The first people to settle America could have arrived as many as 40,000 years ago. The Renaissance, which occurred in the late 1400's to early 1500's, was part of what made Columbus make his voyage. Explorers had to deal with a series of religious wars, which led to the Discovery of america.
The first people to settle America could have arrived as many as 40,000 years ago. The Renaissance, which occurred in the late 1400's to early 1500's, was part of what made Columbus make his voyage. Explorers had to deal with a series of religious wars, which led to the Discovery of america.
The first people to settle America could have arrived as many as 40,000 years ago. The Renaissance, which occurred in the late 1400's to early 1500's, was part of what made Columbus make his voyage. Explorers had to deal with a series of religious wars, which led to the Discovery of america.
Settlement. 1492-1700 Introduction • The first people to settle America could have arrived as many as 40,000 years ago, using a land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska. When Columbus discovered them, they numbered in the 50 to 75 millions. Cultures of North America Small Societies • Most Native Americans lived in semi- permanent settlements, with a small population usually less than 300. • The women grew corn, beans, and tobacco. • The Sioux and the Pawnee followed the buffalo Larger Societies • The Pueblos in the Southwest lived in multistoried buildings, and developed irrigation • East of the Mississippi River, the Woodland Native Americans prospered with a rich food supply • Mound-Building cultures included the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian • Permanent settlements were supported by hunting, fishing, and agriculture • Cahokia had as many as 30,000 inhabitants Cultures of Central and South America Introduction • As many as 25 million people lived in Central and South America • Between AD 300 and 800, the Mayas erected their cities in the Yucatan Peninsula • Later came the Aztecs and the Incas, in Mexico and Peru Europe Moves Towards Expansion Introduction • Until the late 1400’s, when Columbus made his journey, Europeans and Asians had no clue about America, which is why no voyage was previously made Improvements In Technology • The Renaissance, which occurred in the late 1400’s to early 1500’s, was part of what made Columbus and the other explorers make their journeys. • The Europeans began to use gunpowder, from the Chinese, and the compass, from the Arabs. • There were also major improvements in shipbuilding and mapmaking. • This spread of knowledge and improvements in technology in part lead to Columbus’s voyage Religious Conflict • The Roman Catholic Church was threatened by the Ottoman Turks, and the Protestant revolt against the Pope • When Isabella and Ferdinand united their Christian kingdoms, the Moors of Granada were defeated, and the Roman Catholic Church gained power • In the early 1500’s, Christians in Germany, England, France, and Holland were revolting against the Pope. This lead to a series of religious wars. Expanding Trade • In the past, the trade route had passed through Venice, to Constantinople, to the capital of China, until the Ottoman Turks seized Constantinople. This prompted the Columbus Voyage • Prince Henry eventually succeeded in making a long sea route around South Africa • Portuguese Vasco de Gama was the first person to reach India this way Developing Nation-States • Monarchs in Europe were gaining power, and building ‘nation-states’ in Spain, Portugal, France, England, and the Netherlands • The basic idea of a nation-state is that most of the people are the same, and feel the same way about the government • The monarchs tried to use their power to find riches and make the Roman Catholic Church more powerful Early Explorations Columbus • Columbus searched for funding for 8 years • Isabella and Ferdinand finally bought him three ships for which to sail with • He landed in the Bahamas on October 12th • He died in 1506 Columbus’s Legacy • Many people viewed Columbus as a failure • However, it’s undisputable that he brought about the first permanent interaction between Europeans and the Native Americans Exchanges • Native Americans gave the Europeans beans, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco, and syphilis • Europeans brought sugar cane, bluegrasses, pigs, horses, the wheel, iron implements, and guns • They also brought smallpox and measles • Mortality rate of over 90% Dividing the New World • Spain and Portugal turned to the Pope to try to divide the new land • In 1493, the Pope made the boundary through America, giving all land to the west to Spain, and all land to the east to Portugal • In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas moved the line a few degrees to the west Spanish Exploration and Conquest • Spanish Conquistadores: – Vasco Nunez de Balboa • Journeyed across the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean – Ferdinand Magellan • Circumnavigated the world – Hernan Cortes • Conquests of the Aztecs in Mexico – Francisco Pizzaro • Conquests of the Incas in Peru • Gold supply was increased over 500% Encomienda and Asiento • Encomienda – The kind of Spain would give grants of land and Indians to individual Spaniards. These Indians had to farm or work in the mines • Asiento – The Spanish were required to pay a tax to their king on each slave they imported from Africa English Claims • In 1497, John Cabot (Italian under English contract) explored the coast of Newfoundland • In the 1570’s and 80’s, under Queen Elizabeth I, English challenged Spanish shipping • Sir Francis Drake – Attacked Spanish ships and seized gold and silver • Sir Walter Raleigh – Failed to establish a settlement at Roanoke in 1587 French Claims • Giovanni de Verrazano (Italian, under French contract) was the first interest shown by the French, in 1524 • He explored the east coast • Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River