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Chapter 1
Beginnings of
America
Section 1:
The World Before 1600
 Main
Idea:
Diverse cultures existed in the
Americas, Europe, and Africa
before 1600.
Bell ringer:

How did we learn about Prehistoric people in
the America’s? Prehistoric societies-those from
before the invention of writing- can be studied
through archeology, the scientific study of the
remains of past human life. Archeologist study
evidence such as pottery, weapons, and tools
they find in ancient towns and campsites. In
this way, they have learned about the first
people who lived in North and South America.
Distinctive spear tips called clovis points have
been found throughout North America, leading
archeologists to develop theories about ancient
migration across the continent.
Review Questions:
 What
is the science that is the
study of the remains of past
human life?
 What do you think scientists can
learn from examining ancient
pottery and tools?
The Early Americas

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10,000 years ago, during the ice age, most
of the earth was covered in ice
Exposed a bridge of land between Alaska and
North East Asia over the Bering Strait
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Known as “Beringia”
Siberian (East Asian) hunters crossed this bridge
to North America
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These people were nomadic hunter-gatherers and had
to move when the animals moved
When many of the animals died off, these people
began to plant seeds to grow crops. This allowed them
to live in one place

Became known as the “Agricultural Revolution”
Reading Focus Question #1:

Who were the first people in the early
Americas?

Nomadic hunters from Asia who crossed
a land bridge known as Beringia
Empires of Mesoamerica
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2 major empires rose up in Mesoamerica
(Mexico and Central America)
Mayans
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Developed around 400 B.C., built pyramids,
developed writing and numeric system
Aztecs
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Formed a large empire in Mexico with a capital
city
North American Cultures
Before 1500
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Different Cultures developed based on Geography,
climate, and resources
Southwest
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Northwest Coast
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People lived in many room adobe dwellings called
pueblos
Culture was ruled by a council of elders
Had abundant supply of resources, held potlatches
(feasts) to show off wealth
California
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Many plants and animals were available year round
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Far North
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Great Basin and Plateau
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Dry land region, peoples depended heavily on hunting
and gathering
Great Plains
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Lived in tundra, (frozen land), hunted seals, seabirds,
caribou, beaver, and bear
Culture depended heavily on the use of the buffalo
Eastern Woodlands
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Eastern U.S., plentiful animals, plants, and fish, used
forests to build permanent homes like longhouses

Southeast

Supported themselves through farming
Shared Customs and Traditions

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Most villages and nations were organized into
clans based on kinship, or family relationships
Kinship often determined social status and how
property was inherited
Religion was based on a connection to the
natural world

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Viewed land as a gift from the Great Spirit that was
not able to be owned
Different tribes traded with one another on a
barter system, an exchange of goods without
the use of money
Reading Focus Question #2

In What ways were North American cultures
before and after 1500 different and in what
ways were they similar?

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Different: regional diversity according to climate,
geography, and resources
Similar: social and political ideas, religion, land
use, and trade
African Trading Cultures

Ghana and Mali
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Songhai
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Earliest kingdoms, grew wealthy by taxing traders,
famous ruler Mansa Musa travelled the world and
brought knowledge back to Africa
Largest kingdom, ruled by Askia Muhammed from
1493-1528, center of Islamic knowledge
Benin and Kongo
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2 coastal African kingdoms, became wealthy from
trade with Europeans
Trade changes in West Africa
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European traders were first attracted to Africa
for gold and trade
Europeans began to participate in the slave
trade
Began with Portuguese who set up colonies
& plantations in Africa while looking for a
route to India
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Parts of Africa suffered huge losses in population
Caused divisions among different groups of
African peoples
Reading Focus Question #3:

What Characterized African cultures before
1500?

