Period 1: 1491-1607
Native American Tribes
● Southwest: Pueblos lived in the southwestern U.S. and depended on maize cultivation.
Climatic change forced them to abandon technologically advanced communities and
disperse (known as the Great Migration).
● Great Plains: Many tribes depended on hunting buffalo and agriculture for survival, such
as the Sioux and Cheyenne.
● Atlantic Seaboard: Atlantic coast Algonquians hunted, fished, and grew corn. The
Iroquois Confederacy became one of the most powerful forces in the pre-contact NE.
● Women typically did farm labor while men hunted and cleared lands.
Spanish Exploration and Conquest
● See Chapter 1 for pre-Columbian explorers, including Leif Eriksson (Norse, first
European to have reached North America), Hernan Cortes (captured the Aztec Empire),
John Cabot (recorded the North American coastline), and Amerigo Vespucci (discovered
South America).
● Columbian Exchange-Transfer of plants, animals, foods, communicable diseases, and
ideas between Europeans and native peoples. This led to disease like smallpox and
syphilis. Spread of tobacco.
● Encomienda system-Spanish crown granted colonists authority over a certain number
of natives. The colonist had to protect those natives and convert them to Catholicism,
and in exchange, the colonist was entitled to their labor and tribute.
● In the Spanish Model of Colonization, the crown kept strict control over their colonies
with (1) a hierarchical government, (2) mostly male colonists, and (3) exploitation of
natives and slaves.
○ Limited emigration to America
○ Colonies could only buy manufactured goods from Spain
○ Roman-Catholic priests imposed religious views, and missionaries persuaded
natives to adopt Christianity by comparing native beliefs to Christian values.
● Intermarriage was common-Mestizos had mixed European and native blood, Zambos
had mixed African and native blood. This resulted in a complex social hierarchy.
● Spanish naval armada kept the rest of Europe from gaining territories in the new world.
Defeated by British in 1588.
Relations with Native Peoples
● Spain conquered and enslaved natives, converted them to Catholicism, intermarriage
was common.
● France had friendlier relations, allied with natives and adopted some native practices to
avoid risky confrontations. Metis had French and Indian blood.
● England attempted to exclude Native Americans as much as possible, and launched
wars of extermination against the Indians. They came in great numbers so intermixing
was rare.
Period 2: (1607-1754)
, The English Arrive
● English population boom resulted in people moving to North America to escape
famine, disease, and poverty in overcrowded cities.
● English Protestant Reformation-
○ Started by the ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin, who thought that religion
should be just between man and the bible, and so the pope should not have total
power.
■ Doctrine of Predestination-Individual salvation was subject to a divine
plan, not individual actions. Impossible to know who would be “saved.”
■ Puritans lived with strict piety and emphasized “original sin.”
○ King Henry VIII wanted a divorce, and the Church of England broke away from
the Roman Catholic Church (the change was mostly political and not theological).
○ Puritans wanted a full reformation in England. Within that group,
Congregationalists wanted to stay and reform it, and Separatists wanted to
leave the church altogether.
○ ----> Puritans wanted to move to America to practice religious beliefs.
○ Divine Right of Kings resulted in dissenting clergymen moving to NA to escape
control of the crown (rulers tried to enforce religious stances)
● English Civil War (1642-1646)-War broke out between Royalist supporters of Charles I
and Parliamentarians. Charles I was executed in 1649, and Oliver Cromwell became
the Lord Protector.
○ Migration largely ceased because Puritans dominated the Parliament.
● English Restoration-Stuarts and Charles II were restored to power, though Parliament
could exercise some checks. Gave restoration colonies (NY, NJ, PA, DE, NC, SC) to
supporters. Migration started up again.
Chesapeake
● Chesapeake characteristics: Mostly young men, low rate of childhood survival (so
immigrants gained more power), families were few and small, tobacco led to more
spread-out farming communities.
● Jamestown (1607)-
○ Funded by a joint stock company, in which a group of investors bought the right
to establish New World plantations from the king, called the Virginia Company.
○ “Starving time” in the winter of 1609-1610-Captain John Smith imposed military
discipline on colonists resistant to labor.
○ Algonquian Powhatan Confederacy traded food to colonists for weapons
(English initiated raids on Powhatan’s people, and Powhatan tried and failed to
attack settlers).
● Indentured servitude-In return for free passage and “freedom dues” of clothes, tools,
and livestock, servants promised to work for employer for a period of time.
○ Extremely difficult, and most men didn’t survive the term of service. Immigrants
suffered from disease in the seasoning process in first summer.
,● Headright system-Developed by VA Company in 1617 to attract tobacco laborers, new
colonists given 50 acres of land.
