Download Chapter 1: "Pre Colonial & Colonial Eras"

SOCIAL STUDIES
REMEDIATION FOR THE
ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION EXAM
THE PRE-COLONIAL AND
COLONIAL ERAS
THE CRUSADES

The Crusades (1095-1270) were Holy Wars
waged by Europeans on the Muslims in the
Middle East to regain the Holy Land of
Christianity’s founder, Jesus Christ. Europeans
discovered Asian foods, spices, and clothing in
the East and brought them back to Europe,
which created a desire for these items among
Europeans. Because of taxes brought on by
passing through small countries by land with
goods, Europeans began looking for sea
routes to Asia. This led to the establishment of
a school for navigation (the science of sailing
ships) by Prince Henry of Portugal.

At this school, Prince Henry gathered
Europe’s leading map makers, sailors,
and shipbuilders. They built a new and
very strong sailing ship called a
caravel. Other instruments used to
develop their skills were the astrolabe
and compass. An astrolabe is an
instrument used to determine location
by using the stars. A compass is a
magnetized needle which points north.
Portugal soon became rich from trading
gold and slaves. Though he made no
voyages himself, but supported
navigation, the prince is known as
Henry the Navigator.
Renaissance and Reformation

The term Renaissance literally means “rebirth”
and refers to the great cultural developments
and societal changes that began in 14thcentury Italy and spread to the rest of Europe
in the 16th and 17th centuries. The intellectuals
of the Renaissance believed they were
beginning a new age of history, a rebirth of the
great civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome.
The Renaissance ideals encouraged people to
read things like the Bible with a critical eye.
Scholars did not rely on the Catholic Church’s
Latin translation of the Bible, but returned to
the sources, the Greek and Hebrew
manuscripts. As people studied the Bible, they
wanted to reform the church by abolishing any
religious practices that were not found in the
Bible.

Beginning with Martin Luther (14831546), the movement to reform the
Catholic Church, the Protestant
Reformation, quickly met opposition
from Catholic Church leaders. As a
result, leaders of these reform
movements broke away from the Catholic
Church and formed their own churches.
In England, the religious turmoil caused
by the Reformation led many to try living
in the New World where they could
practice their beliefs without interference.
In Spain, zeal to defend the Catholic faith
and to evangelize others led many
Spanish missionaries to the New World in
search of conversions among the Native
Americans
COLUMBUS AND THE
COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE






Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), an Italian explorer
representing Spain, set out in 1492 to find a new route to
Asia. After his historic voyage, the native cultures in the
newly discovered Western Hemisphere began to mix with
European cultures. This mixture of cultures, called the
Columbian Exchange, had several results:
Europeans brought tea, sugar, and coffee to he New World.
The New World offered tobacco, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and
chocolate to Europe.
Europeans brought over animals such as horses and cattle as
well as plants that were not native to the New World.
The Europeans and Native Americans exchanged words from
their languages.
Europeans brought their communicable diseases to the New
World. In some Native American cultures, European diseases
killed as many as 80% of Native Americans. Their immune
systems were not accustomed to these diseases
COLUMBUS EXCHANGE

Native American societies were
destabilized as Europeans began
interacting with them. Because
of European diseases and
advanced weaponry, the
population of the Native
Americans declined. In addition,
Spanish conquests destroyed
whole Native American societies
such as the Aztec and the Inca
nations.
EUROPEAN RIVALRY AND
EXPLORATION IN THE NEW WORLD



For many European rulers and merchants, the New World
offered opportunities for wealth, power, and adventure.
The rulers of Spain, Portugal, France, and England
wanted more territory so their power and importance
would surpass those of other nations.
Spain and Portugal – Explorers from these countries
wanted gold and riches. They also imported slaves to
work on plantations. In addition, Catholic missionaries
came to bring Christianity to the Native Americans of
Mexico and South America.
France and England – Explorers from these countries
visited eastern North America about 1500. They also
became fur traders, but after 1600, they established
permanent settlements. The French settlements were
mainly in Canada. The English settlements centered on
the thirteen colonies in eastern North America which later
became the United States.
SUMMARY OF FACTORS LEADING
TO NEW WORLD EXPLORATION






