EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

8th grade

AGE OF EXPLORATION

The Age of Exploration was a time

of discovery of new lands,

innovations in cartography and

trade, and the exchange of cultures

and ideas from distant lands.

EUROPEANS IN THE AMERICAS

The Spanish were the first Europeans to

reach the Americas. They eventually had

settlements in Florida, California, the

Southwest, Central America, and South

America.

EUROPEANS IN THE AMERICAS (CON’T)

The Spanish…• They established St. Augustine, Florida, in

1565. This was the first European settlement in what is now the United States.

• They were very interested in finding gold. • They also set up missions in order to convert

Native Americans to Christianity.

• In 1682, The Spanish sent Catholic priests to the missions to spread Catholicism to the Native Americans. The missions also helped the Spanish to settle new parts of Texas, and to spread their culture

EUROPEANS IN THE AMERICAS

The French claimed the area around the St.

Lawrence River in Canada. • This area became part of the colony of New

France. • The fur trade was a very important economic

activity in the colony, and almost immediately after arriving, the French began trading furs with the Huron tribe.

• They would later send missionaries to attempt to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism.

EUROPEANS IN THE AMERICAS CON’T

The English also sent explorers to the Americas. In

1585, Sir Walter Raleigh started the first English colony at

Roanoke in North Carolina.

The Dutch started the colony of New Netherland in the

early 17th century. • New Netherland was in the area now known as

New York. • The Dutch who settled there were very interested

in earning money from trading and farming.• Trade was controlled by the Dutch West India

Company. • The Dutch also created the Dutch East India

Company to control trade in Asia and Africa.

EXCHANGES AND EFFECTS

The exploration of new routes and lands opened the possibilities of

trade in Europe.

The New World had plants, animals, and culture never before seen. • These items were in high demand by the royalty and nobility, and so

they were traded for high prices.

The economy in Europe started to grow as countries fought to be the first to

come back with a new good. • Europeans traded European goods with the natives and brought

animals like horses to the Americas. • Europeans also brought diseases to the New World.

• Some civilizations were completely wiped out by smallpox and other similar diseases.

EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

England was among the first European nations

to colonize what is now the United States.

The English settled along the coast of the

Atlantic Ocean, establishing the Thirteen

Colonies.

THE BRITISH COLONIES (13 COLONIES)

New England

Colonies

The Middle Colonies

The Southern

Colonies

NEW ENGLAND COLONIES

 The New England Colonies were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode

Island, and New Hampshire. • People often lived in communities that were dependent on fishing. • The people made their own clothes and shoes. • There was a strong shipbuilding industry in New England = large

supply of timber and good access to the Atlantic Ocean.• As a result, fishing and trading were very important to the

economy.• Many people worked as skilled craftsmen and shopkeepers. New

Englanders also exported furs to Europe.

MIDDLE COLONIES

The Middle Colonies were New York, New Jersey,

Pennsylvania, and Delaware. • The economy in this region relied on agriculture and

industry. • The area was known for its coastal lowlands

(harbors and bays, wide and deep rivers) and its rich farmlands, as well as its moderate climate.

• These colonies are referred to as the "breadbasket colonies," because they grew so much food including wheat, barley, and rye.

• Wheat and other grains grew on farms in Pennsylvania and New York.

• Pennsylvania had many mills where wheat was ground into flour.

SOUTHERN COLONIES (STOP)

 Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and

Georgia.

These colonies were mostly agricultural and had many

plantations.

A plantation was a large plot of land that had many acres of

farmland and buildings.

The people who lived there owned the land or worked the

land. • Many of the workers on plantations were African

slaves. The humid climate helped Southern plantations grow cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and indigo. • Good harbors helped colonists sell their products to

buyers in England, and rivers helped transport goods to other places in America.

TYPES OF COLONIES

A charter colony consisted of a document granting

permission to a group to settle and trade in a certain

area. • Example: The London Company received a

charter from England allowing them to settle in Virginia.

A royal colony was a colony under the direct control

of the king.

A proprietary colony was a colony that was granted

to an individual or group by the British crown and that

was granted full rights of self-government.• Ex. Maryland and Pennsylvania were proprietary

colonies.

WHY ENGLAND COLONIZED AMERICA…

The main reason the first people from

England settled America was economic. • England wanted to control areas of

America in order to gain wealth like gold and silver. • There was little gold and silver in the

Thirteen Colonies, but England soon found America's abundant natural resources such as furs and timber.

