1. New World, New People

2. Age of Discovery 3. Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery was an era when Europeansailors and ships left the Old World (Europe) and setout on an adventure to explore the vastness of thegreen sea of darkness. First to set sail were the Portuguese, followed by theSpanish. Then in the late 15th to early 16th centuries theBritish, French and Dutch set sail to explore the world. The countries that backed the explorers were alllooking for Mundus Novus, which was the New World. 4. Age of Discovery When European sailors came upon new lands theybefriended the native populations. Then whenvaluable resources such as silver and gold were foundthey exploited them. The Age of Discovery turned into the Age ofExploitation. 5. Treaty of Tordesillas The Treaty of Tordesillas was a 1494 agreement dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal along a north-south meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. The land to the east would belong to Portugal and the land to the west would belong to Spain. 6. Treaty of Tordesillas 7. Spain/Portugal 8. Portugal Instead of colonizing its newly discovered territories,Portugal constructed trading depots from West Africato China. By the 16th Century the Portuguese had substantiallyincreased their wealth by becoming the majorimporters of luxuries and spices from the East. Portugal built an empire that was dependent upontheir sea power. 9. Brazil One of Portugals greatest gains during the Age of Discovery would be the accidental discovery of Brazil in 1500. 10. Brazil 11. Gaspar de Corte-Real 12. Gaspar de Corte-Real The first authenticated European landing in North America was by a Portuguese navigator named Gaspar de Corte-Real (c. 1450-c. 1501 CE). He explored the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland. 13. Gaspar de Corte-Real 14. Spain Spain founded its empire on conquest andcolonization, not trade. Possibly the most important Spanish endeavors duringthe Age of Discovery were the voyages of ChristopherColumbus (1451-1506) Columbus was an Italian explorer. 15. Spain 16. Christopher Columbus 17. Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus drew up plans for intended voyages but they were repeatedly rejected. It would be King Ferdinand V (1452-1516) and his wife Queen Isabella (1451-1504) that would finally fund Columbus voyages. 18. Christopher Columbus King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain hadpromised a large reward to the first person to discoverland. At about 10:00 pm on October 11, 1492, ChristopherColumbus saw a faint light off in the distance.Columbus based his claim on the reward on theobservation he had made. The light Columbus had seen could not have beenland. Columbus was still 35 miles from shore. 19. Christopher Columbus A contract was drawn up that specified Columbuswould be: Designated Admiral of the Ocean Sea Columbus would control all the land he discovered. Columbus would retain 10% of all the discoveredriches on his voyages. Columbus would also become a member of Spanishnobility. 20. Christopher Columbus August 3, 1492-1st Voyage to the New World Columbus commanded the Santa Maria and wasattended by 2 other ships, the Pinta and the Nina. Hisentire squadron consisted of only 120 men. After 33 days at sea Columbus sighted Watlings Islandin the Bahamas. The first people that Columbus encountered when hefinally reached land (which was in the Antilles andBahamas) were the Arawak. The Arawak no longer live on most islands in theregion, but still can be found residing in Cuba. 21. Christopher Columbus Columbus then visited the islands of Cuba andHispaniola. Columbus left a colony of 40 men at Navidad. He thensailed home to Spain, entering the Spanish port ofPalos on March 15, 1493. 22. Columbus-1st Voyageto the New World 23. Columbus-1st Voyageto the New World 24. Christopher Columbus September 24, 1493-2nd Voyage to the New World On Columbus second trip he set sail with 17 ships,with the trip lasting 21 days. On November 3, 1493, Columbus sighted Dominica inthe West Indies. By the end of November Columbus had discovered theVirgin Islands and Puerto Rico. 25. Christopher Columbus When Columbus returned to Navidad he found hisfortress in ruins and all the men dead. The men werekilled by the native population of the island. Columbus left a new colony on Santa Domingo on theisland of Hispaniola. In April 1494 Columbus left the West Indies in searchof