Christopher Columbus
- Landed 12th October 1492 in Bahamas
- sponsored by Spanish King Frederick, Queen Isabella (economic and religious reasons)
Columbian Exchange
- American-Europe exchange if plants (Tobacco, Chocolate, sugarcane), animals, diseases (smallpox, measles)
- Europe benefitted, native population ravaged by disease
- new crop > plantations > transatlantic slave trade (also Christianity)
Reformation
- Luther 1517, Calvin 1530 caused religious & political schism in Europe
- America drawn into European religion wars
- creation of the Pilgrims
Puritans > Pilgrims
- Henry 8 makes CoE for known reasons
- Puritans want CoE even less catholic, unsatisfied and split from England, become "Pilgrims"
- covenant of god, covenant of work
city upon a hill
major colonies
- Jamestown (1607)
- (P) Massachusettes Bay, Plymouth (1620)
- Barbados (1627)
- lost Roanoke (1648)
- Chesapeake Bay
who was colonising
- Netherlands (economic)
- Spain/Portugal (economic and spreading catholicism)
- France (spreading catholicism)
- England (economic and Protestantism) (pilgrims pilgrimaging)
Restoration
- after Catholic/protestant civil war, beheading of Charles I, Cromwell's Republic
- Inter-Regum= time between kingly rule
- restoration of monarchy and Protestantism via crowning of Charles II
- creation of Carolinas, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania ("proprietary colonies"> rule give to individuals and families)
- consequently more slavery <> more trade with England
Metacom war
(- King Phillip)
- leader of Wampanoag
- dies at the end
- mid 17th century New England
- Puritans massively spread across Native Land
- Wampanoag + allied tribes destroyed half of English frontier but to no avail
- more racial hatred, now natives as bloodthirsty savages
Bacon's Rebellion
- Nathaniel Bacon wanted to drive Natives out of Virginia, Governor William Berkley refused > Bacon armed rebellion
- white and black slaves fought in solidarity to get rid of natives
- led to more racial hatred against Africans to prevent African-white lower classes solidarity > chattel slavery
Stono's Rebellion
- armed insurrection by black slaves, killed 20-25 whites, rebellion put down by militia
- white fear > harsher laws (eg education forbidden, organisation forbidden
french Indian war/ seven years war
- territory conflicts between Brits and France (Brits wanted westwards where the french were) lead to GWashington 1754 leading attack against french soldiers
- native allies in either side
- britain won: french land conquered in America and Carribbean (+ some Africa and India), world power, debttttt
- France lost: lost all north American land, lost native trade partners, build up to french revolution
- natives lost France as peaceful-ish trade partner, lost land to Brits, increased oppression violence and enslavement
- military experience and taxes due to debt lead to American Revolution
acts and taxes
- sugar act (1764): tax on sugar, colonists no right to trial by jury
- stamp act (1765): tax on printed paper > control of news, "no taxation without representation" > sons/daughters of liberty
- quartering act (1765): Americans had to offer their own quarters to British soldiers if required
- declaratory act (1766): British parliament highest, American laws parliament disagrees with "null and void"
- Townsend Act (1767): taxed many everyday goods, governors appointed by crown
- Indemnity Act (1766): reduced export and raised import tax on tea > Boston Massacre
> led to first continental congress
Boston Massacre
- tea act caused protests in Boston harbour
- protestors threw snowballs, British soldiers opened fire, five died (first man of Wampanoag and African descent)
> increased tension
Boston tea party
-beitc granted tax relief but colonies not
- protestors threw 1 Mio $ of Tea into harbour
- Sons/Daughters of Liberty organise boycott of Brit goods, lotta smuggling
> increased control, intolerable acts
First Continental Congress
- 1774 in Philadelphia (12/13 states present)
- intended retribution for acts and Boston Massacre, but no complete separation (yet)
- formation of militias, joined boycotts
> unity and challenge to British power
loyalists vs patriots
loyalists: economic/family ties to England, scared of war, religious objection to war, slaves hoped England could give them freedom
patriots: English rule unfair and oppressive, Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Deceleration of Independence
- 4th July 1776
- written by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
- "all men are created equal" (hypocritical for obvious reasons)
- men who signed are the founding fathers