The Crusades increased European desire for Asian
spices and cloth.
Europeans desired new trade routes to India and
China.
Navigation skills improved through better use of
instruments like the compass (magnetic direction
indicator) and astrolabe (determined location by
stars), and the construction of the caravel (a
stronger ship).
Methods of warfare improved through the use of
guns, cannons, and horses.
Leaders desired land, power, wealth, and
conversions – “Gold, Glory, and Gospel.”
People were searching for religious or political
freedom.
SPANISH COLONIZATION
THE AMERICAS

Spain was the first European
nation to discover the New
World. Quickly, Spain mobilized
its resources and began
conquering these new lands.
These Spanish explorers were
called conquistadors (Spanish
for “conquerors”).
IMPORTANT
CONQUISTADORS


HERNANDO CORTEZ
(1485-1547)
conquered the Aztec Empire in
1519 with the help of only 600
soldiers.
FRANCISCO PIZARRO
(1476?-1541)
conquered the Inca Empire in
1535.
FOUR REASONS THE SPANISH
WERE ABLE TO CONQUER THESE
TWO NEW WORLD EMPIRES WITH
VERY SMALL NUMBERS




The Spanish had better weapons. They could
use guns and cannons against Native
American bows, arrows, and spears.
The Aztecs and Incas had never seen fairskinned people or horses, so they were
frightened.
The native peoples thought the Spanish were
gods fulfilling the prophecies of their religion.
Lacking immunity to European diseases, entire
native populations were destroyed by measles
and small pox.

Other Spanish explorers claimed many
parts of North America for Spain.
Francisco Coronado explored the
area of present-day New Mexico in
1540 in search of the legendary Seven
Cities of Gold. From 1539-1542,
Hernando de Soto explored the areas
of present-day Georgia, Alabama, and
Mississippi in search of these same
legendary cities. Both of these
explorations ended in failure, but they
provided information about the native
cultures and land in these areas. In
1513, another explorer named Juan
Ponce de Leon explored Florida
looking for The Fountain of Youth.
Once again, this mission ended in
failure, but it did provide information
that aided later Spanish conquests in
Florida.
ST. AUGUSTINE



St. Augustine was a settlement on the
Florida coast. It was the first European city
in North America and was founded by the
Spanish in 1565.
St. Augustine was vital to maintaining
control of Florida and the Spanish trade
from Mexico.
When the explorers and conquistadors
explored these new areas, they were
generally greeted warmly by the Native
Americans. However, when the Spaniards
began to kill, rob, or enslave these native
peoples, the Native Americans fought back
fiercely. As a result, the Spanish refrained
from taking control of all of North America.
FRENCH, DUTCH, AND
ENGLISH COLONIZATION

With the defeat of the Spanish
Armada in 1588, other
European powers began setting
up their own colonies in areas
not yet claimed by Spain in
North America. The three main
nations involved in this new
colonization were France, the
Netherlands, and England.
THE FRENCH






Sent expeditions down the St. Lawrence
River and mapped the area around the river
Made careful accounts of Native American
peoples in the area
Early explorers claimed the lands
surrounding the St. Lawrence River and the
Mississippi River for France.
The land around the Mississippi River was
named Louisiana, after King Louis XIV.
The French built forts along the Mississippi
including a large port city called New Orleans
(1718).
The cultural influence of the French in the
United States can be seen in the French
words for places in the Mississippi delta
region as well as Cajun music and Creole
foods.
THE DUTCH

