Ch 1-2 Lecture notes

American History

 

Migration- no one is exactly sure when the 1st people came to the Americas

-          most believe they migrated from Asia across the then Bering Strait land bridge when the water levels were lower

 

Native life- the early people in the Americas were nomads- they moved around to where the food was

-          later, with the rise of agriculture- they began to settle down in one place (they could grow their own and not have to hunt it)

 

Native Groups-

-          Mayas- in Mexico, built large pyramid like temples, created an accurate calendar

-          Aztecs- Mexico, warriors, demanded tribute from neighboring tribes, noted for massive use of human sacrifice, capital city rivaled European cities

-          Hohokam- US SW, used irrigation to bring water to their crops

-          Anasazi- US SW, also irrigated, built pueblos- multi-story adobe buildings

-          Hopewell- mound builders in SE to Ohio valley, some in special shapes

-          Mississippians- mound builders, center of civilization at Cahokia (city of 16,000), used mound for ceremonial purposes

 

Vikings- Show up long before Columbus, decide its not worthwhile and leaves, doesn’t tell anyone so no one follows

 

Columbus- born in Italy, sailed for Spain, Spain wanted a trade route to Asia

-          most people thought ocean was too big to sail west from Europe to Asia, Columbus used other calculations that said it was smaller, he was wrong

-          he runs into land, gets off and calls the people “Indians” because he thought he was in India

-          never realized he found new land and was not in Asia

 

Amerigo Vespucci-  figures out this is not Asia, gives lots of descriptions, a mapmaker basically calls it Amerigo’s land (America)

 

America gives Europe- squash, corn, pumpkins, beans, sweet/regular potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, tobacco, chewing gum

 

Europe brings to America- Wheat, oats, barley, coffee, onions, oranges, bananas, domestic animals, technology, disease (some areas see 95% of population wiped out)

 

French settlements- by the mid to late 1600s, France has set up settlements in Canada and Louisiana, also, the Mississippi Valley was explored and settlements were created in Cahokia, Kaskaskia

 

Ch 2

 

English settlements-

-          1st 1585 at Roanoke, supply ship did not return for over a year, by then all of the settlers had vanished (no trace left)

-          2nd Jamestown (VA), 1607

o    starts out really shaky, all rich people, allergic to work

o    many die of disease/starvation, some resort to cannibalism (yuck.)

o    succeeds when they find a crop to export to England to make them wealthy (tobacco)

-          Maryland- Lord Baltimore, place for Catholics

 

The Pilgrim Story

-          Puritans, wanted to see traces of Catholicism eliminated from the Anglican Church

-          Decide to head to new world, end up in Mass. Instead of VA

-          Mayflower Compact- first evidence of democratic gov’t in the Americas

-          Helped by native named Squanto

-          Turns into a region dominated by the Puritan ideal, lots of religion (theocracy)

 

Roger Williams- founded Rhode Island, wanted a place where all religions (Christian) could practice

-          also not real big on how poorly the natives were being treated

 

New York- originally a Dutch colony (New Netherlands) beaten by the Duke of York

 

Pennsylvania- founded by William Penn, a place for the Quakers to go

 

Georgia- James Oglethorpe, supposed to be a 2nd chance to debtors (get them out of prisons)

 

 

South’s economy- mainly agricultural, Cash Crop- grow a bunch and sell it

-          tobacco, needs lots of workers

-          indentured servants- someone paid their way over, and they agreed to work for them for a period of time, food shelter is paid for until contract is up

-          still, there were a lot of poor farmers that practiced subsistence farming- grow from yourself to eat

-          slavery goes up

o    more labor needed

o    cheaper than indentured servants

o    owned, can be used as collateral to borrow $ to buy more land

o    not Christian, so who cares what happens to them

 

New England’s Economy- diverse

-          land not good enough for big farms, so there were a lot of subsistence farmers

-          as a result, few slaves are needed

-          major $ making activities:

o    shipbuilding

o    fishing

o    lumber

o    trade

o    later: insurance (ships needed it b/c dangerous)

 

Middle Colonies- PA, NY, NJ

-          grain, wheat- good ground/climate

 

England’s view of America-

-          these are our colonies, we should profit off of them or else what is the point

-          Navigation Acts- colonies can only trade with England

o    Cuts down on who colonists can sell to, means will sell for less w/o competition

 

Great Awakening- Revival of religion in the Colonies

-          many felt region was going downhill b/c of the Enlightenment (science and reason)

-          preachers used methods to scare people away from Hell (fire and brimstone sermons)

-          many gained quite a bit of notoriety George Whitefield routinely preached to crowds in the thousands (allegedly 80-100,000 at some gatherings), also Jonathon Edwards

- religious ‘love thy neighbor” leads to love all people (even blacks and Indians, so they should not be slaves)