdam and change the name to New York
d. New Jersey – Part of the New York colony will be divided into the colony of New Jersey
7. Rhode Island –
a. founded by Roger Williams
b. land peaceably acquired from the Indians
c. based on religious freedoms that Williams promoted
d. Separation of Church and State – One of the fundamental principles of Williams, Church and State MUST BE SEPARATED
8. Connecticut
a. founded by Rev. Thomas Hooker
b. Wanted more religious freedom than Mass. Allowed
c. Disliked the requirement of citizens to be church members
d. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut – 1st Constitution written in the nation
9. Pennsylvania
a. founded by William Penn
b. Quakers – Religious group who practiced worship without ministers and were pacifists
c. Philadelphia – “city of brotherly love”
d. Fair – because the people were treated fairly (even Indians) the colony thrived
10. Maryland
a. founded by George Calvert (Lord Baltimore)
b. Catholics – Maryland was established as a safe haven for English Catholics
c. Toleration Act – guaranteed religious freedom as long as you believed in God
11. Carolina Colonies
a. Royal colony named after King Charles
b. Charles Town became a major port city
c. Large slave populations
d. North Carolina – created as a refuge for the poor and dissenters
e. Remained thinly populated until the mid 1700’s
12. Other colonies
a. Georgia – founded by James Oglethorpe
b. Haven for debtors and served as a buffer from the Spanish
c. New Hampshire and Maine – Founded by Puritan communities
d. New Hampshire became a royal colony; while Maine was sold to Massachusetts and remained part of Mass until 1820
III. COLONIAL LIFE
1. English Colonies
a. Mercantilism – system of nations increasing their wealth and power through trade and with colonies.
b. English wanted a favorable balance of trade which meant they sold more than they imported
c. Social System – unlocked the burdens of the social ladder with prosperity
2. English Control
a. colonies were successful traders
b. Lumber, furs, fish, grain, tobacco were sent to Europe
c. Large quantities of finished goods were bought
d. Parliament passes the Navigation Acts – Restricted how and with who the colonist could do business
3. Seeds of Independence
a. Glorious Revolution, England, 1688 – Parliament becomes the dominant force in English gov’t
b. Salutary Neglect – Very loose supervision of the colonies
c. Lack of control led to self government – religious, political, economic and social freedom abounds
d. John Peter Zenger Trial – About colonial rights to basic freedoms (press)
4. Immigration Concerns
a. Lots of different immigrant groups and religions pour into the colonies
b. English, Germans and Irish were the largest groups (resentment begins)
5. Cities Begin to Develop
a. Most were port cities – Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Charleston
b. Urban Problems – Fire, clean water, waste, poverty
6. Slavery In America
a. Slaves would replace Indians and indentured servants
b. Triangular Trade – Slaves-Sugar-Rum
c. Middle Passage – The trip from Africa to the Americas; harsh, nasty conditions
d. Slave Culture – Dance, religion, slave resistance
IV. THE STARTING TO HAVE GROWING PAINS
1. Southern Society
a. Plantation owners were top of society
b. Small farmers were most of the population
c. Women – The class role of the woman was more second class
d. Classes of People – plantation men, other men, plantation women, other women, indentured servants, slaves, Indians
2. Agricultural South
a. growth of cash crops – Tobacco (Va.), Pine Tar, Pitch (NC), Indigo (Ga.)
b. large plantations dominate society
c. many more small farms
d. few towns and cities because you of the agricultural lifestyle
3. Industrial North
a. diversified economy
b. harsher weather conditions
c. Products – food exports, lumber industry, ship building, iron making
4. Northern slavery –
a. not as much slavery
b. crops required less labor
c. many house or dock labor
d. slaves had more rights than southern slaves
e. still considered less than human
5. Colonial Women
a. had few rights
b. did many jobs on the farms of the region
c. only single women could own property or run a business
d. religion also helped to make women submit to men
6. Witch Trials
a. 1692 – Salem, Massachusetts
b. Puritan community standards being challenged
c. Young girls accused people of being witches
d. The accused named other witches
e. Witches were often executed
f. Trials later suspended due to poor evidence
7. Enlightenment
a. stresses the use of reason and scientific method
b. John Locke’s theory of human understanding
c. Led to many scientific discoveries (Ben Franklin)
d. Also led to increase education
8. Philosophy
a. John Locke – Natural rights (life, liberty, property)
b. Social Contract – an agreement between a people and their government to protect their rights
c. Baron Montesquieu – Believed in the separation of powers of gov’t
9. Great Awakening
a. a revival of the Puritan
b. Jonathan Edwards – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”; led people back to the church
c. George Whitefield – New religious fervor, new denominations
10. Education
a. rate of education higher colonies than in England
b. religious schools
c. establishment of universities – Harvard (1st), Colombia, Princeton, Yale, NC (1st Public University)