○ Encouraged indentured servitude system because masters got both laborers and
land.
● House of Burgesses in VA was an assembly of representatives elected by white
landowning men.
● Cecilius Calvert of MD offered freedom of religion to all Christian settlers to protect
Catholic rights.
New England
● New England characteristics: No freedom of religion, travelled in family groups, work
was to be communal, church and state were interconnected, healthier and lived longer,
(1676) more large and tight-knit communities.
● Plymouth was a Puritan colony in New England. In the Mayflower Compact, they
created a representative democracy based on consent of the governed (not God).
Squanto was a Patuxet Indian who interpreted and taught the pilgrims to plant.
● Congregationalists established the Massachusetts Bay Company led by John
Winthrop. He urged the colonists to be a “city upon a hill.”
○ Doctrine of the Covenant-Everyone works together for community because they
had been chosen by God.
○ The communal land grant system had men (usually from the same English
village) apply together for a land grant to set up a town. Land was distributed
around town centers.
○ Anglicization was significant because although the colonies of the New World
were established to be different than England, more and more it appeared that
the colonies adopted English customs in all kinds of way, including the wealthy
English way of life.
● Religious intolerance-Roger Williams was banished for teaching the separation of
church and state and then founded Providence. Anne Hutchinson was banished for
preaching the covenant of grace.
● In the Pequot War, colonists defeated and almost destroyed the Pequot Indians who
had resisted settlers in the Connecticut Valley.
● Formation of the middle colonies (largely focused on farming grain, high diversity):
○ The Quakers believed in radical egalitarianism. William Penn formed PA as a
religious haven.
○ James, Duke of York took NY from Dutch Netherland, but did not disturb much of
Dutch daily life.
○ The Carolinas were split into 2 colonies in 1729, with a constitution drafted by
John Locke.
● Iroquois Confederacy maintained a powerful defensive alliance.
Early Colonial Events
● Pueblo Revolt of 1680-Rebelled against Spain and successfully drove the Spaniards
from New Mexico.
, ● King Phillip’s War-Wampanoag chief led allied revolt against colonists, did significant
damage and pushed back settlers, but the Indian alliance was eventually defeated.
Marked end of Indian presence among New England colonists.
● Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)-Indentured servants rebelled with Nathaniel Bacon to get
more land. Showed the ineffectiveness of indentured servitude and led to slavery.
● Atlantic Slave Trade (triangular trade)-Raw materials to Europe, manufactured goods
for African slaves, slaves sent back to colonies to produce raw goods.
○ Middle Passage was the grueling stretch of trade from Africa to the Americas.
○ English came to associate dark skin with inferiority to rationalize enslavement.
● Mercantilism-Aimed to make countries economically self-sufficient by trading with
colonies and trying to control as many resources as possible. Economic power resides
primarily in a positive trade balance and control of hard currency. The goal was for
colonies to provide raw materials to the parent country.
○ Navigation Acts (1651-1673)-Restricted colonial trade to revolve around
England. Trade from colonies had to be facilitated through English ships, imports
to colonies had to first visit England, some colonial goods could only go to
England, and colonies could not produce products that competed with England.
○ Salutary Neglect meant that there was no effective enforcement. To fix this, the
British set up vice-admiralty courts (no jury) and Boards of Trade to regulate
colonial commerce and review colonial legislation.
● Colonial governments had a governor appointed by the king, and bicameral
legislatures with a directly elected lower house and an upper house made up of
appointees who advised the governor. They had a large degree of autonomy.
● Dominion of New England-Crown saw Puritan New England as a place to exert
authority. Abolished charters and assemblies, Sir Edmund Andros installed as an
autocratic governor.
● Glorious Revolution (1689)-Protestant bloodless coup, King James I replaced by
William and Mary. They tightened the crown’s authority over the colonies. Court parties
(crown) vs. country interest.
● King William’s War-France vs. England, ended by the Peace of Ryswick. Colonists
feared another war, and this fear led to the Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692.
● King George’s War (1739)-British vs. Spanish ships led to conflicts with French. Military
demand helped colonies, but hurt them in the sense that their economies were so
dependent on England and the Caribbean.
● Stono Rebellion (1739)-20 slaves tried to attack SC stores and escape to FL, but they
were captured and killed by militia. Led to more restrictive laws governing the behavior of
slaves.
● New York Conspiracy (1741)-Blacks were executed for allegedly conspiring to rebel.
*See Chapter 4 notes for details such as the regulator movements, John Peter Zenger, and
colonial life*
Great Awakening
● Enlightenment (1650)-European intellectual movement that borrowed heavily from
ancient philosophy and emphasized rationalism over emotionalism or spirituality.