a route to China. He arrived in Cuba, but nevermade it to China. Columbus set sail for Spain on March 10, 1496, with 2ships. He arrived in Spain on June 8th. 26. Columbus-2nd Voyageto the New World 27. Christopher Columbus May 30, 1498-3rd Voyage to the New World Columbus took charge of 3 ships on a mission ofexploration while 3 other ships set out for Hispaniola. On this voyage Columbus discovered Trinidad andMargarita. Upon Columbus arrival at Santa Domingo on the island ofHispaniola he discovered the colony was in turmoil.Columbus own colonists had begun the revolt against hisadministration. Francisco de Bobadilla was appointed royal commissionerand Columbus was arrested. In October 1500 Columbus was sent home to Spain in irons. 28. Columbus-3rd Voyageto the New World 29. Christopher Columbus May 11, 1502-4th Voyage to the New World Columbus 4th voyage would be his last to the NewWorld. He departed Spain with 4 ships and 140 men.Unfortunately the voyage suffered many hardships atthe hands of constant storms and hostile Indians. Columbus was able to traverse the coast of CentralAmerica to Panama. Columbus returned to Spain on November 7, 1504. Columbus died at Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506. 30. Columbus-4th Voyageto the New World 31. Christopher Columbus Columbus discoveries were influential in human history.They opened half of the globe to the Eastern world as wellas advanced navigational technology and meteorology. The land Columbus discovered eventually became home todemocracy which would later spread across the globe. Columbus voyages to the New World were responsible fordiscovering and introducing new foods. The Middle Ages ended as new discoveries were beingmade by Columbus and other explorers. Riches from the New World were being shared acrossEurope. 32. Christopher Columbus Columbus was considered a failure when he died in1506 CE. Columbus and his men abused the Indians. Hisbehavior can be considered genocide towards nativepopulations. Columbus also brought slavery to the Americas. He seta standard for destroying people and land for profit. Columbus symbolized white men oppressing non-white people. 33. Why Explore? 34. Why Explore? Why did the Europeans set forth on a course ofexploration? There are 4 reasons: Mans Curiosity Religion Economic Imperialism 35. Obstacles to Exploration There were, however, many obstacles that faced theexplorers. Some of these obstacles were: Lack of geographical knowledge. The belief that all the world was not populated. Africa and Malaysia were connected which left theIndian Ocean land locked. Danger of ocean travel. (The ocean was inhabited bydragons and sea monsters, and there were great holesin the sea where ships would simply disappear.) 36. Obstacles to Exploration Wild Natives Cannibals Reefs and Shoals Unmapped Waters Running Aground Storms None of the sailors really knew where they were sailing to. 37. Ship Conditions 38. Ferdinand Magellan 39. Ferdinand Magellan Ship conditions on many voyages proved less thanideal. Ferdinand Magellan recorded that in 1521: They were three months and twenty days withoutrefreshment from any kind of fresh food. They ate biscuits that were swarming with worms. The rats had eaten all the good. We drank yellow water already many days putrid. The sailors were reduced to eating ox hides andsawdust. 40. Ocean Travel What was needed for ocean travel was: Courageous Men Steadfast Leader Strong Ships Chronometer, which measured longitude. This was not available until the 18th Century. 41. Ocean Travel Astrolabe, which measured latitude. The astrolabe wasknown to the ancient Greeks. It was improved in the15th Century. Magic Needle (Compass) More accurate maps. Skilled map makers. The 15th Century saw vastimprovements in cartography. 42. Amerigo Vespucci 43. Amerigo Vespucci In 1499 the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci sightsthe coast of North America. He gets credited for thediscovery of the continent. In 1507 the name America is first used in a geographybook referring to the New World. 44. Canada 45. Canada Over 1 million Native Americans populated the areathat is now Canada. About one third of the Native American Canadianpopulation was located along the Pacific Coast (PacificNorthwest Indians) where they lived along ocean baysand in river valleys. The other two thirds of the native population inCanada lived in the east along the St. Lawrence Riverand in the Great Lakes region. 