The American Pageant

Key PointsChapters 1-8

Unit I

Chapter 1-New World Beginnings

• Populating the Americas– Countless tribes emerged as groups

traveled across the Land Bridge across North, Central and South America• Estimated 2,000 languages• Incas-Peru• Mayans-Yucatan Peninsula• Aztecs-Mexico

Corn/Maize

• Developed around 5,000 B.C. in Mexico

• Tribes could do more than hunt/gather; could settle down and be farmers

• Gave rise to towns and cities• Corn arrived in present day U.S.

about 1,200 B.C.

Earliest Americans

• Pueblo Indians -1st American corn growers

• Mound Builders -Ohio Valley• Eastern Indians -had most diverse

diet of all North American Indians

Iroquois Confederation

• Hiwatha-Leader• Group of 5 tribes in New York state• Matrilineal-authority/possessions

passed down female line• Tribes independent, but met to

discuss common interests (ex: war/defense)

Native American vs. European Viewpoint

• Natives believed in tribal ownership of land, not individual

• Natives felt nature was mixed in with many spirits/Europeans were Christian-Monotheistic

• Natives felt nature was sacred/Europeans felt nature and land given to man by God in Genesis

• Natives had little or no concept of money/Europeans loved gold/money

Collision of Two Worlds

• In the New World, plants, foods, animals, germs, etc. were exchanged

• Columbian Exchange-From New World (America) to the Old– Corn, potatoes, tobacco, beans,

peppers, pumpkin, squash, tomato, etc.– Syphillis

Continued

• From Old World to the New– Cows, pigs, horses, wheat, sugar cane,

apples, cabbage, Kentucky bluegrass– Devastating diseases such as smallpox,

yellow fever, malaria; Indians had no immunities

– An estimated 90% of all pre-Columbus Indians died, mostly due to disease

Chapter 2-English America

• Elizabeth I energizes England– Spain attacked England, but the Spanish

Armada was defeated in 1588– Victory over the Spanish fueled England:

• Sense of nationalism, strong government/monarch support

• More religious unity• Golden age of literature (Shakespeare)• Britain's naval dominance (until about 1900)

Jamestown

• 1606: Virginia Company received a charter from King James I to make a settlement in New World

• Joint-stock company- much like a modern day corporation-used investors

• Charter guaranteed settlers same rights as Englishmen in Britain

Continued

• May 24, 1607, ~100 English settlers landed and made settlement at Jamestown, VA.

• 40 colonists perished on journey• Problems: swampy site meant poor

drinking water, many mosquitoes, men wasted time looking for gold, zero women

Continued

• 1608: Captain John Smith took control– Smith was kidnapped by Indians at one

point– Saved by Chief Powhatan’s daughter,

Pocohontas– Smith provided order, discipline, and

stated if you do not work, you do not eat!

Continued

• Colonists had to eat cats, dogs, even people

• Finally, in 1610, a relief party headed by Lord De La Warr arrived to help

• By 1625, out of an original total of 8,000 would-be settlers, only 1,200 had survived

Role of Tobacco in Virginia

• Tobacco considered gold in Jamestown

• John Rolfe cultivated sweet tobacco that was demanded in Europe

• Tobacco created a greed for land• Tobacco heavily depleted the soil

and ruined the land

Virginia

• Representative government was born in Virginia-1619-created the House of Burgesses-a committee to work out local issues

• First African-Americans to arrive in America came in 1619

West Indies

• British began to settle in West Indies as they were colonizing in Virginia

• Claimed several islands there, ex: Jamaica

• Grew great deal of sugar on plantations there

• African slaves were used because Native Americans died out due to disease

• Strict slave codes were established-outlined rights of masters

Chapter 3-Settling the Northern Colonies

• Calvinism:– Created by John Calvin– Stressed predestination: those going to

Heaven or hell has already been determined by God

– Calvinists expected to lead sanctified lives and seek conversions, signs they were predestined

–Worked very hard to “prove” worthiness; known as “Protestant work ethic”

Puritans

• Influenced to totally reform “purify” the Church of England

• Believed that only “visible saints” should be admitted to church membership

• Separatists broke away from Church of England, because saints had to sit with the “damned”…..became the Pilgrims