West Africa trading kingdoms like Mali, Ghana,
Songhai, Benin, and Kongo emerged. Arab
traders brought Islam to East Africa
European Exploration

1500’s in Europe was the “Middle Ages”
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Difficult time full of lawlessness, and frequent
invasions
The Crusades occurred, a series of wars between
Christians and Muslims for control of Palestine
Creation of nation-states as land was consolidated
from individual nobles to stronger rulers who set up
strong governments

In England, nobles fought total control by
the king & forced him to sign the Magna Carta
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Recognized the privileges of nobles which eventually
extended to all citizens
Gave townspeople rights
Protected all freeman from random arrest, imprisonment, &
other legal actions
King could not raise taxes without consulting his council of
Lords & clergy

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“No taxation without representation.”
Stated that the king must obey the law
Government cannot seize property without consent
The Renaissance & the
Reformation
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Increased trade led to sharing of new ideas,
population growth, and improved education
Led to a period known as the “Renaissance” which
means rebirth
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Studied Greek and Roman classics
Produced great works of art
Made achievements in science
Encouraged people to question accepted ideas in
religion
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Martin Luther and the Protestants broke from the Catholic
Church during the “Reformation”
The Age of Exploration

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In the 1200’s, Marco Polo travelled from Venice Italy
to China to trade
In 1400’s Prince Henry of Portugal set up a school
and Naval Observatory to encourage exploration
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Wanted to find a sea route to China for trade purposes
New advances were made in ship building and
navigation
After Prince Henry’s death in 1498, explorer Vasco
DeGama was successful in sailing to India
Reading Focus Question #4:

How did European exploration begin?

Renaissance encouraged new ways of looking at
the world, new technologies in shipbuilding and
navigation made exploration possible, desire for
new trade routes was strong motivation
Columbus Reaches the
Caribbean
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Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451
Became a sailor on merchant and warships
Wanted to use a westward route to sail to Asia
Was unable to get Italian or Portuguese
financiers
Was able to convince King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella to sponsor the trip
Started his voyage west on August 3, 1492 with
three ships: The Nina, The Pinta, and the Santa
Maria
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After 3 weeks the crew was close to mutiny
when they spotted land
Thought they had reached Asia but had really
reached the Bahamas
The Impact of Columbus
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Columbus’s journey sparked the beginning of
European colonization in the Americas.
Frequent clashes between natives and
Europeans
First persuaded natives to work for them,
eventually began enslaving them
Began trade of plants and animals between
Europeans, Native Americans and Africans
known as the “Columbian Exchange”

Columbian Exchange
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Brought horses to the Americas
Native Americans caught many European
diseases
Section 2: European Colonies
in America

Main Idea: Spain began colonizing America,
and later, England built a diverse group of
colonies on the Atlantic Seaboard
Bell Ringer
How did two European sea powers carve up
the Americas? After Christopher Columbus returned
to Spain with news of the Americas, Queen Isabella
wanted to quickly secure Spain’s claims to the
continent before Portugal did. She asked Pope
Alexander VI for approval of Spain’s claims. A
Spaniard himself, Alexander agreed, and drew a
line down the globe. He gave Spain claim to
everything west of the line and Portugal everything
to the east. After Portugal protested, diplomats met
in 1494 and gave Brazil to Portugal and North America to
Spain.
Review Quetions


What event prompted Queen Isabella’s visit
to Pope Alexander VI and her request for his
help?
Why do you think Spain and Portugal wanted
to claim the land in the Americas?
European Explorers in the
America’s
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Wave of exploration began after the Treaty of
Tordesillas
Goal was: “God, Gold, and Glory”
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Juan Ponce De Leon
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Wanted to spread Christianity, find wealth, and become
famous for their explorations
Spanish explorer who reached Florida, claimed Florida for
Spain
Hernan Cortes
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Conquered the Aztec Empire and searched for gold in Mexico
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Hernando De Soto
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Francisco Vasquez De Coronado
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Traveled throughout the Southeast and
discovered the Mississippi River
First expedition to travel west to Kansas and the
Grand Canyon
Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo
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Sailed north from Mexico along the coast of
California
Spain Builds an Empire
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Spain began developing a system of government
for the lands it conquered
Viceroys, were direct representatives of the monarch,
ruled the conquered provinces
The Encomienda System, a system in which a wealthy
landowner had the right to control the people of a certain
area.
Social standing depended on ancestry