46. Jacques Carter 47. Jacques Carter Jacques Carter (1491-1557) was a master navigator whois credited with discovering the St. Lawrence River inNorth America. He also explored the area that wouldbecame modern day Montreal, Canada. The name Canada can be traced back to 1536 and thewritings of Jacques Carter. While sailing up the St.Lawrence River Carter noticed that the local Indiansreferred to their settlements as Kanata. The Frenchtook the term Kanata to be the Indian name for thecountry. 48. Ponce de Leon 49. Ponce de Leon Ponce de Leon, who served as the Spanish Governor ofPuerto Rico, was the first conquistador who attemptedto expand Spanish control to North America. Ponce de Leon landed on the southern Atlantic coastof the New World in 1513, which he named in honor ofthe Easter season-Pascua Florida. 50. Ponce de Leon 51. Ponce de Leon In 1513 the Calusas Indians of Florida successfully drivePonce de Leon away. The Calusas Indians were the dominant tribe ofsouthwestern Florida. Word had spread among the Calusas Indians about thestrange and brutal behavior of the men with houseson water. 52. Ponce de Leon The Calusas Indians mounted strategic resistance to Ponce deLeons second expedition to Florida in 1521. Ponce de Leon landed at Carlos Bay with 200 Spanish soldiersand settlers to establish a colony. The Calusa chieftain, known as Carlos I, allowed the Spanish tobuild a settlement while he gathered a large force of Calusawarriors. After the settlement was established the Calusas warriorsattacked with weaponry that included poison darts and arrows. Ponce de Leon was hit in the thigh with an arrow. He ordered aretreat back to Havana, Cuba. Ponce de Leon died in Havana from the infected poison arrowwound. 53. Native Populations 54. Native Populations It was difficult for the Indian peoples to resist Spanishconquest. Most native populations were no match forthe Spanish mounted soldiers with their steel swordsand man eating dogs. 55. Native Populations In 1518 smallpox first came from the Spanish mainland.The epidemic was so virulent that according to oneSpanish historian, it left Hispaniola, Puerto Rico,Jamaica and Cuba desolate of Indians. The smallpox epidemic made its way into Mexico in1520 where it destroyed the Aztecs. In 1524 the smallpox epidemic severely weakened theIncan Empire. Spanish chronicles states that the smallpox epidemickilled half of the Native Americans it touched. 56. Native Populations This downward trend in the native population did notbegin to increase until the early 20th Century. By thattime the native populations had decreased 90%. The massive decline in native populations in the NewWorld served as the greatest demographic disaster inworld history. 57. Hernando de Soto 58. Hernando de Soto The first attempt to penetrate North America wasmade by Hernando de Soto in 1539. He landed inFlorida with a Cuban army that consisted of over 700men. Hernando de Soto had been given license by the kingof Spain to conquer, pacify, and people the landknown as La Florida, which was Florida, Georgia,South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi andLouisiana. Hernando de Soto and his men cut a path ofdestruction from Florida to Texas. 59. La Florida 60. Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto forced his way through the heavilypopulated southeastern portion of the countrydemanding food and slaves from the MississippianIndian towns that unfortunately were in his path. Hernando de Soto reached present day Alabama wherehe and his army were besieged by thousands of NativeAmerican warriors. Several months later the ancestors of the modern dayChickasaw Indians ripped apart Hernando de Soto andhis troops. 61. Hernando de Soto Hernando de Sotos army lost half of its men. Indesperation he drove his men on, moving westwardand crossing the Mississippi River. They moved deepinside present day Arkansas before retreating back tothe banks of the Mississippi River. Hernan de Sotodied there in 1542. The Native Americans had successfully repelled theSpanish invasion, but their victory was short lived.Hernan de Soto had introduced epidemic diseases thateventually depopulated the Mississippi chiefdoms. 62. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado 63. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado During the same year of Hernando de Sotosexpedition (1539), Spanish officials residing in Mexicolaunched an attempt to conquer North America. Thisattempt by Spain was aimed at the Southwest. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led 300 mounted menand infantry and 800 Indian porters north alongIndian trading paths. Coronado and his men finally reached the Pueblovillages along the Rio Grande River. The initial resistance from the Pueblo Indians washalted quickly by Coronados troops. 64. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Coronado was disappointed by the towns of stone andmud, rudely fashioned. He sent out expeditions in alldirections in search of the legendary golden cities ofCibola. Coronado led his army as far north as the Great Plainswhere they discovered great herds of shaggy cows,(buffalo). He returned from his expedition without thediscovery of gold. Spain lost interest in the Southwest for the next 50years. 65. Bartolome de La Casas 66. Bartolome de La Casas There were protests over the horrors brought on by theSpanish conquest. Bartolome de Las Casas, a Spanish Catholic priest,began to denounce the Spanish conquerors. In his book The Destruction of the Indians (1552), LasCasas blamed the Spanish for cruelties that resulted inthe deaths of millions of Indians. Las Casas book was translated into other languagesand used by other European powers to condemnSpain. 67. Bartolome de La Casas Las Casas was incorrect on the cause of so many Indiandeaths. He thought warfare was the main reason Indiansdied in vast numbers. Although some did die due towarfare, still others died due to starvation as their localeconomies were destroyed or their food stores had beentaken. There was also a decline in native births that contributed tothe problem. The primary cause of death among the native populationsof the New World was epidemic diseases such as influenza,plague, smallpox, measles and typhus. Native populationslacked the antibodies necessary to protect them fromEuropean diseases. 68. Peru In 1544 silver was discovered in Potosi, Peru. 85% of the silver shipped to Europe over the following100 years came from this site. The Spanish imported 6,000 African slaves to work thesilver mine. Silver changed Europe from a barter to a true moneyeconomy. 69. Peru 70. South America 71. Jean Ribault 72. Jean Ribault Jean Ribault was sent to the New World by France in 1562 toexplore Florida and begin a new colony. Traveling with Ribault was 150 Huguenots (French Protestants). Ribault landed near the St. Augustine area of Florida. He thensailed north until he came upon the St. Johns River. At the mouth of the St. Johns River Ribault built a stonemonument to mark his visit to the region and claim the area forFrance. Ribault then continued even further north, finally arriving at aplace he would name Port Royal which was located in modernday South Carolina. It is at Port Royal the Huguenots built Charlesfort, a fort namedin honor of their king. 73. Jean Ribault Supplies at Charlesfort ran low so Ribault sailed back toFrance to obtain more. Upon arrival in France Ribault was unable to raise moneyfor supplies because of a religious conflict that had brokenout. Ribault then proceeded to England to ask Queen Elizabethfor assistance. Queen Elizabeth had Ribault imprisoned forbuilding a French fort on Spanish territory. While Ribault was in prison Rene Laudonniere was sent torescue the people in Charlesfort. When Laudonniere and the Huguenots arrived at the St.Johns River they built Fort Caroline for protection. 74. Jean Ribault When Ribault was released from prison he was sentback to the New World. He was going to rescue FortCaroline and retake control of the colony. The French colonists no longer believed inLaudonnieres leadership at Fort Caroline. Some of the French colonists had come into conflictwith the Spanish. Most of the French colonists wanted to return home. 75. Jean Ribault In 1565 the Spanish sent Don Pedro Menendez deAviles to Florida and he established a settlement southof the French at St. Augustine. The Spanish then marched on the French colony,attacking them from the rear. The French settlement was totally destroyed. St. Augustine became the oldest continuouslyoccupied European city in North America. 76. St. Augustine 77. John Hawkins 78. John Hawkins Englands efforts at colonization of the New Worldbegan by participating in the slave trade. In 1562 John Hawkins violated Spanish regulations bytransporting a load of African slaves to the islands inthe Caribbean. He then brought back valuable tropicalgoods. In 1567 John Hawkins made another journey to theNew World and was attacked by the Spanish. Englishprivateers such as Francis Drake used this attack as anexcuse to raid Spains New World ports and fleets. 