WHY ENGLAND COLONIZED AMERICA…CONT

Under mercantilism, the colonies were

expected to participate in economic

activities that benefited England.• The American colonies would send

to England natural resources such as timber, which was then manufactured into goods such as paper.

• It was then sold back to the colonists. Most colonial settlements had easy access to the sea so they could trade with England.

• Americans did not always like mercantilism because they could usually sell their goods to other places for more money.

WHY ENGLAND COLONIZED AMERICA…CONT

In later years, the reason for colonization included the

need for religious freedom because many people in

England could not practice their beliefs freely. • Others came to escape the high cost of land and

the lack of resources in Europe. They believed that in America they could find employment or become landowners

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/thirtee

ncolonies

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GOVERNMENT IN THE COLONIES

The American colonies

were early examples of

representative

government.• Colonial governments

were not perfect examples of democracy, but many of their ideas were later adopted by the United States.

GOVERNMENT IN THE COLONIES

The Mayflower Compact was the first

governing document of Plymouth Colony. • It was drafted by Pilgrims who were

seeking religious freedom.• It was based on a majoritarian

(majority rule) model and the settlers' allegiance to the king.

• In order to survive, settlers agreed to follow the compact's rules and regulations.

• In return, the government formed by the compact would receive its power from the consent of the governed. It is often referred to as the foundation for the U.S. Constitution.

GOVERNMENT IN THE COLONIES (CON’T)

The House of Burgesses was the

first elected legislative assembly in

the New World, established in

Virginia in 1619.• It was elected to represent the

landowners of Virginia. While its decisions could be overruled by the governor, the council, or the directors, it enacted laws and gave landowners a voice in government.

GOVERNMENT IN THE COLONIES (CON’T) STOP

Despite these representative governments,

England at different times attempted to exert more

control over the American colonies. • For example, the charter for the Massachusetts Bay

Colony was revoked in 1684 in an attempt to remove Puritan influence in New England.

• Massachusetts was restored in 1691 as a royal colony, led by a royal governor. By the time of the American Revolution, most colonies were royal colonies.

OTHER GROUPS IN AMERICA CON’T

Native Americans were already living in America when

European colonists arrived. There were conflicts, but many

Native Americans helped Europeans. In Jamestown, Native

Americans taught English settlers how to plant corn and

tobacco.

OTHER GROUPS IN AMERICA CON’T

The French founded their first North American settlement in

1608, in Canada.

France and England competed with each other in North

America until the French and Indian War, which lasted from 1754

until 1763.

England took control of France's colonies east of the Mississippi

River and placed troops throughout the colonies after the war.

These English troops made many American colonists unhappy.http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/frenchandindianwar/

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/frenchandindianwar/activity/

OTHER GROUPS IN AMERICA CON’T

In 1614, the Dutch began to settle the area of what is now

New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut. The Dutch

hoped to earn large profits in the fur trade. The Dutch traded

with the Mohawk and other Native American tribes who lived

in the area. Their colony was called New Netherland, and their

largest settlement was New Amsterdam, which became an

important trading center. New Amsterdam was captured by

the English in 1664, and the English renamed it New York.

EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

There were many different environments in North

America, and this resulted in a wide variety of

settlement patterns in the colonies. People settled

in the colonies for different reasons, and the people

in each colony had different ways of making a living.

WHY PEOPLE SETTLED IN AMERICA

People settled in America for many different

reasons. • Some came for religious freedom because they could

not practice their beliefs in Europe. • Others came to escape the high cost of land and the

lack of resources in Europe. • They believed that in America they could find

employment or become landowners.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Many colonists came to America to find religious

freedom.

This was especially the case in New England and

in some of the Middle colonies.

MASSACHUSETTS…

Plymouth Colony was founded by Pilgrims who

sailed to America on the Mayflower.

Puritans (people who wanted to make changes to

the Church of England) later began the

Massachusetts Colony.

Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans came to this

region (Massachusetts) to freely practice their

religions.

CONNECTICUT…

Connecticut was established by Thomas Hooker,

who disagreed with Massachusetts Governor John

Winthrop about political rights.• Winthrop believed that only members of the Puritan

church should be allowed to be a part of government.

• Although, Hooker believed that any male landowner should be allowed to. Hooker left Massachusetts and founded the Connecticut colony.

RHODE ISLAND

founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, • who was forced to leave Boston, Massachusetts,

because of his religious and political views.

Williams bought land from Native Americans and

founded Providence.