The Dutch began exploring the Hudson
River in 1609. Seventeen years later,
Dutch settlers bought the island of
Manhattan from the local Native
Americans. Soon, the Dutch had a thriving
colony called New Netherland based out of
the port city of New Amsterdam, later to be
renamed New York. In 1664, England
conquered this Dutch colony. Many words
from the Dutch entered the English
language at this point, including Santa
Claus, spook, and boss.
THE ENGLISH

The English established
colonies on the eastern
seaboard of North America.
There were three regions of
English colonization along the
Atlantic seaboard of North
America: the Southern Colonies,
the New England Colonies, and
the Middle Colonies.
SOUTHERN COLONIES

The first English attempt at colonizing the
present-day United States occurred in the
South. In 1587, Sit Walter Raleigh
sponsored a group of 100 settlers on the
island of Roanoke in present-day North
Carolina. The governor of the settlement,
John White, returned to England for
supplies. He told the settlers that if they
were not there when he returned the
following year, they should leave a cross
carved in the tree symbolizing attack by the
Native Americans or leave the name of the
location if they had to move. When he
returned he found the word CROATOAN
carved into a tree. White knew this to be
the name of a nearby island but he was
unable to reach the island and returned to
England. This first colony is called The
Lost Colony.

The first successful attempt at
colonizing in the South occurred at
Jamestown. The Virginia Company
founded Jamestown as a charted
colony in 1607. This company was a
joint-stock company (a private
company that sells shares to
investors). The purpose in founding
the colony was to produce a profit for
the investors in England. Because
the investors were not there at the
colonies, they sent a governor to
represent their interests and gave
the settlers the right to elect
burgesses (representatives). These
representatives began meeting in the
House of Burgesses in 1619.
THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES

The House of Burgesses limited
royal authority and increased
citizen participation in the
colonial government. This
experimental democracy
became the living example for
how to create a democratic
government for the United
States. It became a model for
other English colonies to follow.
THE SOUTHERN COLONIES

Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
and Georgia.

In 1663, King Charles II granted land to
eight proprietors of North and South
Carolina. These proprietors sold large
tracts of land for plantations (vast farm
land devoted to one main crop). These
colonies attracted wealthy landowners
from the Church of England, French
Protestants called Huguenots, and
indentured servants (people who
became servants for seven years to pay
for their passage to the colonies).
SOUTHERN COLONIES CONT.


The economy of the Southern Colonies
was based on crops of tobacco, rice,
indigo, and cotton. The plantation owners
imported African slaves as laborers on
these plantations.
Traders from the Southern Colonies
established a triangular trade route.
From the Caribbean, they brought
molasses to New York to be made into
rum. Traders then took some of the rum to
West Africa to be exchanged for slaves.
Then traders brought the slaves to
plantations in the Caribbean or the
Southern Colonies where they bought
molasses again.
NEW ENGLAND COLONIES




Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, and New Hampshire
Early settlers were Puritans and Pilgrims
who had separated from the Church of
England. They sought religious freedom in
the New World and settled in Plymouth,
Massachusetts.
Life in New England colonies centered
around towns with a single church. Most
earned a living by farming.
Contributions to democracy included the
Mayflower Compact (1620) which
guaranteed just and equal laws for all.
Adult males also made laws for the
community at town meetings.
MIDDLE COLONIES



New York, New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania
Dutch, Swedish, and British colonists
settled here. William Penn who was a
Quaker (a persecuted religious group) was
proprietor of Pennsylvania. Many
persecuted religious groups settled in his
colony. In Maryland, Roman Catholics
enjoyed religious freedom.
Farming, fishing, shipping, and trading
were important in the Middle Colonies.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of
brotherly love, was the largest city in the
thirteen colonies.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
LIFE IN THE COLONIES

Emphasis on individual freedom,
hard work, and self-reliance.

Mercantilism was the main
economic system. In this system, a
nation’s power is measured by its
gold reserves. If a country exports
more than it imports, this country will
possess a surplus of gold in
exchange for its exported goods.
Great Britain used its colonies as a
place to export its goods and receive
gold in exchange.