People born in Spain (Peninsulars) were superior to Spaniards
born in the Americas (Creoles) who were superior to Mestizos,
people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage. Lowest
social standings were those of mixed Spanish and African
heritage, Africans, and Indians
Spanish Missions in
North America
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Spain sent missionaries to spread Christianity to
Native Americans
Missionaries are people who convert others to a
particular religion
In 1769, the Spanish Viceroy sent Friar Junipero
Serro to San Diego where he founded missions
along the coast of California
Other Nations Explore

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Explorers from England, France, and
Netherlands began to explore the Americas
and challenged Spain’s claims to the
Americas
In 1558, England and Spain went to war,
England defeated Spain’s famous Spanish
Armada
Reading Focus Question #1

Which European nations explored the
America’s and where?
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Spain explored North, Central and South America
France, the Netherlands, & England explored
North America
The English in Virginia
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After defeating the Spanish Armada, England
began to establish colonies in North America
King James I issued a charter that separated
North America between 2 investment
companies: London Company & the Plymouth
Company

Both were joint-stock companies in which investors
pooled their money to finance the colony, governed
and maintained the colony, an shared the profits
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
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In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh founded a colony
in Virginia named Roanoke
Leader of the Colony went back to England
When he returned the entire colony was
empty
The colonists disappearance has never been
solved
Jamestown
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Settled in 1607, Jamestown was the first
English colony to survive
Encountered problems such as disease from
contaminated water,& starvation
Colony survived because of John Smith who
established discipline in the colony and John
Rolfe who discovered how to plant tobacco &
the strong relationship he developed with the
Native Americans
Virginia Grows and Changes
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Over 15 years, population grew
Developed a House of Burgess, America’s
first Legislative, law-making body
Began the practice of indentured servitude,
servant who agree to work for a certain
number of years in exchange for food,
shelter, and paid trip
By late 1600’s plantation owners began to
use slave labor
Reading Focus Question #2

Did the English succeed in creating
settlements?
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Yes; Jamestown colony survived diseases and
food shortages; growing tobacco helped economy
to survive
The Northern Colonies
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Some Protestants (Puritans) did not feel the
Reformation went far enough & wanted
Religious freedom
Set sail for America in 1620 on the Mayflower
to establish a colony where they could practie
their religion freely
Landed in Massachusetts
Signed the Mayflower Compact, a legal
contract in which they agreed to make laws to
protect the general good
First attempt at self-government in the colonies
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Pilgrims sailed nearby and established the
Plymouth Colony
Built homes and grew their own food
By Spring half of the group died of hunger,
cold, and sickness
Massachusetts Bay Company
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Puritan settlers set up The Massachusetts
Bay Company
Goals were to make a profit and create a
religious haven
Over 20 years, 16,000 people migrated to
Massachusetts
Reading Focus Question #3

What were the Characteristics of the northern
colonies?
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Settled by the Puritans, goals were to make a
profit and establish a religious haven, beginnings
of self-government
New Colonies
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Connecticut
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Rhode Island
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Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts to set up a more
democratic government
Established by Roger Williams because he believed that
church and state should be separate, befriended the
Native Americans and paid them for their land
New Hampshire
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Established by Anne Hutchinson’s brother-in-law
The Middle and Southern
Colonies
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Because Knig Charles had debts, he began
to give charter to individuals he owed
These colonies were ruled by their owners
New Netherlands Becomes
New York
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After the English captured New Netherlands from
the Dutch, King James gave it to his bother, James,
Duke of York
Was renamed New York
Was diverse in ethnicities and religions (English,
Dutch, Scandinavians, Germans, French, Native
Americans, and Africans)
James later gave a large piece of land south of the
Hudson river to two individuals, it became known as
New Jersey
The Carolina’s and Georgia
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Charles gave the land that became the
Carolinas to a group of eight men
Southern Carolina became rice plantations
along the river, economy relied on slave labor
Northern Carolina consisted of small farms
Eventually the two parts resented each other
so much, the King separated them
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Spanish still controlled the southeast (Florida)
and west
English created Georgia as a colony as a
buffer
Quakers Settle Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania was given to William Penn as a
payment for debt
Set up PA as a “Holy Experiment”, a haven
for religious diversity, payment to Native
Americans for their land
Maryland
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Set up as a colony for Catholics
Reading Focus Question #4