NEW HAMPSHIRE…

John Wheelwright, who was also forced to leave

Boston for his beliefs, founded the colony of New

Hampshire in 1638.

PENNSYLVANIA…

Pennsylvania was started by William Penn.

Penn hoped to make the colony a place where

Quakers could live and worship freely.

Many Quakers moved from England to

Pennsylvania so they could practice their

religion.

People of other religions were also welcome

in Pennsylvania.

ECONOMIC PROFIT…

Economic Profit: In some colonies, resources and

profit were the main reasons for settlement. • This was especially the case in many of the Southern

colonies.

WHO B OUGHT INTO ECONOMIC PROFIT…

• Virginia: Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, was established to find precious metals and other riches (gold and silver).

• However, the Native Americans taught them how to grow tobacco.• Settlers began selling tobacco to Europe, and it

soon became the first crop that was profitable for Virginia.

• New Jersey: King Charles II gave the New Jersey colony to two noblemen named Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley. These men hoped to make a profit from this colony.

WHY PEOPLE SET TLED CON’T…OTHER REASONS

One colony was founded for reasons other than profit

or religious freedom.

Georgia: Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe

for unique reasons. It was begun as a colony for

debtors (people who owed money) to begin a new life. • It was also meant to be a buffer, or a barrier,

between the English colonies and the Spanish in Florida.

• Georgia began as a proprietary colony, but it eventually became a royal colony.

RECAP: WHY PEOPLE SETTLED IN AMERICA

Religious Freedom

Economic Profit

Barrier/protection against Spaniards in

Florida

HOW PEOPLE LIVED…

The Thirteen Colonies had different climates and

geography.• These differences most affected each region's

agriculture, • The main economic activity

HOW THE 3 DIFFERENT COLONIES L IVED…

New England Colonies: Even though Native

Americans taught Pilgrims how to plant corn, the

New England region had poor farming conditions. • These poor conditions were caused by rocky soil and

long, cold winters. • Its colonists relied on other natural resources such

as fish, timber, and furs to earn a living.

HOW THE 3 DIFFERENT COLONIES L IVED…

Middle Atlantic Colonies: The Middle Atlantic

colonies grew grains such as wheat, barley, and rye.

For this reason, they were sometimes called the

"breadbasket colonies."

HOW THE 3 DIFFERENT COLONIES L IVED…

Southern Colonies: The Southern colonies had the

best climate for agriculture. These colonies had

coastal plains, hilly forests, warm climate, and rich

farmland that helped the region profit from farming.

INDENTURED SERVANTS AND SLAVES

Indentured servants were people who wished to come to

America but did not have the money to make the journey.• Instead of paying for passage on a ship, they took

the journey and became servants after reaching America.

• These indentured servants agreed to work for a certain number of years to make up for their payment.

INDENTURED SERVANTS AND SLAVES CON’T

The first Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia,

in 1619 as indentured servants.

Eventually, the practice of using African slaves replaced

using indentured servants as the main labor source.

Unlike indentured servants, slaves were forced to

work their entire lives.• Slavery existed in every colony, but it was most common

in the Southern colonies.

LEARN NC…

The area of North Carolina was originally explored

in the 1500s. The Carolina colony was officially

established in 1663. • This lesson will discuss some of the early history of

North Carolina.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH

Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat (noble)

that was granted a royal patent to explore the New

World. • He paid for and organized the establishment of the

colony of Roanoke Island on the North Carolina coast.

• The colony was the first attempt at English settlement in the New World.

JOHN WHITE

John White was one of the men that were involved in Sir Walter

Raleigh's exploration of North Carolina.

Later, John White was appointed the governor of the Roanoke

colony in 1587.

As an artist, White painted different images of the Native

Americans. • These images are the most accurate images of Native Americans

before the 19th century. • John White returned to England for supplies in 1588. After a two year

delay, he returned to North Carolina to find the colonists of Roanoke Colony had disappeared. His claims that the settlers moved in with friendly Native Americans is the most accepted fate of the "Lost Colony."

NC BECAME A ROYAL…

Lords Proprietors•  In 1663, King Charles II gave a colonial charter

to eight English lords for the Province of Carolina.

• The eight lords were referred to as the Lords Proprietors, and they were responsible for the new colony.

• In 1712, the colony was split and the colony of North Carolina was established. • The colony was controlled by these men until

1729 when their descendants sold their shares back to the crown.

• As a result, North Carolina became a royal colony.