• King James I forced separatists from England; he was very insecure

Pilgrims

• Came from Holland and sailed for 65 days

• Arrived at New England in 1620• Less than half of pilgrims on Mayflower

were actually separatists• They surveyed many possible locations

but arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts• Became “squatters”; no legal right to

land

Continued

• Led by Captain Myles Standish• All signed the Mayflower Compact, a

set of rules to obey• Set standards for later constitutions• William Bradford, chosen governor of

Plymouth 30 times in annual elections• 1691-Plymouth merged with

Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Bible Commonwealth

• Lack of religious toleration in New England• Anne Hutchinson: claimed that a holy life

was no sure sign of salvation and that truly saved need not bother to obey the law of God or man

• Put on trial and boasted her beliefs were from God

• Banished from the colony; went to Rhode Island, but was killed by Indians in New York

Continued

• Roger Williams: radical idealist that hounded his fellow clergymen to make a clean/complete break with Church of England

• Banished in 1635; led the way for Rhode Island colony and religious toleration

Chapter 4-American Life in the 17th Century

• Low quality of life in the Chesapeake region–Widespread disease– Low life expectancy–Women very scarce–Unwed mothers were common and very

scandalous

Bacon’s Rebellion

• 1676: Nathaniel Bacon led a few thousand men in a rebellion against hostile conditions in Virginia

• Landless, single men frustrated by lack of money, land, work and women

• Bacon’s men murderously attacked Indian settlements in retaliation for previous attacks against them

Nathaniel Bacon

Continued

• Men were upset because VA. Governor William Berkeley’s friendly policies toward the Indians

• Bacon died from disease during the rebellion and Berkeley crushed the uprising

• Bacon’s legacy….gave frustrated poor folks ideas to rebel.

William Berkley

Colonial Slavery

• Black slaves outnumbered white servants among plantation colonies’ new arrivals, as of the mid 1680’s

• By 1750, blacks accounted for nearly half of Virginia’s population

• Most slaves from West Africa• Few, but some, gained freedom and

owned slaves themselves

Continued

• To clear up slave ownership, slave codes tied slaves to their masters for life; unless voluntarily freed

• Some laws made it a crime to teach slaves to read and not even conversion to Christianity was grounds for freedom

Africans in America

• Deep South=toughest life for slaves• Rice growing more difficult than tobacco• Many blended their native tongues with

English• Blacks contributed to music with banjos

and bongo drums• Few slaves eventually learned trades,

but most continued difficult, manual labor

Continued

• Some slave revolts did occur:– 1712, New York City; dozens killed;

some Blacks executed– 1739, Stono’s Rebellion, South

Carolina; tried to leave and march to Spanish Florida, but failed• Resulted in much stricter slave

codes/restrictions

Continued

• Other info:–Many African dances led to modern

dances (ex: Charleston)– Christian songs were sometimes code

for the announcement of a guide that would lead slaves to freedom

– Jazz is the most famous example of slave music that entered mainstream culture

Half-Way Covenant and Salem Witch Trials

• Puritans began to fear that faith and purity was fading in New England

• Earnest preachers scolded parishioners into piety

• New formula announced called Half-Way Covenant, needed for church membership starting in 1662

Continued

• All people could come and participate in the church, even if they fell short of “visible saint” status and were only halfway converted

• Early 1690’s, young girls claimed they had been bewitched by older women in Salem, Massachusetts

Salem Witch Trials

• Hysterical witch hunt that led to executions of 20 people and 2 dogs

• Back in Europe, larger scale witch hunts were already occurring

• The hysteria eventually ended in 1693• Many theories exist as to why this

happen, but the extremely strict religious atmosphere was the basis

Chapter 5-Colonial Society of Eve of Revolution

• America was land of opportunity• It was possible to go from “rags to

riches” in America• Class differences emerged, but

upward mobility was possible

Continued

• Planters had many slaves• Small farmers owned land, but few

slaves• Indentured servants were the paupers

and criminals sent to the New World• Black slaves were at the bottom of the

social ladder with no rights and no hopes of gaining freedom or prosperity

Colonial Vocations

• Most honored profession in colonial times was the clergy; had less power than in previous times, but still had authority

