American history: Colonisation

Chapter 1. The Land and the People

1. What were some of the reasons that made European explorers want to sail west? Which reason do you think was most important to them?

- Came in search of religious and political freedom, trade, economic reasons (wealth- gold, pearls), adventure

2. What kind of men settled the Spanish colonies in the New World? The French Colonies? The English Colonies?

Colonies	Spanish	French	English
People (*RDFM- ruled directly from motherland)	Bring Catholicism to Indians; adventurous explorers, soldiers in the search of treasures; needed the labor of Indians; only in warmer regions; did not want outsiders in their colony	Adventurous explorers, soldiers; Catholicism to Indians; central Am mostly; tolerant towards Indians but only welcomed French Catholics in their colonies	Came with families to settle and build homes; dreamed of a New & better England; in most colonies room for every religion

3. Name some of the contributions made by the Indians to European settlers. What were the main weaknesses of the Indian societies according to Europeans?

- showed how to farm new land (new crops- corn, methods

- the Indian societies were very different from each other- some were peaceful, others unfriendly. They had different languages, beliefs and they were scattered across the country

4.Describe the different views of the Indians held by the French, English and Spanish colonies.

Colonies	Spanish	French	English
Views of Indians	Lived close to them, used their labor to develop the land they had conquered, were brutal towards them	Lived close to them, needed their friendship to survive, many Fr men married Indians, also did business with them	No wish to live close to them, very few married Indians. Only wished that Indians got out of the areas they had chosen to settle.

5. How were the English colonies ruled by differently than the French and Spanish colonies? Why was it important?

-The Spanish and the French wee ruled directly from the motherland and the governors were responsible directly to their king, people were never given a chance to rule. In English colonies however they made many of their laws, and most colonies had assembly-like gatherings of men from time to time to decide and discuss things.

-It was important since it meant breaking away from the motherland.

Chapter 2. Virginia

1. What is a joint-stock company? What is a monopoly?

- A joint-stock company is a business in which many people invest their savings. Their savings buy them shares or stock in the business. The shares are owned jointly by many people.

- monopoly trade meant that nobody could buy or sell goods in Virginia unless the board of directors permitted it

2. How did the Spanish colonies enrich Spain? How did England expect her colonies to provide riches?

- The Spanish colonies enriched Spain by mining gold and silver in South Am and shipping them to the motherland in treasure ships. England expected that there would also be gold and riches in its' Am colonies but there was very little gold to be found.

3. What rights did the Virginia colonists demand and get?

-

4. Why did tobacco planters need slaves? Why were black Africans the main victims of the slave trade?

- Tobacco planters needed slaves to do the hard work at plantations. At first they tried to use Indians and kidnapping white people but this proved to be unsuccessful. It was much more profitable to catch black people from Africa which the European countries had started to explore in the 1600s and ship them to America. It was said that a slave was a black man who wasn't Christianized.

5. What was the life like in Piedmont? What was it like in the Tidewater? How did these differences lead to Bacon's Rebellion?

Differences in the way of Life	Piedmont	Tidewater
	People poorer than in Tidewater; usually former indentured servants or younger sons of Tidewater planters, also Scotch-Irish immigrants. Farms smaller, life harder. Could not vote. Feared and hated the Indians	1st area settled in Virginia; home for rich planters & the Virginia aristocracy; settlers of English decent. Policy of primogeniture. Large mansions, many slaves. Gov controlled by them, only large landowners could vote, paid no attention to Piedmont’s needs. Wanted the Indians to live in peace.

- Bacon's Rebellion. In 1676 when a lot of white men were killed by the Indians, the price of tobacco fell, this made Piedmont farmers upset. N. Bacon, a planter got angry and attacked the Indians. Governor Berkley didn't like this. Bacon and the rebels captured and burnt Jamestown, Berkley escaped. Bacon ruled Virginia until his death, after that the 23 rebels were hung and a new governor who took in mind both settlement's needs was appointed.

Chapter 3. New England

1. Who were the separatists? Why did some of them want to go to America?

- A small group of people in England who didn’t accept the Anglican Church. They decided to separate.

- Living like that wasn’t going to be easy: if they remained in England they risked being put to prison or being killed. Leaving England was the only choice if they wanted to live safely. America offered a possibility to start a fresh life.

2. The fact that the Pilgrims landed far north of the Virginia Company's land is important in American history. Why?

- They landed in Cape Cod (Nov 1620), Plymouth. they were on their own- government was necessary- the Mayflower Compact. Life difficult, many died. In spring 1^st Indian visitors showed them how to grow corn and catch fish. A deal (help, no wars). In 1621 they survived thanks to the Indians helping- the 1^st Thanksgiving held in Nov, 1621.

3. What was the importance of the Mayflower Compact?

- Signed in Nov, 1620. Two important principles: the people would vote about the government and laws; the people would accept whatever the majority chose.

4. Who were the Puritans? What were their ideas about work? Money? Education? Pleasure? The beliefs of others?

Ideas about work	Money	Education	Pleasure	Beliefs of Others
Hardworking people highly respected. Working hard and honestly at his trade, a man does God's will. Work should be useful.	They had no arguments against making money if the job was done honestly and by working hard.	In 1636 Harvard College started. If 50+ families instruction in reading and writing, 100+ had to have grammar schools	They enjoyed music, liked nice clothing, drinking wine but not too much. Believed that there was a proper time and place for pleasure	Sure that their thoughts about God were correct, so they were very intolerant of many ideas and religions.

