History – General Skills

Unit 1 – U.S. History

First People to Arrive in America

No one knows exactly when the first people came to America.About 15,000 years ago, nomads began trekking eastward across a land bridge from Asia to America.

First People to Arrive in America

No one knows exactly when the first people came to America.About 15,000 years ago, nomads began trekking eastward across a land bridge from Asia to America.

First People to Arrive in America

No one knows exactly when the first people came to America.About 15,000 years ago, nomads began trekking eastward across a land bridge from Asia to America.These nomads from Asia would make their way into places across North and South America.

First Europeans in AmericaThe first Europeans to arrive in America were the Vikings (from Scandinavia) – NOT Christopher Columbus.

The Vikings were led by Leif EricsonChristopher Columbus started a voyage trying to find India in 1492.

First Europeans in AmericaThe first Europeans to arrive in America were the Vikings (from Scandinavia) – NOT Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus started a voyage trying to find India in 1492. He landed in the Bahamas (not India) but called the people there “Indians.”After Columbus’s voyages, Europeans would begin to colonize America.

The Columbian ExchangeWhen the Europeans came to the “New World,” they brought with them many crops, animals, and diseases. They also took crops, animals, and diseases back to the “Old World” with them.This new system of global trading was known as “The Columbian Exchange.”

Take a look at the next few slides. They

illustrate what we mean by

“The Columbian Exchange.”

Genocide?“Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.”Over 90% of the Native American population in America died out as a result of the Columbian Exchange. Small pox was the most deadly disease for the Native Americans.Some scholars have estimated that about 100 million Native Americans died over the span of 200 years as a result of disease and fighting with the Europeans.

Magna Carta & English Bill of RightsIn 1215 in England, a group of English nobles forced

King John I to sign the Magna Carta which gave the nobles rights.It also required the King to get Parliament’s OK before he imposed any taxes.Later, during the 1600s, King James of England was overthrown. He was replaced by William and Mary, who agreed to abide by the English Bill of Rights. The English Bill of Rights reiterated that the King MUST get Parliament’s approval before raising taxes.The English Bill of Rights also said that people have the right to religious freedom, which would later be included in the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Maps

ColoniesNew England Colonies

MassachusettsNew HampshireConnecticutRhode Island

Middle ColoniesPennsylvaniaNew YorkNew JerseyDelaware

Southern ColoniesMarylandVirginiaNorth CarolinaSouth CarolinaGeorgia

“The Lost Colony”In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh of England sent about 91 men, 17 women, and 9 children to an island in North Carolina.The governor of Roanoke returned back to England for supplies. He returned 3 years later and the people had vanished.There were no bodies, only empty houses with the letters “CRO” carved on a post.What happened to the colonists is still a mystery today.

Jamestown ColonyJamestown was the first SUCCESSFUL colony in the 13 colonies. The first people came to Jamestown in 1607.Jamestown had many problems at the beginning of the colony. The colony was in a swampy area with disease-carrying mosquitoes.Many of the men who came to Jamestown thought they were going to get rich from gold mining, so they refused to do any farming or manual labor.

Jamestown ProblemsCaptain John Smith was one of the early leaders of the colony. Smith began trading with the Powhatan Indians, and this trade helped the colony get through its first two winters.John Smith was injured and returned to England. Without a leader, the colony took a turn for the worst.The Winter of 1609 and 1610 became known as the “starving time.”The people of Jamestown ate “dogs, rats, snakes, toads, and horses.”They even dug up dead bodies and ate them.

Tobacco Saves JamestownJohn Rolfe came to Jamestown and introduced tobacco. The people began growing it at a rapid pace and making profits.The colonists had enough money to import food and this saved the colony.

Virginia House of BurgessesIn 1619, the House of Burgesses was established in Virginia.This was the first assembly of elected representatives in North America.This was important because it laid the foundation for what would later become our Congress.

New England Colonies

New England ColoniesThe best example of a New England colony was Massachusetts.The Pilgrims and Puritans lived in the New England Colonies.

Roman CatholicChurch

ProtestantsBaptists

Presbyterians

Episcopalians

Lutherans

Church ofEngland

(Anglican Church)

Puritans Separatists (Pilgrims)

The PilgrimsThe Pilgrims were separatists from Holland, meaning they broke away from the Anglican Church.They were punished and persecuted for breaking away from the Church.So the Pilgrims escaped Holland on the Mayflower ship and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.When they arrived, they signed a document called The Mayflower Compact. This document established a government that would be ruled by the majority.

The PuritansThe Puritans, like the Pilgrims, did not agree with the Anglican Church.The Puritans wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church of everything that was left from the Catholic Church. So, a group of Puritans led by John Winthrop left for America and arrived in 1630.Winthrop said that the Puritans’ colony would be a “city upon a hill.”Winthrop meant that the Puritans’ colony would be a godly example to the world of how a community should live.