What were the characteristics of the middle
and Southern Colonies?

Typified by large plantations, such as South
Carolina, or small farms, such as North Carolina
Section 3: Colonial Life

Main Idea: The American colonies developed
politically, culturally, and economically
Bell Ringer
Why did Molasses matter? To American colonists,
Molasses was a vital item. The sticky, sweet syrup,
byproduct of sugar processing was used as a sweetener in
cakes and pies, and was used to make rum, the most
popular drink in the colonies. Most of the colonies’ sugar
and molasses came from the Caribbean. With the
Molasses Act of 1733, Parliament imposed stiff taxes on
“foreign” sugar to force the colonists to buy from the British
West Indies. Instead, colonists bought from smugglers.
Smuggling of sugar and molasses was so successful that
tax collection actually dropped after the passage of the
Molasses Act.
Review Questions


Why was Molasses an important import for
the America Colonies?
Why did Parliament impose tax on sugar from
islands not controlled by Britain?
The Beginning of SelfGovernment
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Britain had started colonies to make money, so it
made sense to tax the colonists
Great Britain passed a series of laws that angered
American colonists
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Mercantilism: the idea that a nation’s power was
directly related to its wealth (however, colonists wanted
to make money for themselves, not the king)
The Navigation Acts: a series of laws to restrict colonial
trade
Role of Royal Governors: The king merged colonies
together and appointed a governor in an attempt to gain
greater control of the colonies
Colonial Self-Government
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Initially, American colonists claimed the same
rights as British citizens
Began to take small steps toward selfgovernment
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In 1643, several colonies formed the New
England Confederation
British did not rule the colonies very closely
“salutary neglect”
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The colonies benefitted from being left alone
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In daily life, local officials were more
important than faraway British officials
New England colonies were rule by town
meetings or other local governments
Each colony also had a Governor appointed by
the king
Colonial assemblies were modeled after British
Parliament

Bi-cameral (two houses)
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Governor’s council held executive and legislative powers,
and was the supreme court of the colony
Elected assembly was similar to the House of Commons,
had freedom of speech, and the right to pass laws about
money
Reading Focus Question #1

How did the political and economic events
lead to the beginnings of self-government in
the colonies?

Tensions between America and England made
colonists long for self-rule; royal governors and
salutary neglect made it necessary for colonists to
take steps toward self-government
The Northeast Colonial
Economy
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Colonists in the Northeast practiced subsistence
farming (producing only enough to support one
family)
Most valuable resource in the northeast was
lumber
Exported lumber and became the center for
ship building
Good harbors, and shipbuilding centers made
the northeast become important trading centers
Southern Colonial Economies

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Economy was based on agrarianism, many small farms
and some large plantations
Plantations produced cash crops, agricultural products
grown to be sold
Crops included tobacco, rice, tar, and indigo
On Plantations:
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Large farm that grows one cash crop such as sugar or tobacco
Depended largely on slavery for labor
Plantations created a wealth class in the south
On small farms:
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Raised livestock and exported beef and pork
Grew corn, wheat, fruit and vegetables to sell at a local markets
The Impact of Slavery
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As settlers established plantations and farms
they needed more workers
Stopped using Native Americans and indentured
servants and began to rely on slaves instead
Triangular Trade
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Whale oil, lumber, fur, rice, silk, indigo, sugar,
molasses to England
Slaves from Africa to Americas, gold, ivory, spices
and hardwoods from Africa to England
Guns, cloth, iron, beer, rum, iron, gunpowder, and
tools to Africa