79. Spain By the late 16th Century the Spanish had developed apowerful empire within North America. Within thisempire 200,000 immigrants, mostly Spaniards, hadsettled. Another 125,000 individuals, African slaves,had been forcibly settled on the Spanish plantations ofthe Caribbean and the Portuguese plantations ofBrazil. The Portuguese had colonized Brazil under the termsof the Treaty of Tordesillas. 80. Atlantic Slave Trade Routes 81. Spain Spanish women also came to the New World(America) as early as the second expedition ofChristopher Columbus. Spanish women accounted for only 10% of thepopulation during the 16th Century. The low percentage of Spanish women in the coloniesled to men cohabitating with Indian and Africanwomen. The result was the creation of mixed ancestrygroups of people called mestizos and mulattoes. 82. Spain Mestizos were children of Spanish and Indian ancestry. Mulattoes were children of Spanish and Africanancestry. Populated by Spanish colonists, Africans, Indians andtheir mixed offspring, the New World colonies ofSpain became one of the largest empires in history. There is a third category of people that are unique tothe New World. The Spanish refer to people ofEuropean descent born in the New World as creoles. 83. Roanoke Colony 84. Roanoke Colony Between 1584-1587 was Englands first attempts at colonizing the New World. The Roanoke Colony, set up on Roanoke Island by Walter Raleigh, seemed promising at first but eventually failed. 85. King Philip II 86. King Philip II King Philip II of Spain was angered at the English incursion into Spanish territory. The king committed his troops to smashing England. In 1588 Spain sent 130 ships carrying 30,000 men to invade the British Isles. 87. England vs. Spain Countered by captains such as Drake and Hawkins andtheir smaller and more maneuverable ships, theSpanish Armada foundered. The English defeated theSpanish Armada in 1588. The Spanish monopoly on the New World had beenbroken by the English. 88. Europe 89. England vs. Spain 90. Virginia Company In 1607 a group of London investors known as theVirginia Company sends ships to Chesapeake Baywhere they have a fort built. The fort is calledJamestown in honor of King James I. Jamestown will become the first permanent Englishsettlement in North America. The Jamestown settlement survives the first year dueto assistance from the Algonquian Indians. 91. Native Populations The French and English differed in their affairs withthe native populations. The French favored trading posts and allied Christianmissions that were attached to existing villages. The British favored colonies of permanent settlers. 92. Henry Hudson 93. Henry Hudson The Dutch first appear in North America in 1609 withthe explorations of Henry Hudson (1565-1611) andclaimed what is now New York for the Netherlands. Within a few years the Dutch have settlements on theHudson River at Fort Orange (modern Albany) and atNew Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. 94. Henry Hudson In 1609 Henry Hudson sailed up a river and a bay inpresent day New York which later would be called theHudson River and Hudson Bay. Hudson was searching for a northwest passage to theIndies but instead discovered a territory rich in furbearing mammals. In 1611 Hudson, his son and several others were castadrift when the crew of his ship mutinied. They werenever heard from again. It was Hudsons exploration that helped the Dutchclaim part of the New World. 95. Jamestown 96. Jamestown Between 1609-1610 the Jamestown colonists, led by CaptainJohn Smith, grew dependant on Algonquin assistance forsurvival. Captain Smith and his men plundered food fromsurrounding Algonquin tribes. In retaliation, Powhata, theAlgonquin Chief, decided to starve the colonists out. The winter was terrible. Hundreds of Jamestown colonistsstarved to death. Of the 500 colonists at Jamestown in thefall, only 60 were alive by the spring. Determined to win over the Indians, the Virginia Companysent out additional forces. They committed themselves to along war with the Algonquians. 