• Physicians were not highly esteemed and medical practices were primitive– Bleeding was an often and deadly

solution to illnesses– Plagues were a nightmare– Smallpox was rampant

George Whitefield

Continued

• At first, lawyers were not liked, often described as noisy scumbags

• Agriculture was leading industry• Fishing could be rewarding, but not

as much as farming• Trading was very prevalent

Molasses Act of 1733

• Passed by Parliament• Act was bypassed by smuggling

colonists, but could have struck a crippling blow to American international trade with French West Indies if acknowledged by colonists

Transportation

• Roads in 1700’s were very poor; only connected the large cities and were very dangerous

• Taverns and bars sprang up for weary travelers

• An inter-colonial mail system existed, but quite ineffective

Great Awakening• Period of revival in America (1720-1740); some

estimates 1730’s-1770’s• Due to religious fervor and worry so many people

were not saved• Questioned religious authority; said local ministers

were not devoted enough to God and practiced “cold” preaching

• Jonathan Edwards, preacher with fiery preaching methods–Most famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an

Angry God”-correlation between a spider being held over a fire by man, could be dropped at any time, felt God could do the same with man.

Continued

• New preachers met with skepticism by “old lights” or orthodox clergymen

• “New light” centers sprung up around the Northeast

• Preached about pitiful condition of man and the terrors of hell

• Great Awakening was first religious experience shared by all Americans as a group

• Many universities were formed (ex: Yale, Harvard, Princeton, etc.) to train ministers

Schools and College

• Education was most important in New England; used to train future clergymen

• Colonial schools were gloomy and grim; set aside for well-to-do children who could afford to attend

• Emphasis was religion and classical languages (ex: Latin)

Art/Literature

• Little time for recreation• Painters frowned upon and

considered pursuing a worthless pastime

• Architecture was largely imported from Old World and modified for America– Log cabin imported from Sweden

Continued

• Colonial literature was generally undistinguished

• Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac was very influential; more commonly read than everything but the Bible

• Very few libraries found in early America

Politics

• By 1775, 8 colonies had royal governors appointed by the king

• Most colonies had a two-house legislative body–Upper house appointed by royal officials– Lower house elected by the people– Right to vote reserved for male

landowners

Chapter 6-The Duel for North America

• France was a latecomer in race for colonies, much like England and Holland

• Imperial powers clashed many times over land claims throughout the 18th century

French and Indian War

• AKA the Seven Years War• Ohio Valley became a battleground among the

Spanish, British, and French• Lush, fertile land there• French wanted to connect Canada and

Louisiana• 1754, governor of Virginia, Dinwiddie, sent 21

year-old George Washington to Ohio country (near Pittsburgh) in command of about 150 minutemen

• Troops encountered Frenchmen near Fort Duquesne; French leader killed after shots fired

Continued

• Washington and men later forced to surrender to French at Fort Necessity after a 10 hour French siege-he was permitted to march his men away with honor

• Although there had been other wars between England and France, this was the only one to start in America

• England and Prussia vs. France, Spain, Austria and Russia

Continued

• Many American colonists pushed for colonial unity

• Albany Congress-1754– 7 of 13 colonies sent delegates – Ben Franklin’s famous “Join, or Die” political

cartoon had been published a month prior– Congress failed to solidify colonial unity due

to the fact that many giving up sovereignty or power; step in right direction though

– About 24,000 colonists joined the fight

Fort Duquesne

• 1756-British sent a seasoned general, Edward Braddock, to prevent the French from building a fort at Fort Duquesne

• Braddock’s army routed by the French and he was killed in battle

• War officially declared against the French in 1756

• Many Native American tribes sided with the French

Paris Peace Treaty• 1763• French lost many land holdings in

North America• British got Canada and land all the

way to Mississippi River• French allowed to keep several small

sugar-filled islands in West Indies and areas for fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence River