Middle Passage: the trip across the Atlantic
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Kidnapped Africans were chained together, in
overcrowded conditions and shipped overseas
Many died during the trip
The number of slaves dramatically increased in
the Americas within 50 years of the slave trade
Although there was slavery in both the North &
South, most was in the south
African slaves maintained extended family
structure, African beliefs, music, and dance
America’s Emerging Culture

The Enlightenment
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Period of time in which some thinkers in Europe
thought that logic & reason could be used to improve
society law and government
John Locke wrote The Two Treatises of Government
in which he argued that it was the duty of the
government to protect citizen’s natural rights of life,
liberty, and prosperity
Baron de Montesquieu believed in separating the
powers of the government to prevent any person or
group from becoming too powerful
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Ideas of Montesquieu and Locke were read
by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and
other drafters of the constitution.
Ideas were used in the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution
The Great Awakening
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Enlightenment thinkers saw humans as
essentially good. This challenged traditional
religious ideas that people were wicked
People began to question religion
The Great Awakening was a major religious
revival attempting to bring people back to the
church
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Jonathan Edwards used sermons featuring the
suffering of sinners who did not repent
George Whitefield travelled to the Americas from
Britain and held open air meetings intended to move
audiences to feel the religious spirit (revivals)
Life in the Colonies
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Immigrants from new places began to arrive
Colonial cities were exciting places
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Paved streets, lit by streetlamps, had libraries,
bookshops, and impressive public buildings
Residents went to concerts, plays, and shopped
Printers printed newspapers, books,
advertisements, and political announements
Reading Focus #3

How did the Enlightenment and the Great
Awakening contribute to America’s emerging
culture?
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The Enlightenment encouraged scientific, rational
thinking
The Great Awakening made religion more
accessible to Americans and caused church
membership & attendance to grow
The French & Indian War

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France and Spain had colonies in the
Americas as well
Britain, France, and Spain had conflicts over
land which led to the French & Indian War

French joined with the Indians had a history of fur
trading & joined together to fight the British
The Course of the War
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The French & Indian War broke out in 1754
Beginning of the war was bad for the British
William Pitt took control of the British Army
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Forced colonists to fight, seized supplies, forced
colonists to house British soldiers
Resulted in the recapture of previously seized
British forts
Britain attacked and captured Quebec in 1759
France surrendered the following year
Treaty of Paris officially ended the war
The Impact of the French &
Indian War
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Colonial Unity
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Set the stage for the American Revolution
Benjamin Franklin created the Albany Plan of Union
in which a grand council would deal with military
issues, Native Americans, and western settlement
while colonies maintained their own constitution
New Boundaries
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Great Britain gained all of France’s lands east of the
Mississippi including Canada and Florida from
Spain which was France’s ally during the war
Spain got Louisiana from France

War debt
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The war was costly for Great Britain
King George III believed the colonists should
have to pay for some of the costs and raised
taxes
Effects on Native Americans
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Chief Pontiac creates an alliance of Midwest
Native Americans to drive the British out
Pontiac’s rebellion lasted several years and
ended in 1766 in a peace treaty

To avoid further conflicts with Native
Americans, British officials issued the
Proclamation of 1763

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Reserved lands west of the Appalachian
mountains for the Native Americans
Colonists resented the ban and moved westward
anyway
Reading Focus Question #4

What were the causes and effects of the
French and Indian War?


Causes: territorial disputes among Britain, France,
and Spain
Effects: France lost territory in North America,
Britain gained territory, Britain lost money, the
colonies were more united, the Native Americans
suffered