Contested Spaces

The French• Louis XIV

• Known as the “Sun King”

• Push into American Interior• Seeking to establish

settlements to legitimize claims and extend fur trade.

• With help of natives and adaptation of Indian canoes, they reach the Great Lakes and venture south through the Mississippi.• Named area Louisiana

The French

Conflicts between France and England

• Starting in 1689 and continuing on and off for 100 years, France and England warred against each other over religion and economic competition.

• With the “Glorious Revolution,” (1688) William III (protestant) took throne of England after James II (a Catholic) lost support.

Conflicts between France and England

• The European conflicts often spread to the Americas and pinned the colonial empires against each other.

• In 1689, Iroquois, armed by English, attacked Montreal.

• French retaliate by attacking the English frontier.

England’s empire expands

• Control of navigation• Mercantile system to benefit

England through trade limitations, tariffs and shipping controls from colonies

• Take over New Netherland.• King used charters for lands in North America as way to pay off royal debts, and as a way of expanding in America with minimal expense.

New Amsterdam to New York

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTgzp46Wg3Q

Spanish struggle for control

• Struggles in Texas and Florida

• Spanish push to solidify claim after French threat• Establish mission San

Antonio de Valero (1718), later known as the Alamo.

• In Florida:• Natives grow tired of

Spanish presence• Expansion and destruction

of gardens by Spanish cattle

• Many Florida natives move to Carolina due to good trade with English

Timeline

• Slavery lectures covered 1590s-1760, with the bulk of the lectures centered between 1650s to 1700.

• The lectures on the empires covered mainly from about 1620s-1670s, with New Amsterdam permanently becoming New York in 1674.

• Today we will cover revolts that occur between 1675-1693.

A Tale of three conflicts.Metacom’s War, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the Pueblo Revolt

Metacom’s War

Metacom’s War (King Philip’s War)

• Tensions between Wampanoag and Massachusetts Bay colony boil in 1675.

• Metacom’s brother is murdered. He was being questioned by colonial officials about a possible conspiracy.

• Colonists’ cattle ate Indigenous crops, leading to the shooting of cattle by natives, which in turn brought punishments from English.

• Colonists outnumbered Native Americans (over 50,000 colonists).• There was a murder of a Christianized Indian by 3 Wampanoags, who

were found guilty and hung.• Metacom launched attacks and gained allies (Narragansatts and

Nipmucks).• By Spring 1676, Metacom’s alliance breaks down. • Food and gunpowder supplies run low.• Metacom moves into western N.E. where he clashes with Mohawks,

longtime enemies of Wampanoags and allies of English traders. • Metacom dies in an ambush in 1676 and the war ends soon after. At

least 1000 colonists and 4500 Indians die in this war.

Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676

• Shrinking economic opportunities led new settlers and freed indentured servants to move to Virginia’s western frontier where they came into conflict with the regions Indian populations.

• The oppressive governorship of William Berkeley in Virginia increased taxes, and was seen as corrupt.

• Landless white men lose the right to vote.

• Nobles like Nathaniel Bacon are blocked from gaining status and wealth, and felt that the government stopped them from taking Indian lands.

Bacon’s rebellion• Bacon led an uprising and

attacked Indian lands including those at peace with colonies.

• Poor whites and blacks joined the cause and used the opportunity to leave their bondage. They march into Jamestown and war changes from attack on Indians to attack on colonial administration.

• Bacon dies of dysentery and movement fades.

• Fearing the interracial unity between poor whites and black laborers, the Virginia government and planters begin process of favoring whites and restricting blacks.

• Relations with native groups were badly damaged as a result.

The Pueblo Revolt• In New Mexico:

• In 1666, a five year draught starts that puts pressure on the Pueblo groups and causes a famine.

• Apache and Navajo groups who had once traded with Pueblos now raided their storehouses.

• Indigenous traditional religion underwent a revival in the 1670s.

• Spanish Missionaries unwisely chose that period to ban Pueblo religious traditions.

The Pueblo Revolt• The Revolt

• By the summer of 1680• Popé, Tewa religious

leader, organized a resistance.

• He gained support from Pueblos who resented Spanish.

• The Pueblos kick out the Spanish for 13 years.

• They restore the kivas and traditional beliefs.

• They are divided over which aspects of Spanish culture to discard. • Some sought to get rid of

all Catholicism • Others to integrate it to

their traditional religious beliefs.

How do these conflicts compare?

Can we draw lessons from them?

Main Points

• As Europeans expand their colonies, natives begin to become disenchanted with the newcomers, and conflict develops at the fringes of the European empires.

• Conflicts and wars in Europe play out in the Americas through struggles and warfare at the edges of the empires.

• Colonial powers use settlements as ways of ensuring claims and expanding mercantile economies.