Cheatsheet: Colonial America

1. Early European Exploration

1.1 Reasons for Exploration

• Search for new trade routes to Asia for spices and silk
• Spread of Christianity to new lands
• Competition between European nations for wealth and power
• Advances in navigation technology (compass, astrolabe, better ships)
• Desire for gold, silver, and other precious resources

1.2 Key Explorers

2. Spanish Colonization

2.1 Spanish Settlements

• St. Augustine, Florida: Founded 1565, oldest permanent European settlement in what became the U.S.
• Santa Fe, New Mexico: Founded 1610, important Spanish colonial city
• Spanish focused on Southwest, Florida, and California
• Built missions to convert Native Americans to Christianity
• Established presidios (military forts) to protect settlements

2.2 Spanish Colonial System

• Encomienda system: Spanish colonists controlled Native American labor
• Missionaries worked to convert Native Americans
• Searched for gold and silver
• Introduced horses, cattle, and wheat to the Americas

3. English Colonization

3.1 Roanoke (The Lost Colony)

• 1587, established on island off North Carolina coast
• Led by John White
• Settlers disappeared by 1590, only word "CROATOAN" carved on tree
• Mystery remains unsolved

3.2 Jamestown (1607)

• First permanent English settlement in America
• Located in Virginia, founded by Virginia Company
• Named after King James I
• Early hardships: disease, starvation, conflicts with Native Americans
• "Starving Time" (1609-1610): Only 60 of 500 colonists survived
• John Smith: Leader who established "no work, no food" rule
• Pocahontas: Daughter of Chief Powhatan, helped maintain peace
• John Rolfe: Married Pocahontas (1614), developed tobacco as cash crop
• 1619: First African laborers arrived
• 1619: House of Burgesses established, first representative assembly in colonies

3.3 Plymouth Colony (1620)

• Founded by Pilgrims (Separatists seeking religious freedom)
• Sailed on the Mayflower from England
• Mayflower Compact: Agreement to create and obey fair laws, early example of self-government
• William Bradford: Governor of Plymouth
• Squanto: Native American who helped colonists learn farming and survive
• First Thanksgiving (1621): Celebrated harvest with Wampanoag tribe

3.4 Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)

• Founded by Puritans seeking religious freedom
• John Winthrop: First governor, spoke of "city upon a hill"
• Much larger than Plymouth (about 1,000 settlers initially)
• Strict religious community based on Puritan beliefs
• Town meetings allowed male church members to participate in government

4. The Thirteen Colonies

4.1 New England Colonies

4.1.1 New England Characteristics

• Rocky soil, short growing season
• Economy: fishing, shipbuilding, trade, small farms
• Towns centered around churches
• Strong emphasis on education (reading Bible)
• Town meetings for local government

4.2 Middle Colonies

4.2.1 Middle Colonies Characteristics

• Fertile soil, moderate climate
• Economy: farming (wheat, grain - "breadbasket colonies"), trade
• Diverse population (Dutch, German, Swedish, English, others)
• Religious tolerance
• Growing cities: New York City, Philadelphia

4.3 Southern Colonies

4.3.1 Southern Colonies Characteristics

• Warm climate, long growing season, fertile soil
• Economy: large plantations growing tobacco, rice, indigo
• Heavy reliance on enslaved African labor
• Social hierarchy: wealthy plantation owners, small farmers, indentured servants, enslaved people
• Rural settlements, fewer towns

5. Colonial Life and Society

5.1 Labor Systems

5.2 Triangular Trade

• Trade route between colonies, Africa, and Europe
• Colonies to Africa: rum and goods
• Africa to Americas: enslaved people (Middle Passage)
• Americas to Europe/Colonies: sugar, molasses, tobacco, cotton
• Middle Passage: brutal voyage for enslaved Africans across Atlantic Ocean

5.3 Daily Life

• Most people were farmers
• Men: farming, hunting, craftwork
• Women: cooking, cleaning, childcare, making clothes, gardening
• Children: helped with chores, limited schooling (more in New England)
• Religion central to community life

5.4 Education

• New England: public schools, emphasis on reading Bible
• Middle colonies: some private and church schools
• Southern colonies: wealthy children educated by tutors, poor children little education
• Girls received less formal education than boys

6. Relations with Native Americans

6.1 Early Interactions

• Initial cooperation: trade, Native Americans taught colonists survival skills
• Cultural misunderstandings over land ownership
• Europeans viewed land as property to buy/sell; Native Americans saw land as shared resource

6.2 Conflicts

6.3 Impact on Native Americans

• European diseases (smallpox, measles) killed thousands of Native Americans
• Loss of land as colonies expanded
• Destruction of traditional ways of life
• Some forced into slavery or moved from ancestral lands

7. Colonial Government

7.1 Types of Colonies

7.2 Representative Government

• House of Burgesses (Virginia, 1619): first representative assembly
• Mayflower Compact (1620): agreement for self-government
• Town meetings in New England: direct democracy for local issues
• Colonial assemblies: elected representatives made laws
• Only white men who owned property could vote

8. Religion in the Colonies

8.1 Religious Groups

8.2 Religious Freedom Advocates

• Roger Williams: Founded Rhode Island for religious freedom, separation of church and state
• Anne Hutchinson: Challenged Puritan authorities, banished from Massachusetts
• William Penn: Established religious tolerance in Pennsylvania
• Act of Toleration (1649): Maryland law protecting Christian religious freedom

8.3 Great Awakening (1730s-1740s)

• Religious revival movement across colonies
• Emotional preaching emphasized personal faith
• Key preachers: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield
• Led to growth of new churches and denominations
• Challenged traditional authority

9. Economic Development

9.1 Mercantilism

• Economic system where colonies existed to benefit mother country
• Colonies provided raw materials to England
• England manufactured goods and sold them back to colonies
• Navigation Acts: laws requiring colonies to trade only with England using English ships

9.2 Colonial Economies

9.3 Cash Crops

• Tobacco: Virginia, Maryland (John Rolfe introduced profitable variety)
• Rice: South Carolina, Georgia (grown in coastal swamps)
• Indigo: South Carolina (blue dye, developed by Eliza Lucas Pinckney)

10. Important People

11. Key Dates