Native American Tribes
● Southwest: Pueblos lived in the southwestern U.S. and depended on maize cultivation.
Climatic change forced them to abandon technologically advanced communities and
disperse (known as the Great Migration).
● Great Plains: Many tribes depended on hunting buffalo and agriculture for survival, such
as the Sioux and Cheyenne.
● Atlantic Seaboard: Atlantic coast Algonquians hunted, fished, and grew corn. The
Iroquois Confederacy became one of the most powerful forces in the pre-contact NE.
● Women typically did farm labor while men hunted and cleared lands.
Spanish Exploration and Conquest
● See Chapter 1 for pre-Columbian explorers, including Leif Eriksson (Norse, first
European to have reached North America), Hernan Cortes (captured the Aztec Empire),
John Cabot (recorded the North American coastline), and Amerigo Vespucci (discovered
South America).
● Columbian Exchange-Transfer of plants, animals, foods, communicable diseases, and
ideas between Europeans and native peoples. This led to disease like smallpox and
syphilis. Spread of tobacco.
● Encomienda system-Spanish crown granted colonists authority over a certain number
of natives. The colonist had to protect those natives and convert them to Catholicism,
and in exchange, the colonist was entitled to their labor and tribute.
● In the Spanish Model of Colonization, the crown kept strict control over their colonies
with (1) a hierarchical government, (2) mostly male colonists, and (3) exploitation of
natives and slaves.
○ Limited emigration to America
○ Colonies could only buy manufactured goods from Spain
○ Roman-Catholic priests imposed religious views, and missionaries persuaded
natives to adopt Christianity by comparing native beliefs to Christian values.
● Intermarriage was common-Mestizos had mixed European and native blood, Zambos
had mixed African and native blood. This resulted in a complex social hierarchy.
● Spanish naval armada kept the rest of Europe from gaining territories in the new world.
Defeated by British in 1588.
Relations with Native Peoples
● Spain conquered and enslaved natives, converted them to Catholicism, intermarriage
was common.
● France had friendlier relations, allied with natives and adopted some native practices to
avoid risky confrontations. Metis had French and Indian blood.
● England attempted to exclude Native Americans as much as possible, and launched
wars of extermination against the Indians. They came in great numbers so intermixing
was rare.
Period 2: (1607-1754)
, The English Arrive
● English population boom resulted in people moving to North America to escape
famine, disease, and poverty in overcrowded cities.
● English Protestant Reformation-
○ Started by the ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin, who thought that religion
should be just between man and the bible, and so the pope should not have total
power.
■ Doctrine of Predestination-Individual salvation was subject to a divine
plan, not individual actions. Impossible to know who would be “saved.”
■ Puritans lived with strict piety and emphasized “original sin.”
○ King Henry VIII wanted a divorce, and the Church of England broke away from
the Roman Catholic Church (the change was mostly political and not theological).
○ Puritans wanted a full reformation in England. Within that group,
Congregationalists wanted to stay and reform it, and Separatists wanted to
leave the church altogether.
○ ----> Puritans wanted to move to America to practice religious beliefs.
○ Divine Right of Kings resulted in dissenting clergymen moving to NA to escape
control of the crown (rulers tried to enforce religious stances)
● English Civil War (1642-1646)-War broke out between Royalist supporters of Charles I
and Parliamentarians. Charles I was executed in 1649, and Oliver Cromwell became
the Lord Protector.
○ Migration largely ceased because Puritans dominated the Parliament.
● English Restoration-Stuarts and Charles II were restored to power, though Parliament
could exercise some checks. Gave restoration colonies (NY, NJ, PA, DE, NC, SC) to
supporters. Migration started up again.
Chesapeake
● Chesapeake characteristics: Mostly young men, low rate of childhood survival (so
immigrants gained more power), families were few and small, tobacco led to more
spread-out farming communities.
● Jamestown (1607)-
○ Funded by a joint stock company, in which a group of investors bought the right
to establish New World plantations from the king, called the Virginia Company.
○ “Starving time” in the winter of 1609-1610-Captain John Smith imposed military
discipline on colonists resistant to labor.
○ Algonquian Powhatan Confederacy traded food to colonists for weapons
(English initiated raids on Powhatan’s people, and Powhatan tried and failed to
attack settlers).
● Indentured servitude-In return for free passage and “freedom dues” of clothes, tools,
and livestock, servants promised to work for employer for a period of time.
○ Extremely difficult, and most men didn’t survive the term of service. Immigrants
suffered from disease in the seasoning process in first summer.
,● Headright system-Developed by VA Company in 1617 to attract tobacco laborers, new
colonists given 50 acres of land.