War’s Aftermath

• Myth of British invisibility was shattered

• Colonists “bonded” during the war; found they had a lot in common; barriers of disunity began to crumble

• Colonists roamed freely and were less dependent on England

• Spain eliminated from Florida; Great Britain in control now

Proclamation of 1763

• Land-hungry Americans wanted to explore west of the Appalachian Mountains

• Parliament issued this mandate to prohibit any settlement west of the mountain chain

• Colonists saw it as another form of oppression from far-away land

• Many colonists totally disregarded the mandate

• Relationship changed between colonies and Britain

Chapter 7-The Road to Revolution

• Salutary Neglect– British policy prior to end of the French

and Indian War– American colonists largely left alone to

develop their economy– Benign relationship– Britain not fiscally strained; American

colonies not major competition, so policy worked until about 1763

Mercantilism

• Britain’s economic policy• Crucial for a country to export more

than it imported• Possession of colonies (need for raw

materials)• Accumulation of gold• American colonies were a necessary

element for success

Britain Inherits Problems• British government inherited large debt• Newly-won land doubled British North

American territory• Revenue was necessary to absorb cost of

controlling, maintaining vast territory• Some colonists vulnerable to Native

American attack (ex: Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763)…Redcoats send to put down

• Some colonists refused to subordinate to British manufacturers

British Leadership

• King George III-took the crown in 1760• Incompetent and gave power to his

prime ministers, that changed very regularly– George Grenville– Lord Rockingham– Charles Townshend (actually William Pitt,

but he was in poor health)– Lord North

King George III

George Grenville

• Implemented a new system of control over the “loose” colonies

• 1763: ordered British to strictly enforce the Navigation Laws (1650,1660, 1663)…stated any products going to and from Europe and the colonies must pass through Britain first

• Proclamation of 1763

Britain Tightens the Reigns per Grenville

• Sugar Act (1764): raised the duty (tax) on sugar/lowered the duty on molasses-damaged sugar market in colonies

• Currency Act (1764): colonial assemblies had to stop issuing paper money; hard currency hard to obtain

• Stamp Act (1765): tax imposed on most printed documents (ex: newspapers, almanacs, wills, deeds, licenses, playing cards, dice, etc. )

Continued

• Quartering Act (1765): required certain colonies to provide food/quarters for British troops

• Grenville considered all measure just and reasonable….colonists must pay for their own defense; argued “virtual representation”

• Those that violated laws were tried without a jury; assumed guilty until could prove innocence

George Grenville

Sons of Liberty

• Boston, July (1765)• Led by Samuel Adams• Led demonstrations, boycotts,

tarring and feathering of tax collection agents

Stamp Act Congress

• October, 1765• Nine colonies present in Philadelphia• Representatives reaffirmed the idea that

only colonial-mandated taxes should be accepted

• Economic boycotts threatened in many colonies

• Lord Rockingham (new PM) urged repeal of Stamp Act for economic reasons

Declaratory Act

• Stated that Parliament had right to tax and pass legislation regarding the colonies

• Right “to bind” the colonies

Townshend Acts

• 1767• Light import duty on glass, paper, and tea• This tax applied to goods produced in

Britain• Revenue from these taxes used to pay

salaries of certain ranks of British officials in the colonies

• Ordered British soldiers to be stationed in major port cities

Continued

• Smuggled tea could be found at cheaper price

• “taxation, without representation”• One million people drank tea twice a

day

Boston Massacre

• March 5, 1770• Gang of men began hitting off-duty

soldiers with snowballs, club, etc.• British troops called to scene; one

soldier fell and his musket accidentally misfired

• Fight broke out and five American colonists were killed; seven others wounded

Paul Revere’s Inaccurate Engraving of the Boston

Massacre

1856

Continued

• Crispus Attucks said to be first African-American to die in the fight for American independence; considered a mob leader by the British

• This incident was used as fuel to unite colonies in the fight against Britain

• Only two redcoats found guilty of manslaughter

Crispus Attucks

Samuel Adams

• Master of propaganda• Fought for the common people • Organized local committees of

correspondence to spread spirit of resistance

• Leading instigator of Boston Tea Party• Favored clean break from Britain• Founder of “Sons of Liberty”

