Colonizing North America

Mr. HardyRandolph Middle School

2014-2015

Reasons for European Exploration and Colonization

1. Renaissance: curiosity about other lands and peoples.

2. Reformation: refugees & missionaries wish to spread Christianity and exercise religious freedom.

3. Money, money, money, money, money. New source of revenue for monarchs and wealthy merchants

4. Fame and fortune by claiming new lands

Does this sound familiar?!

Reasons to Colonize North America?• THE THREE Gs!– Gold• Trade and resources

– Glory• North America

became a competition and a “land grab”

– God• Protestant groups

were seeking religious freedom.

The English Expeditions

• 1497 – John Cabot (real name – Zuan Chaboto) was an Italian who led an English expedition to North America.

• First European since the Vikings to set foot on the mainland of North America. (not Columbus)

Cabot landed in Newfoundland

John Cabot

• Italian-born but sailed for the English• Landed in Canada in 1497• Explored the Canadian coastline and named

many of its islands and capes• The mission's purpose was to search for a

Northwest passage across North America to Asia

• Claimed the land for England

Sir Francis Drake• The first Englishman to sail around

the world. • Most importantly, it increased

English interest in competing with Spain in the New World

• Drake's successful battles against the Spanish helped England become very powerful.

• Francis Drake raided the Spanish treasure fleets. – He brought gold and jewels home to

England.– When the Spanish complained to

Queen Elizabeth, she knighted him “Sir Francis Drake”!

– He was a pirate with permission.

Sir Francis Drake-Why do you think he wanted to be painted with his hand on a globe?-What does this image tell us about European attitudes?

Search for the Northwest Passage

• 1535 Jacques Cartier- made three voyages for France between 1535 and 1542

• Wanted to find a Northwest Passage to India and the Spice Islands

• Discovered and sailed up the St. Lawrence River

• Claimed present day Canada for France

The French Expeditions

Jacques Cartier

Samuel de Champlain

• French explorer and navigator • Mapped much of northeastern

North America • Founded the city of Quebec in

1608 – led 32 colonists to settle

Quebec in order to establish it as a fur-trading center

• 1604-1607, he sailed around and charted most of the coast of Nova Scotia and down the coast to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard and later to Rhode Island– helped found a colony in Port

Royal, Nova Scotia

The Dutch Expedition

• 1609 – Henry Hudson, an English sea captain working for the Dutch sailed his ship, the Half Moon, in to New York harbor and up the Hudson River to present day Albany, NY

• Most importantly, his voyage gave the Dutch claim to present day New York, where they established a colony, New Amsterdam in 1625.

3 Types of Colonies• Trading Posts– Did not encourage immigrants to settle – Only wanted trade– French in Canada and Dutch in Manhattan

• Plantations– Based on slave labor – Caribbean, Virginia, South

Carolina• Settler Colonies– Whole families of immigrants– English

The Big Three English Colonies

• Jamestown 1607• Plymouth 1620• Massachusetts Bay Colony 1628

Jamestown• Jamestown – Trade– 1607: first permanent

English colony in the New World

– The colony was set up for trade of raw materials• Profitable cash crop:

Tobacco

– Captain John Smith to the rescue!

– Settlers resorted to cannibalism to survive.

Plymouth

• Religious Freedom– Settled by Pilgrims-

separatists from the Church of England in 1620.

– Site of the first Thanksgiving celebration.

– Merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

• Religious Freedom– The Puritans ,

religious fanatics that separated from the Church of England

Economics in the North American ColoniesGOLD!

• Export driven economy - Mercantilism• Fur Trade – Dominated by the French– French explored unmapped mountains, forests, and

streams.– Developed good relationships with Native Americans– Fur made lots of $$$$$$$ when sold in Europe

• Cash Crop Plantations – English – In the South and Caribbean – Led to the Slave Trade– Tobacco, Cotton, Sugar Cane

Politics of the North American Colonies GLORY!

• French, Spanish and English scramble for territory. More territory equals more power.– The French colonize in modern day Canada and along

the Mississippi.– The English colonize along the east coast.– The Spanish colonize Florida.

• The colonies soon found themselves without representation in government.– Why is this a big deal?

Culture in the North American Colonies

• GOD!: Religion– Puritans settled in New England – Left England to separate themselves from the

Church of England to purify the religion• There was no unified culture when the North

American colonies were established. • Stop and Jot • Why do you think that is?