The PuritansThis community would be called the Massachusetts Bay Colony.If someone challenged the Puritan ideas, he could be banished from the colony.The Puritans did NOT allow drinking, reading other books besides the Bible, or even dancing.The Pilgrims and Puritans did NOT come to America to set up “religious freedom.” They did not want people living with them who did not follow the “godly example.” The Puritans were NOT tolerant. They did not like people from other religions or people who did not agree with them.

Roger Williams and Anne HutchinsonRoger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were both banished from Massachusetts for challenging Puritan beliefs.Anne Hutchinson was banished for saying that God could speak to people directly and not just through the Bible.Rhode Island was where people who were banished from the Puritans went. There was a total separation of church and state there.

Economy of New England ColoniesThe economy of New England depended on the geography of the land.In New England, people relied on subsistence farming. This means that they only grew enough food to survive.The soil in New England is very rocky, which made it impossible to have big farms.Instead, people in New England made money through shipbuilding and trading. There were thick forests that allowed people to use the timber for ships and use the water for trading with other places.This also allowed people in New England to make money through fishing.

The Mid-Atlantic Colonies(aka Middle Colonies)

The Mid-Atlantic ColoniesThe best example of a Mid-Atlantic colony was Pennsylvania.Pennsylvania was a very tolerant colony as compared to the others.

Pennsylvania ColonyIn 1680, the King of England granted William Penn a colony which would be called Pennsylvania. William Penn was a Quaker. Quakers believed that a person’s “inner light” from God was more important than the Bible and religious authorities.Quakers were accepting of all Christians, regardless of whether you were Protestant or Catholic.Penn had a peace treaty with the local Indian tribes.Anyone who was a Christian and had 50 acres of land could vote.Penn bought the land south of Pennsylvania and it became the colony of Delaware.How is this different than the New England colonies?

Economy of Mid-Atlantic ColoniesThe Mid-Atlantic Colonies’ economy was also based on geography. They had very fertile soil.People in the Mid-Atlantic Colonies also had large families because they lived longer.So, they used their large families and fertile soil to grow food that they exported to other countries.

The Southern Colonies

Economy of the Southern Colonies

The best examples of Southern colonies were Virginia and South CarolinaThe economy of the Southern colonies was based on slavery and the plantation system.Plantations are very large farms that require lots of labor. These plantations grew “cash crops.” Cash crops are crops grown to make large profits.This is unlike subsistence farming, which is farming just to grow enough to survive.The three main cash crops in the Southern colonies were tobacco, rice, and indigo.Cotton was NOT a main crop of the south during the 18th century.

Society of the Southern Colonies

The Southern colonies developed a strict hierarchical structure because of the plantation system.This meant that there were very rich people who owned the plantations, while the rest of society was poor or slaves.South Carolina’s system of slavery came from Barbados.These large plantations in the South hurt the growth of towns and cities because they took up all the space.Furthermore, the established church in the South was the Anglican Church.

MarylandFounded by Lord Baltimore for Catholics so they could escape religious persecution in England.Lord Baltimore passed the Act of Toleration which protected Catholics from persecution.Protestants lived in Maryland as well.

GeorgiaStarted by James Oglethorpe.Started as a place for debtors to start over rather than have to go to prison.Originally, Georgia outlawed slavery, but later on slavery was allowed.

“Salutary Neglect”The King of England appointed governors for each colony, but the colonial legislatures had more power. For the most part, the King left the colonies alone and let the colonial legislatures handle their own affairs. This is called salutary neglect.Parliament’s control of the colonies was limited by distance. Colonial assemblies had the right to tax.Colonial assemblies had the “power of the purse” meaning they could set the salaries of the royal officials. The colonists still considered themselves to be British NOT “American.”

New England ColoniesReligion

•Puritan•NO religious tolerance

Society•Was “egalitarian” at first, but social classes came later.•Education was important because of Puritans.•Had many towns.

Government•Controlled by the Church•Town meetings made decisions

Economy•Only subsistence farming (no plantations) because of rocky soil.•Used forests to build ships.•Used the sea to be merchants and fishermen.

Middle ColoniesReligion

•Most religious tolerance and diversity of all 3 regions.

Society•Was egalitarian at first, but social classes came later.

Government Economy•Used fertile soil and large families to export foodstuffs. (wheat, rye, etc)•Did not have to use slaves.

Southern ColoniesReligion

•Religion did not play a huge role because people were more concerned with making money.•The main church was the Anglican Church (Church of England).

Society•Hierarchical social structure because of plantations.•At first, Georgia outlawed slavery, but later accepted it.

Government•Coastal planters had the political power.

Economy•Cash crops: tobacco, rice, and indigo•Used New England’s ships to export crops to Europe.•NO COTTON! (yet)