Period 2 Flashcards
1607-1754 (37 cards)
What four different European Powers colonized the Americas?
Spanish, French, Dutch, and British
What was the economic motives for each of the European Powers colonization?
Spanish - precious metals, French - fur trade and fishing, Dutch - fur trade and maritime trade, British - Agriculture and trade
What were the religious goals for each of the European Powers colonization?
Spanish - convert natives to Catholicism, French - spread Catholicism, Dutch - some tolerance/not a main motive, British - religious freedom and establishing their own religious practices
How did each of the European Powers interact with the natives?
Spanish - conquest, assimilation, and forced conversions, French - allied and occasionally married natives with more peaceful spreading of religion, Dutch - strictly business and neutral interactions, British - mix of cooperation and conflict
Joint-Stock Company
When investors pool money to fund a venture, each becoming a “shareholder” that would share in loss or profit
What was the first permanent settlement in North America?
Jamestown, located in Chesapeake Region
Chesapeake Region
Centered around cash crops taken care of by indentured servants, later shifted to African slaves
Why did Jamestown struggle early on?
Poor planning and too much focus on finding precious minerals than farming as well as disease and famine
Indentured Servants
Signed a contract where they worked for 4-7 years in exchange for passage to the new land
Who introduced tobacco harvesting to Jamestown?
John Rolfe
What was the main reason for conflict between Natives and British colonists?
Encroachment
Why did British settlers continue encroaching on native land?
There became a higher demand for tobacco which corresponded demand for land which they took from native populations
Bacon’s Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon led angry, poor farmers and indentured servants on an attack against Indians then plantations owned by Governor Berkley
What caused Bacon’s Rebellion?
Indentured servants who finished contracts couldn’t acquire land and Governor William Berkley refused to support violent expansion
What were the consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion?
Indentured servitude was being replaced with African slavery, and a threat was made to wealthy elites about economic inequalities lower classes faced
What were the four main British colonial regions in North America?
New England colonies, Middle colonies, Chesapeake colonies, and Southern colonies
What was the climate of each of the colonial regions?
New England - Cold winters, rocky soil, short growing season, Middle - Moderate climate, fertile soil, Chesapeake - Warm climate, fertile soil, long growing season, Southern - Hot, humid, ideal for plantation agriculture
What were the labor systems of each of the colonial regions?
New England - Family labor, some indentured servitude, Middle - Some indentured servants; less reliance on slavery, Chesapeake - Initially indentured servants, later African slavery, South - Heavy reliance on enslaved African labor
What religion did each of the colonial regions focus on?
New England - Puritanism (except Rhode Island); religiously strict, Middle - Diverse: Quakers (PA), Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Chesapeake - Anglican (VA), Catholic (MD), religious tension, Southern - Anglican dominant; less religious cohesion
How did each of the colonial regions make money?
New England - Small-scale farming, fishing, shipbuilding, trade, Middle - Grain farming (“breadbasket”), trade, artisanship, Chesapeake - Tobacco plantations, cash crops, Southern - Rice, indigo, later cotton; plantation economy
Remember
New England: Focused on religious community, education, and small-town life.
Middle: Most diverse region — religiously, ethnically, and economically.
Chesapeake: Cash crops + transition from indentured servitude to slavery.
Southern: Most reliant on slavery and plantation economy; less urban and less religious cohesion.
William Penn
Mayflower Compact
House of Burgesses