97. Pocahontas 98. Jamestown The fighting between the Algonquians and colonistspersisted until Pocahontas, Powhatans favorite daughter,had been captured. Wore down by disease, war and the desire to see hisdaughter, Powhatan accepted a peace treaty with thecolonists in 1614. In 1617 Pocahontas, who had adopted English ways andmarried John Rolfe, one of the Virginia Companys settlersin Jamestown, fell sick and died on a visit to England. Devastated by the news of his daughters death, Powhatanabdicated in favor of his brother, Opechancanough. 99. Native Americans Between 1616-1619 a smallpox epidemic ravaged theIndian population along the North Atlantic coast fromMassachusetts to Maine, killing off entire tribes. The disease was believed to have been spread byEuropean fishermen who had established temporaryprocessing stations along the coast. One surviving Indian stated that his people weremelted down by the disease. Nine tenths of the Indian population died. 100. Mayflower 101. Mayflower In 1620 the ship Mayflower sails for America with 102colonists. The colonists had obtained a patient forsettlement from the Virginia Company of London,England. In return for the patient the colonists agreed to shipfish, fur and lumber back to England for seven years. After the seven years the colonists could assumeownership of the land. In November 1620 the Mayflower landed at PlymouthBay, which was outside the British colony of Virginia. 102. Plymouth Bay 103. Mayflower The passengers of the Mayflower had landed outsidethe approved settlement area known as Virginia. Theyhad no legal right to form any settlement outside ofVirginia. A document called the Mayflower Compact wascreated and signed by all the men. This documentestablished the colony of the Plymouth Plantation. The Plymouth Plantation would be a civic bodypolitic controlled by Englands James I. 104. Pilgrims 105. Plymouth Plantation 106. Peter Minuit 107. Peter Minuit In 1626 a Dutch colonists named Peter Minuit purchases Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders, or about $24.00, and names the island New Amsterdam. 108. New Amsterdam 109. Massachusetts Bay In 1629 a royal charter is granted to a group of wealthyPuritans to settle Massachusetts Bay. Puritans are individuals that believe that the Queensreforms of the Church of England did not go farenough. This settlement became the Massachusetts BayCompany. An advance force of 200 settlers left for a fishingsettlement on Massachusetts Bay. The settlement, called Naumkeag, was renamedSalem. 110. Massachusetts Bay Colony 111. John Winthrop 112. John Winthrop John Winthrop was the leader of the Massachusetts Bay settlement at Salem. He was also the first governor and came up with the idea of a city on a hill, which was New Englands model of reform from old England. 113. King Charles I 114. King Charles I In 1629 King Charles I dissolves the British Parliament and attempts to rule England as an absolute monarch. This motivates many people in England to set sail for the American colonies. 115. English Civil War Between 1640-1659 the English Civil War is fought. In 1642 an armed conflict occurs between King CharlesI of England and the Puritans in Parliament. Thiswould eventually lead to the execution of King CharlesI. The English Civil War would also motivate people toset sail for America. 116. English Civil War 117. Restoration Colonies-King Charles II In 1660 Charles II became King of England. He establishesnew colonies in America that come to be known as theRestoration Colonies. These were colonies granted toindividuals who supported Charles II during the EnglishCivil Wars. The six Restoration Colonies are: Delaware New York New Jersey Pennsylvania North Carolina South Carolina 118. Restoration Colonies Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania arecalled the Middle Colonies, because they are locatedon the mid Atlantic seaboard. These colonies were proprietorships, which meant thatone man or a group of men owned the entire piece ofland. 119. King Charles II 120. King Charles II After several Anglo-Dutch conflicts between 1672-1674,including the Anglo-Dutch War, the British gaincontrol of New Amsterdam. King Charles II grants the new colony to his brotherJames who was the Duke of York. The colony wasrenamed New York in his honor. 121. Pennsylvania-William Penn 122. Pennsylvania In 1676 property rights to the western portion of NewJersey were granted to a group of English Quakerswhich included William Penn. In 1681 William Penn Jr. was granted a huge area ofterritory by King Charles II of England to repay a debtowed to Sir William Penn, who was a close advisor tothe king. This territory was to the west of the Delaware River. The next year Penn began developing his capital ofPhiladelphia on the Delaware. 