○ Encouraged indentured servitude system because masters got both laborers and
land.
● House of Burgesses in VA was an assembly of representatives elected by white
landowning men.
● Cecilius Calvert of MD offered freedom of religion to all Christian settlers to protect
Catholic rights.
New England
● New England characteristics: No freedom of religion, travelled in family groups, work
was to be communal, church and state were interconnected, healthier and lived longer,
(1676) more large and tight-knit communities.
● Plymouth was a Puritan colony in New England. In the Mayflower Compact, they
created a representative democracy based on consent of the governed (not God).
Squanto was a Patuxet Indian who interpreted and taught the pilgrims to plant.
● Congregationalists established the Massachusetts Bay Company led by John
Winthrop. He urged the colonists to be a “city upon a hill.”
○ Doctrine of the Covenant-Everyone works together for community because they
had been chosen by God.
○ The communal land grant system had men (usually from the same English
village) apply together for a land grant to set up a town. Land was distributed
around town centers.
○ Anglicization was significant because although the colonies of the New World
were established to be different than England, more and more it appeared that
the colonies adopted English customs in all kinds of way, including the wealthy
English way of life.
● Religious intolerance-Roger Williams was banished for teaching the separation of
church and state and then founded Providence. Anne Hutchinson was banished for
preaching the covenant of grace.
● In the Pequot War, colonists defeated and almost destroyed the Pequot Indians who
had resisted settlers in the Connecticut Valley.
● Formation of the middle colonies (largely focused on farming grain, high diversity):
○ The Quakers believed in radical egalitarianism. William Penn formed PA as a
religious haven.
○ James, Duke of York took NY from Dutch Netherland, but did not disturb much of
Dutch daily life.
○ The Carolinas were split into 2 colonies in 1729, with a constitution drafted by
John Locke.
● Iroquois Confederacy maintained a powerful defensive alliance.
Early Colonial Events
● Pueblo Revolt of 1680-Rebelled against Spain and successfully drove the Spaniards
from New Mexico.
, ● King Phillip’s War-Wampanoag chief led allied revolt against colonists, did significant
damage and pushed back settlers, but the Indian alliance was eventually defeated.
Marked end of Indian presence among New England colonists.
● Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)-Indentured servants rebelled with Nathaniel Bacon to get
more land. Showed the ineffectiveness of indentured servitude and led to slavery.
● Atlantic Slave Trade (triangular trade)-Raw materials to Europe, manufactured goods
for African slaves, slaves sent back to colonies to produce raw goods.
○ Middle Passage was the grueling stretch of trade from Africa to the Americas.
○ English came to associate dark skin with inferiority to rationalize enslavement.
● Mercantilism-Aimed to make countries economically self-sufficient by trading with
colonies and trying to control as many resources as possible. Economic power resides
primarily in a positive trade balance and control of hard currency. The goal was for
colonies to provide raw materials to the parent country.
○ Navigation Acts (1651-1673)-Restricted colonial trade to revolve around
England. Trade from colonies had to be facilitated through English ships, imports
to colonies had to first visit England, some colonial goods could only go to
England, and colonies could not produce products that competed with England.
○ Salutary Neglect meant that there was no effective enforcement. To fix this, the
British set up vice-admiralty courts (no jury) and Boards of Trade to regulate
colonial commerce and review colonial legislation.
● Colonial governments had a governor appointed by the king, and bicameral
legislatures with a directly elected lower house and an upper house made up of
appointees who advised the governor. They had a large degree of autonomy.
● Dominion of New England-Crown saw Puritan New England as a place to exert
authority. Abolished charters and assemblies, Sir Edmund Andros installed as an
autocratic governor.
● Glorious Revolution (1689)-Protestant bloodless coup, King James I replaced by
William and Mary. They tightened the crown’s authority over the colonies. Court parties
(crown) vs. country interest.
● King William’s War-France vs. England, ended by the Peace of Ryswick. Colonists
feared another war, and this fear led to the Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692.
● King George’s War (1739)-British vs. Spanish ships led to conflicts with French. Military
demand helped colonies, but hurt them in the sense that their economies were so
dependent on England and the Caribbean.
● Stono Rebellion (1739)-20 slaves tried to attack SC stores and escape to FL, but they
were captured and killed by militia. Led to more restrictive laws governing the behavior of
slaves.
● New York Conspiracy (1741)-Blacks were executed for allegedly conspiring to rebel.
*See Chapter 4 notes for details such as the regulator movements, John Peter Zenger, and
colonial life*
Great Awakening
● Enlightenment (1650)-European intellectual movement that borrowed heavily from
ancient philosophy and emphasized rationalism over emotionalism or spirituality.