extensively • The first permanent French settlement was established by Samuel de Champlain in 1608 in Quebec Extended French Claims • Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette – Explored the upper Mississippi River in 1673 – Robert de la Salle explored the Mississippi Basin, which he named Louisiana, in 1682 Dutch Claims • Henry Hudson (English, under Dutch contract)( was hired to find a northwest passage. • In 1609, he sailed up a great river, later named after him, and established Dutch claims to the area around it, later known as New Amsterdam • The Dutch West India Company took control of the above mentioned region Early English Settlements Introduction • In 1588, the English defeated the Spanish Armada, which cleared the path for them to immigrate. • Also, a large number of homeless poor took the opportunity to come to America • Joint Stock Companies pooled the savings of people of moderate means and supported trading venues for profit • English Colonies attracted much attention after the beginning of the 17th century Jamestown • King James I of England created the Virginia Company, a Joint Stock Company that created Jamestown, the first English settlement, in 1607 Early Problems of Jamestown • Problems included… – Indian attacks – Famine – Disease • Dysentery • Malaria – Settlement mistakes • Located in a swamp – Settlers not used to physical labor Tobacco Prosperity • John Smith – Leader of the colony • John Rolfe – Started the tobacco industry – Married to Pocahontas • The tobacco industry brought much money to the colonies • Tobacco plantations were manned by indentured servants – Worked in exchange for free transport to the company Transition to a Royal Colony • Eventually, the Virginia Company went bankrupt in 1624, and the charter got pulled. The colony was then under the direct control of King James I, thereby making it a Royal Colony Puritan Colonies • Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were founded by English Protestants, who believed in Predestination • King Henry VII founded the Church of England, or the Anglican Church, which was protestant • Some people wanted to change ceremonies and hierarchy. These people were known as puritans. • Big surprise, James sees them as a threat to his Fascism, and has them jailed. Plymouth Colony • The Separatists didn’t like the idea of reforming the Church of England, and wanted a church free from royal control. The Separatists, or Pilgrims, left England, and went to Holland • In 1620, Pilgrims went to Virginia aboard the Mayflower • Most of them wanted money. Very few were looking for freedom. Early Hardships • Half of the Pilgrims were killed during the first winter • After the winter, the Naïve (*Cough*, Native) Americans helped them survive • The first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 • Captain Miles Standish and Governor William Bradford helped the colony grow • Fish, furs, and lumber became staple goods Massachusetts Bay Colony • A group of Puritans, who were not Separatists, managed to get a royal charter for a new colony, the Massachusetts Bay Colony. • John Winthrop founded Boston and several other towns • The Great Migration – A civil war in England in the 1630’s drove more than 15,000 more people to the Massachusetts Bay Colony Early Political Institutions Majority Rule in Plymouth • The Mayflower Compact dictated that the Pilgrims would make decisions by the will of the majority Representative Government at Jamestown • The Virginia Company, to try to bump up the population in Jamestown, promised the same rights as in England • In 1619, the House of Burgesses was formed – First representative assembly Representative Government in Massachusetts • Limited but important democratic actions • All free men who were members of the Puritan Church had the right to vote Limited Nature of Colonial Democracy • A large part of the colony was not given the right to vote • Only male property owners could vote • Females and landless had fewer rights • Indentures servants and slaves had no rights • Colonial governors ruled with unlimited powers • Slavery and mistreatment of Native Americans was widespread Spanish Settlements in North America Florida and New Mexico • Florida – In 1565, the Spanish established a settlement at St. Augustine – Many failed attempts due to Indian resistance preceded this settlement • New Mexico – Santa Fe was established in 1609, but the Spanish tried to convert the Indians, and the Pueblos eventually kicked them out in 1680 Texas and California • Texas – After the Pueblo established dominance in New Mexico, the Spanish fled to Texas, and the population of their colonies grew as they tried to keep the French out • California – The Spanish colonized San Diego (1769) and San Francisco (1776) in response to Russian colonization in the north. – Father Junipero Serra founded nine Franciscan Missions along the Californian coast European Treatment of Native Americans Introduction • Spanish – Conquer, rule, and intermarry • Aztec, Maya, Inca • English – Occupied the land, and forced the tribes to move to the inlands • French – Treated Indians as economic and militaristic allies • Long term effects of European Colonization – Destruction of a large amount of the population – Permanent legacy of subjugation Spanish Policy • Killed millions of Native Americans – Warfare, enslavement, and diseases – Survivors were married to Spanish settlers • Africans were used for slave labor • The Spaniards developed a rigid class system, which they dominated English Policy • The English and Native Americans coexisted, traded, and shared ideas • Peaceful relationships soon failed, and war followed French Policy • French maintained good relations with the Indians in the St. Lawrence Valley and the Great Lakes • French soldiers assisted the Huron people in fighting the Iroquois, to dominate the fur trade • French had few people, farms, or towns, and therefore posed little threat.