Samuel Adams

Patrick Henry

• Radical; excellent speaker• Young lawyer elected to Virginia’s

House of Burgesses• Greatly opposed to Britain’s taxation

policy• 1775, he said “give me liberty, or

give me death”

Patrick Henry

Thomas Paine

• Spoke out against the British• Wrote “Common Sense”-pamphlet

about reasons the colonies should secede from Britain

• Referred to King George III as a “royal brute”

Thomas Paine

“Common Sense”

• Published January 10, 1776• Stated it was ridiculous and against

natural law for an island to rule a continent

• A government is best that governs least

• Society reflects the good in society; government the bad

Boston Tea Party

• By 1773, rebellion was not a forgone conclusion

• 1773-Parliament gave the East India Company a monopoly on the tea trade in the colonies to help the company out of financial troubles

• Although the tea was cheaper, many American detested the tax that was placed on the tea

1846 lithograph

Continued• Principle was more important than the actual

price• Colonists began to conduct mass

demonstrations in places like Philadelphia and New York; forced tea-bearing ships to return with full loads to England

• Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson was begged by protestors to allow the ships to go back with full cargoes

• Hutchinson was determined not to waiver on the issue

• Many of the Boston Patriots were enraged and disguised themselves as Indians, and boarded the tea ships on December 16, 1773

Continued

• 342 chests full of tea were dumped into the Boston Harbor- a salty tea was brewed for the fish

• The next day in Boston, everyone chanted “bring out your axes and tell King George we’ll pay no more taxes”

• Hutchinson, ashamed and devastated, left for Britain never to return

• King George III closed the port of Boston to all commerce, until the tea that was dumped was paid in full

The Intolerable Acts• Measures “brewed” a revolution• In response to the Boston Tea Party• Massachusetts, specifically Boston, was the main

target with the acts• Labeled as “the massacre of American Liberty”• Boston Port Act- closed the port until order was

restored and restitution made for the dumped tea• Others were:– Restrictions placed on town meetings– If colonists killed by enforcing officials, those

trials were held in England instead of the colonies-feared many would get off “scot-free”

Continued

Intolerable Acts accompanied by the Quebec Act

Quebec Act-1774 The French were guaranteed their Catholic religion; old boundaries of Quebec were extended further South toward the Ohio River

Many felt that if Britain would have shown this level of compassion to the colonists, it might not have lost them

Continental Congress

• 1774• A meeting held in Philadelphia in response to

the “Intolerable Acts”• Twelve of the thirteen colonies (Georgia

excluded) sent delegates• Met to find ways to remedy colonial grievances 55 delegates which included: Sam Adams,

John Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry

• The social life after the meetings helped lighten the mood

Continued

• Deliberated for 7 weeks• Sept. 5th-Oct. 26th, 1774• John Adams played a significant role• Several significant papers drawn:

Declaration of Rights and written pleas to other British colonies, other British American colonies, and the King himself

Continued

• The First Continental Congress created The Association

• The Association called for a complete boycott of British goods- no importing, no exporting, no consumption

• Delegates did not yet call for independence

• Parliament rejected the colonists petitions• Those that violated the terms of The

Association were tarred and feathered

British Strengths

• Population of 7.5 million• Overwhelming monetary and naval

power• Professional army• King George imported 30,000 soldiers

from Germany known as Hessians• 50,000 American Loyalists and

enlisted many Indians

British Weaknesses• British troops had been called to Ireland to quell

trouble there• France was waiting to obtain revenge against the

British after the French and Indian War• London government confused and inept• Led by stubborn King George III and pliable PM

Lord North• Many in Britain did not want to kill American

cousins• Second-rate generals• Soldiers treated brutally by British officers• Provisions were often scarce• Britain operated 3,000 miles from home base;

orders changed by the time they got to America

American Strengths• Blessed with outstanding leadership• George Washington, Ben Franklin

(outstanding diplomat)• Foreign aid from France• Unemployed European officers-French

general in the colonial army, Marquis de Lafayette-only 19 years old

• Fighting defensively• Agriculturally self-sustaining• Moral advantage that they were fighting for

a “just cause”