123. Pennsylvania Between 1682-1683 the Lenape (Delaware) Indiansmade an agreement and treaty of friendship withWilliam Penn. The Lenape Indians permitted Penn toconstruct a colony in the area of modern dayPhiladelphia. The Treaty of Shackamaxon permitted Penn topurchase the territories that would becomeSoutheastern Pennsylvania. In 1688 the Quakers of Pennsylvania issue a formalprotest against slavery in America. 124. Pennsylvania 125. Sieur de La Salle 126. Sieur de La Salle Between 1681-1682 Sieur de La Salle navigated theMississippi River to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico. In 1682 Sieur de La Salle explores the lower MississippiValley region and claimed it for France, naming thearea Louisiana for King Louis XIV. Sieur de la Salles discoveries established French claimsto territories in North America. 127. Louisiana 128. Louisiana The banks are almost uninhabitable, on account of the spring floods. The woods are all those of a boggy district, the country one of canes and briars and trees torn up by the roots; but a league or two from the river, is the most beautiful country in the world, prairies, woods of mulberry trees, and fruits that we are not acquainted with. Henri de Tontys 1963 description of the Mississippi Valley in his account of the founding of Louisiana. 129. Benjamin Franklin 130. Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, writer and formerAmbassador to France. Franklin was the oldest delegate to the ConstitutionalConvention. The other delegates admired his wisdom. Franklins advice was crucial in the drafting of theConstitution. In 1729 Benjamin Franklin begins publishing ThePennsylvania Gazette, which eventually becomes themost popular newspaper in the American colonies. In 1731 Benjamin Franklin starts the first Americanpublic library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 131. Benjamin Franklin Between 1732-1757 Poor Richards Almanac is publishedby Benjamin Franklin. The publication containsweather predictions, humor, proverbs and epigrams. An almanac is a popular literary form that contained acalendar, astrological guide and a sourcebook formedical advice and farming tips. Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin 132. Poor Richards Almanac 133. Vitus Bering 134. Vitus Bering In 1741 Russian Czar Peter the Great sponsors anexpedition by Danish navigator Vitus Bering to explorethe coast of Alaska. Vitus Berings exploration paved the way for Russianfoothold on the North American continent. 135. French and Indian War In 1754 the French and Indian War begins over a landdispute in the Ohio River Valley. Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie, Colonialleader of Virginia, was concerned that the French wereencroaching on the Virginia border, so he sent a 21 yearold major in the Virginia military named GeorgeWashington to tell the French to back away from theborder. 136. French and Indian War 137. French and Indian War 138. Fort Necessity Fort Necessity, a hastily constructed fort in GreatMeadows, Pennsylvania, was the site of GeorgeWashingtons first defeat. Later in American history Fort Necessity oddly came tosymbolize the rugged spirit of the colonials. 139. Fort Necessity 140. French and Indian War In 1756 England declares war on the French as the Frenchand Indian War spreads to Europe. In 1757 Fort William Henry, located near the Hudson River,was the site of the most notorious massacre in colonialhistory. The fort fell to the French. In literature, LieutenantColonel George Munro, the leader of Fort William Henry, isthe central figure in James Fennimore Coopers classic TheLast of the Mohicans. In 1763 the French and Indian War ends with the Treaty ofParis. Under the Treaty of Paris France gives England allFrench territory east of the Mississippi River with theexception of New Orleans. The Spanish give up East andWest Florida to the English in return for Cuba. The balanceof power in North America shifts to the British. 141. The Last of the Mohicans 142. Children in Colonial America Children in the colonies had little free time because they beganworking at a very early age and their colonies were also strictreligiously. When the children did have time to play they played thefollowing games: Yo-Yo Jump Rope Tennis Flying Kites Cricket Marbles Hopscotch Leap Frog 143. Children in Colonial America