5. What were some things that caused the Puritans to lose power? Who took their place as leaders?

- The strict rules kept many people from joining their church. Gained enemies due to awful treatment of the Quakers. Economic success too had its' part- merchants were successful (more interested in fancy living)

- The merchants became the new leaders as the power was passed to them in the 1700s

Chapter 4. Pennsylvania

1. What were the beliefs of the Quakers? Why did these beliefs upset the English government?

- Believed that every man has a conscience by which God can guide him to the truth (God is inside them), all men are created equal and should love one another and never fight.

- Their religion was different and new; refused to pay taxes to the church of England, didn't remove hats before entering the church. Were pacifists (don't believe in fighting or in war) so they wouldn't fight for their country or even for themselves.

2. What basic ideas did William Penn write into his “Frame of Government”?

- Penn wanted a colony where all people would be welcome. Separation of church and state. Religious freedom to anyone who believed in God. Also wanted everyone to have freedom of speech and to be equal before the law.

3. What other groups besides Quakers settled in Pennsylvania? What did these groups contribute?

- The Mennonite, the Amish (married men grew beards, women wore long plain dresses and bonnets; 1750 ½ of population in Pennsylvania) from Germany, also the Moravian from Czechoslovakia (peace loving educated people)

- Contributions: The Moravian started Bethlehem, also the first water system. The Germans brought Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the Easter Bunny etc.

4. What conflict developed between the Tidewater and Piedmont in Virginia?

- The Bacon Rebellion in1676

5. What advantages helped Philadelphia become the leading city in the colonies?

- The liberal attitude invited settlers to Philadelphia as it grew and prospered. Also the land was cheap (gifts of land) and the colony was well advertised (good business opportunities). The colony had a good trading position

Review questions (Chapter 1: Discovery and Colonization)

1. Name the earliest English, French and Spanish settlements in North America.

Spanish	French	English
1565- St Augustine (Florida) 1609- Santa Fe (New Mexico). Mainly in the southern regions	1562- in SC but failed 1608- Quebec (Champlain), then in Illinois, Mississippi, New Orleans, Beloxi, Haiti. Mainly in the central region.	1583- permission from QEI to Sir Gilbert, failed 1585- Sir Raleigh, Roanoke Island (NC), failed, settlers disappeared 1607- Jamestown (Virginia) 1620- Plymouth(Massachusetts)

2. Compare the English, French and Spanish settlements in North America

	Spanish	French	English
Location	In warmer regions (S)	Mostly central Am	Close to the ocean (N-Am from MA to VA)
Aims	Adventurous explorers, soldiers. In search of wealth (gold, pearls)	Adventurous explorers, soldiers. Wanted to bring Catholicism to Indians	Came with families to settle and build homes. Dreamed of a New and Better England
Views of the Indians	Lived closely, used their labor to develop the conquered land. Were brutal towards Indians	Lived closely, needed them to survive. Many Fr trappers married Indians. Did business with them	Did not want anything to do with them, very few married. Wished that Indians would leave the chosen areas
Government	RDFM, governors were responsible directly to their king, people in settlements never given chance to rule.	RDFM, governors were responsible directly to their king, people in settlements never given chance to rule.	Made many of their laws and rules. Most colonies had an assembly-like gathering of men
Tolerance	Did not want outsiders, only Spanish Catholics	Did not want outsiders, only French Catholics	In most room for everyone (some didn't welcome Jews, Quakers or Catholics)

3. From the English point of view, what was the purpose of establishing colonies?

- It was to gain international power in trades and overall power. Hoped to find gold and silver to finance the trade and colonies. Sources of raw materials, fruits, fur and other articles.

4. What was an indentured servant?

- An indentured servant was a servant who had served out their term of labor

5. Name the original 13 colonies.

- Virginia (VA), Massachusetts (MA), Maryland (MD), Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT), New Hampshire (NH), North & South Carolina (NC, SC), New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA), Delaware (DE), Georgia (GA)

6. Which groups of colonists came to the New World in search of religious freedom? How did their views differ?

- The Puritans (Pilgrims/Separatists), Quakers (+ Amish, Moravian, Mennonite)

- The Puritans did not welcome people from other religions, the Quakers believed that all men are created equal & should love one another & never fight, they believed in religious freedom.

7. What was the Mayflower Compact and why was it and important document?

- Signed in Nov, 1620 between the leaders of the Pilgrims. Two important principles: the people would vote about the government and laws; the people would accept whatever the majority chose. These principles are found in the US Constitution today.

8. What important principle regarding religion was established in Rhode Island and some of the other colonies?

- Complete separation of church and state

9. Name examples of democratic institutions in the colonies.

- Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

10. What is representative democracy? Give an example

- Colonists elected representatives who met to make the laws for the colony

- Virginia House of Burgesses

11. What is direct democracy? Give an example.

- At town meetings, all the voters from the town met to vote on the laws on their town (only in a small area since they needed to meet frequently), at the meetings they also chose their representatives to the colonial assemblies.

12. Give examples of why democracy was not always complete in the colonies.

- Puritans: people could vote but only people of the Puritan Church