American Weaknesses Badly organized for war Lacked unity Sectional jealousy raged through the colonies

(ex: appointment of military leaders) Lack of monetary resources Continental money was printed, but had very

little value, due to the lack of metallic money Military supplies were scarce; firearms were

found in only a few households; Ben Franklin suggested using bows and arrows

Many militiamen were unreliable; many had no formal training

Chapter 8-Phases and Preparation for American

Revolutionary War• 1775-1783• Preparation for War:– Few Americans signed up for war after

wave of patriotism passed– Some states used force/persuasion for

enlistment– 1775: Congress created the Continental

Army• Single commander-George Washington

Phases of War

• New England• Mid-Atlantic• Southern• Warfare generally trickled from

Northern to Southern colonies

New England Phase

• Lexington and Concord-April, 1775• Bunker Hill-June, 1775-King George

declared open rebellion at this point• By early 1776, Britain left

Boston….left for Halifax, Nova Scotia• Invasion of Canada was unsuccessful-

attempt to make the area a 14th colony

Second Continental Congress

• May, 1775-Philadelphia• Authorized printing of paper money• Created Continental Army with

George Washington named as commander in chief

• Wrote the “Olive Branch Petition” to King George III (July 5, 1775)-he refused to receive the document

Declaration of Independence

• Much taken from Paine’s “Common Sense”• Thomas Jefferson, Enlightenment student,

primary author• List of grievances against the British

government• Written to the world as justification for

American secession• “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”• Formally approved on July 4, 1776• Washington read the document to his troops

Mid-Atlantic Phase

• 1776-early 1778• Best position for the British to win• More conventional warfare• British General William Howe led a

force of 32,000• Howe had no real hard feelings

against the colonies; thought a show of force would get colonists to back down

Continued• By September 15, 1776, the British

occupied NYC, all of northern NJ and Newport, RI

• Howe left a small force in NJ to monitor Washington’s weary troops

• Many colonial enlistments were due to run out….action must be taken

• Most colonists forced from Long Island to Pennsylvania in winter of 1776-1777, except Washington

Continued

• December 25, 1776-Washington and his men crossed the Delaware River surprising the Hessians (German mercenaries)

• Washington captured 1,000 Hessians• Americans low on resources and

uniforms• Americans defeated smaller detachment

of British at Princeton the next day

Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851)

Continued

• 1777: British wanted to cut the colonies in two-led by Burgoyne and Howe

• Howe abandoned the plan and focused on Pennsylvania; left Washington and his men camping at Valley Forge, Penn. for the winter

• Burgoyne thought he would cut off New York and New England and end the rebellion

Continued

• Burgoyne was initially successful but suffered defeats and withdrew to Saratoga, NY

• Horatio Gates, new colonial commander, surrounded Burgoyne

• October 17, 1777 Burgoyne and remaining forces ordered to surrender

• American win at Saratoga was the turning point of the war-raised morale and the French entered to support colonists

Southern Phase

• Guerilla attacks often used by Americans in the South

• British overestimated loyalist support and underestimated American sentiment

• Americans blended into countryside, knew topography, which led to a very hostile environment for the Redcoats

Continued

• North became a stalemate• Various battles in the South without

much gain• December 29, 1778-British captured

Savannah• General Benedict Arnold betrayed

the Patriot stronghold at West Point, NY (1780)

Benedict Arnold

Continued

• May 12, 1780-British took Charleston, SC• British Lord Cornwallis started moves on

SC, and ordered to take position between New York and James Rivers; wait for ships to take troops northward

• Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown and built fortifications there

• Washington and French general LaFayette caught him on both sides

Continued

• October 17, 1781-Cornwallis forced to surrender at Yorktown, Virginia

• Fighting continued in some areas• King George III wanted to continue;

bankrupt Parliament voted to stop the war on March 4, 1782

Treaty of Paris-September 3, 1783

• American delegates-Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay

• France sought revenge against Britain• France wanted America to become

independent in theory, not in action• Recognized the U.S. as an independent

nation• Loyalists not further prosecuted; land

restored